05/27/2022
We have heard recently that the City of Uvalde had a small police department. I Googled and checked their website and didn’t get an answer. Let’s presume that it is true, whatever the number. Because they are small in number, it is said that they do not have a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit. Given that, it would seem that their entire sworn (authorized to carry weapons and enforce laws) force be trained and capable of performing SWAT type response when necessary. Waiting is a luxury not always available in law enforcement.
Being required, or saying they are required to wait for another agency to send a designated unit simply is not acceptable when lives are at risk. Particularly children! Yes, it would require the cooperation of their local and state governments to make that happen, fine.
Fix it!
A single officer, armed with a handgun is at a disadvantage when facing an adversary with a rifle. No argument there. And yes, being a police officer is not meant to be a sacrificial lamb, a su***de career. But it is your responsibility to Protect and Serve, to save lives, to prevent crimes when present at a crime in progress.
Fix it!
Now, I’m not pretending that I am some bullet proof hero. I’m not! While I have had a career in law enforcement and served our country in the War on Terrorism I am not a fearless hero with all the answers. Further, I am a family man.
And certainly logistics and tactics are keys to a successful operation in all situations. But those children in Uvalde new nothing of such requirements or issues. They simply need someone, anyone, to come and stop the killing. That is the job, the sworn duty of Law Enforcement.
Were there particulars to the shooting in Uvalde that negatively impacted the situations…yes! That community, all communities must have authorized individuals readily present and available to keep the peace at our childrens schools.
There-in is a problematic issue. First, there is a large number of our citizens that are against police in general, and specific to the issue of police in and on school campuses. That includes teachers themselves. Don’t get me wrong, I love our teachers. The are no other more essential people in our society than good teachers. They are underpaid, inadequately equipped and left alone and outnumbered in the classrooms. But far too many resist and reject the idea of authorized, armed security actively and always campus.
Simple solution!
Fix that!
I wasn’t there in Uvalde, so I am not blaming. I had not heard of Uvalde before this recent event.
POLICING IS AN IMPERFECT SCIENCE!
This is true of big and small cities.
It evolves over time as obstacle and limitations confront their tasks.
Living in this world with division, politics, social, economic and cultural issues…not to mention wars and rumors of war always rumbling in the near and far horizon, living is challenging. Leading and serving is challenging. Trust is challenging.
There are laws and enforcement matters that MUST be addressed. Whether you are for or against guns, favor crime reduction or favor less rules and restrictions…where are childrens safety is concerned there should be NO debate.
There are approximately 340 million people, and increasing, in the U.S. And that many differing opinions on everything.
It is reported that approximately 26% of our adult population suffers from some form of mental illness…that’s just adult numbers. I tend to think it is much higher, just as our population is higher than estimated.
There can be no debate that a person who takes a gun and kills another person must be sick. It must be acknowledged that criminally minded people do not follow the rules and laws…they will have guns as long as guns exist. And guns will always exist as long as we have crime, criminals, national borders, dictators and warlords and people without values morals and conscious.
No matter…FIX IT!
Crime is a disease that needs to be eradicated like any other sickness. Enforce laws, heal sick people. Stop pi***ng into the wind on the issue of guns in America. As the laws stand today, they are there. Find an agreed way of dealing with that reality.
FIX IT!!
