Break code of silence

I was reading the Arkansas Times series on murders in Little Rock, and I, like any other concerned citizen, wish I had the answer to putting an end to these senseless acts.

I feel there is far too much responsibility placed on the police department. Police departments have the same type of people that your jobs have—those who are lazy, uncaring and shouldn’t be in the department, etc.— but you need to allow for those who are loyal and dedicated to their jobs, giving our city the best service they possibly can.

Talk about the large number of murders and unsolved murders— they may be unsolved but I believe they are not unsolvable. The police are equipped with dash cams, sometimes body cams, but no crystal ball. That’s where you and I come in. It doesn’t matter how smart or dedicated a police officer may be when a murder is being investigated. I believe accurate eyewitness accounts still remain their best help in solving criminal activities. A police officer can come to investigate a murder scene, dead body or bodies lying there, 40 people standing around. Police start asking questions and no one is willing to tell them anything.

It’s unfair to blame the police department. The blame is on you because you were there!

You may continue to exercise this code of silence, but what happens when they are investigating your murder? Would you rather them exercise this code of silence or tell, accurately, what they know?

You may just be one of those tough, hard-core individuals who couldn’t care less if your murder is solved.

Some people are still wondering why the police are able to solve crimes in certain areas (affluent neighborhoods); well, I’ll tell you—they have no code of silence. AUSTIN PORTER SR.

College Station