‘Police violence’ too broad

I agree completely that a crime committed by a law enforcement officer is a crime and deserves the full legal consequences. However, I disagree with the inaccurate and cavalier denotation of “police violence,” a term that lumps the multitude of competent, diligent officers in with the very small percentage of wrongdoers.

A major contributing factor is that most people formulate their perception based on what they see on TV. Any crime by a rogue officer will be the lead story on any newscast. If there is an instance of unlawful police behavior anywhere in the country, it’s likely the people contacted for comment will be those with an agenda against the police.

Until 2021, I was a chaplain for the San Antonio Police Department. I did a ride-along every week for years. I know without a doubt from this experience that nearly all police officers are welltrained, conscientious, diligent people who seek to make San Antonio a great place to live.

If you put a microphone in front of a local activist, you will hear what they “think” about the police. I don’t know how much time they have spent in a police cruiser, but I can tell what I know from firsthand, regular observation: the discernment, compassion, courage, professionalism, and, yes, even the restraint of police officers.

So it would be much more accurate and less inflammatory to differentiate between the 99 percent of police officers who serve their communities well from the ones who probably never should have been hired.

Thank you, SAPD.

Chuck Humbert