Respect toward law enforcement
Wow. I was blown away when I read a recent Sam Morgen article (“Settlement between KCSO and Justice Department draws mixed reactions,” Dec. 24). Sam took liberties at aggressively giving an opinion piece basically attacking our sheriff’s office after the state of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra instituted reform measures to curb acts of unnecessary aggression by law enforcement officers.
My first thought was is this nonsense really here in Bakersfield/Kern County?
The AG from San Francisco/Sacramento told Sheriff Donny Youngblood to address aggressive law enforcement tactics to curb citizens’ constitutional rights and treat individuals with respect and dignity.
Then, lawyer David Cohen comments that he agrees with the AG’s efforts. Then, the Peace Officers’ Union piles on to protect a totally PC position, obviously not caring for its rank and files’ safety.
Then, to top off this jab at our beloved sheriff’s office, some lady told us in the article that there is racism in KCSO.
That was the ultimate punch in the gut by all of these senseless PC attacks.
Wow! Hey, Sam, how about the other side’s position on the efforts by Youngblood and his peace officers?
As we should all know, our sheriff’s office does an incredible job!
For 150 years, ever since Kern County’s first sheriff was elected ( William Ross), the Kern County Sheriff’s Office has always been firm but fair.
Want to curb the aggressive nature of all law enforcement?
Simple: Just understand that these wonderful community service people are paid professionals who are not your friend, but friendly. They are well-trained officers who are not going to risk their own lives in doing their job unless absolutely necessary.
The problem is for some unknown reason, people (of all races) have stopped treating law enforcement officers with the dignity and respect they so rightly deserve.
And for some reason, law enforcement professionals are being forced by both bureaucrats and private entities to relax their training and become soft on crime.
That is the fundamental problem we are facing.
That is extremely dangerous for all parties involved!
When confronted by a law enforcement officer, do what they tell you to do. If a law enforcement officer tells you to calm down, calm down.
If he or she tells you to stop, stop. If he or she tells you to drop to the ground, drop to the ground. If he or she tells you to sit down, sit down.
It is not worth dying over. It’s the wrong place and time to argue, fight, run or brandish a weapon because what happens next is your fault, not the officer’s.
Be responsible. Be respectful. I, for one, am tired of all of the “permitted violence” brought about by people who are trying to develop a more PC society.
It is our downfall if permitted to fester. Including the author of the article, all of the positions that are spoken of in the article will ultimately destroy our city, our county and state and ultimately our country.
As for the AG, go back to your drug infested, filthy, crime-ladened, disgusting San Francisco and don’t come back. We don’t want your PC leadership.
As for Youngblood, I will continue to support real law enforcement as he and his officers have provided for all of these years.
I can tell you with 100 percent confidence that my children (all adults) would only treat law enforcement officers with complete respect.
Why do I tell you that? Because, as a parent, my job is to instill that respect into my children’s lives.
Have you done the same?
Do you have a negative view of law enforcement? As you know, our children, regardless of their age, will be influenced by your actions.
So, should one of your children be harmed by a situation that includes a law enforcement officer, are you sure that you, as a parent, did your job to instill respect for all law enforcement officers?
Obviously much of society has passed judgment on law enforcement and cast a dark cloud over their efforts.
Music, media, the news, etc. have a free speech capacity, and they use it to propagate a position that is, at best, naïve and, at worst, completely shameful where law enforcement is concerned.
In closing, since I have lived here all my life and we have always had an excellent county sheriff, names like Charlie Dodge and Carl Sparks, who served the community with dignity.
Our current sheriff has done the same. All of these sheriffs have had a tremendous outreach program that has always been far beyond the typical law enforcement employees chasing bad guys.
Personally, I treasure “old school” law enforcement and am taken aback when I see modern police and sheriff officers “stand down” when their community is burned down or where violence toward police and sheriff’s officers is permitted!
I try to reference Mathew 7:1 in my daily walk, but the sheer lunacy of people who have a negative view of law enforcement has my ire.
Please continue to support Youngblood.
He is a real American hero.
And you can bet that if I was told by an officer of the law to sit down and shut up, I’d sit down and shut up.