Parker has no problem with Director Parrey being out on the golf course

If Trenton Police Director Ernie Parrey, Jr. and other city officers used their own time to play in a golf outing on Monday then hopefully they enjoyed their day.

Bad timing? Yes. Looks horrible? Uh huh. Court of public opinion jesters will devour him alive? No doubt.

Limiting Parrey’s golf chances based on murder counts sounds preposterous. Perhaps creation of a crime/ golf index could solve this issue regarding when Parrey can hit the links.

Well, we had two sexual assaults, five shootings and one murder on Tuesday. No golf for Parrey on Wednesday.

Critics act as if Trenton never had three homicides in 48 hours. Pissed off cops in full desire for regime change voice disenchantment despite the fact that at one point Ernie Parrey, Jr. represented what they wanted, described by this blurb voiced in July 2014 by South Ward Councilman George Muschal,

“I think Parrey is an excellent choice to raise the moral within the police department,” Muschal said. “We need someone who was born and raised in Trenton and climbed the ranks within this police department to come up with a plan on how to stop crime. Parrey will lead the police department in the right direction.”

Oh, how we miss those good old days when Caucasian officers faced off against the Brother Officer’s Law Enforcement Society (BOLES). Now, it’s just their own miniature civil war, which includes nasty text messages about officers’ wives and anonymous phone calls.

The city suffers again as police fight each other more than they battle criminals. And while everybody knows that most city officers attempt to professionally perform their duties, it’s the 5 or 10 percent that makes the TPD a pitiful soap opera that rivals the backstabbing of All My Children.

This feels like some Clint Eastwood/Dirty Harry film as rogue police revolt until they get their man in the director’s chair.

The same deplorable behavior existed when Director Joe Santiago headed the department. Nothing’s changed really.

Santiago, police director from February 2003 until September 2008, had keen insights about crime, particularly that his job demanded focused attention.

“If I’m not talking about crime then I’m not doing my job,” Santiago preached. Santiago also espoused that police not be judged by homicide numbers.

Fighting crime requires a holistic approach that engages education, weeds, litter, guns, libraries, competent government representatives, personal responsibility, arts, recreation and community policing.

Personal issues with police remain connected to policy and whether law enforcement leaders can help to deliver safety and support to Trenton neighborhoods.

My lone concern about this golf day involves allegations that Parrey and other officers played on company time.

Occasionally, a break from mayhem, murder and violence offers time for a recharging of batteries and clearing minds.