Buckley’s support for police comes belatedly

Residents of Annapolis should be pleased thatMayor Gavin Buckley is now supporting the police officers who were forced to confront a melee in the Harbor House community on April 14. Sadly, his arrival at this position was about a week too late.

The mayor initially stated that he was “very concerned” at the police response. Ultimately, both the public discourse and the official police department investigation of the incident did not square with the mayor’s initial reaction.

Unfortunately, the mayor’s response reflects today’s political environment. Elected officials often find it safest to question (or even condemn) the actions of police officers even when, as in this case, they were clearly proper. But this kind of response, which is calculated for the sole purpose of pleasing a small number of anti-police activists, is not leadership.

In fact, the men and women of the AnnapolisPolice Department are nowleft wondering how they would be treated if confronted with a similar situation in the future.

Buckley would be well served to try to learn more about the day-to-day work of Annapolis police officers. Going on a police ride-along, attending police briefings, and just spending time listening to officers’ concerns would likely provide much-needed perspective for the next time he is asked to weigh-in the work of his police department.

JASON JOHNSON Annapolis

EDITOR’S NOTE: Jason Johnson is the president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, a 501c3 non-profit organization based inAlexandria, Virginia.