LOVE OUR LOCAL POLICE

Our city is not overly safe. We have a crime index of 20, which means that 80% of US cities are safer than ours. Therefore, our local police do not have an easy job. Death by gunfire is a hazard. Officers are often shot when making arrests. Being a cop is not for the faint of heart. But having lived in this community for a good part of my life, I’ve come to love our local police.

People in big cities like Seattle and Minneapolis would probably be offended if I said such a thing in their presence. They seem to hate the police, and often it’s for good reason. Everyone was horrified as they witnessed the murder of George Floyd on television. It’s hard to believe that police would resort to such brutal tactics. Why don’t we have that problem in small cities?

Should we defund or love the police — Police face dangerous situations every day. Should we defund, or love the police?

Possibly, it’s because our police officers are often someone we knew from our neighborhoods or schools. Similarly, when making arrests, the officers may be acquainted with the offender, or someone in the family. Also, our police department is proactive in our community with many outreach programs. If you take a walk through one of our parks, you’ll often notice a police car making the rounds. That makes me feel safe. Similarly, I don’t feel upset when a police car is behind me in traffic. I know they will protect me if something bad happens. And best of all, is seeing a police car parked in front of a school.

Should we defund the police? I can’t imagine why. Who would you call if a crime takes place? What if you’re being robbed, or threatened with a home invasion? Without the presence of a local police force, criminals would have free rein . Years ago, I was a witness in a murder case. It was a frightening experience, and I had to spend some time answering questions at the police station. They treated me with respect and dignity. And the murderer was sent to prison, which was where he belonged.

Being a police officer is a physically demanding job. Consequently, they must pass physical ability tests to make sure they have the stamina, endurance and strength required. Also, they can’t have a criminal record. Background checks must show that they have the mental resilience to endure the frightful images and dangerous situations they encounter on a daily basis

.Police are first responders to public safety issues and serious crime .As a result , there will be slower response to 911 calls if they are defunded. Therefore, delays in police response will increase fear of crimes, make victims of crime helpless, and wreak havoc on our community.

Let’s love our local police, not defund them.

April 20, 2020April 20, 2020

IS IT OKAY NOW TO BREAK THE LAW?

Since they’re letting people out of jails and prisons because of Covid-19, does it mean they’re free to break the law? Obviously, not. But now, police seem less likely to care about lawbreakers who defy civil code. While out for a walk. I saw a homeowner pour gasoline on a pile of wood and light a fire in his backyard. This sent huge clouds of black smoke billowing out across the neighborhood. But when I called the police to report this code violation they seemed annoyed. “We’ll check on it when we have time,” the dispatcher said. Obviously, he didn’t welcome my call.

In these difficult times, I can understand that first responders are dealing with far more urgent situations. However, my city has always been lax about code enforcement. If you call to report a neighbor’s violation, the police take your name and it goes on your record. Twenty five years ago, I called the police about a neighbor’s barking dog keeping my family up all night. That’s still on my record. I guess it means I’m a chronic complainer. Also, they tell the violator that “a neighbor” complained about them, which doesn’t make for a friendly situation. That’s probably why most people hesitate to complain about barking dogs, unmowed lawns and wood smoke from burning fires, to name a few.

The police department seems to forget that Code Enforcement is an important function of local governments to accomplish community goals. Code Enforcement helps empower the citizens of their community to create and maintain safe, healthy and attractive living and working environments.

The fact is that breathing in wood smoke can be irritating if not downright harmful. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), fine particles of wood smoke “can get into your eyes and respiratory system, where they can cause health problems such as burning eyes, runny nose and illnesses such as bronchitis.”

Bonfires in city backyards pollute city air — Is it okay now to break the law? Wood smoke pollutes city air and is prohibited by most civil codes.

These fine particles are also linked to premature deaths. The EPA advises that anyone with congestive heart failure, angina, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema or asthma should steer clear of wood smoke in general. Children’s exposure to wood smoke should also be limited, as their respiratory systems are still developing and they breathe more air (and air pollution) .

I know, the coronavirus is a much more serious threat than wood smoke, But on the other hand, if a police officer stops to check on someone’s illegal fire, at least they aren’t walking into an infectious indoor environment.

Just because we’re all preoccupied with Covid-19, it shouldn’t give others a free pass to violate civil codes. Or does the pandemic mean they can break the law, and get away with it?

March 9, 2020March 9, 2020

HELP! CAT HANGING OUT ON DOORSTEP

To begin with, we are a no-pet household. I’m allergic to cats. The two of us are doing well just taking care of each other, and staying in our own home. However, since we grew up on or near a farm, both of us love animals. Which posed a real crisis when a stray cat suddenly appeared on our property. And didn’t want to leave. Soon we were issuing an alert: Help! There’s a cat hanging out on our doorstep.

What do you do when a stray cat hangs out on your doorstep? — Help! Cat Hanging Out on Doorstep. But then, feline rescue came to our aid.

The cat was full grown and appeared to be well fed. That first day, it simply napped in the sunlight on our doorstep. Not the front door, but the side door leading to our warm, wood deck. We thought at first it belonged to our neighbor. But when it stood on its back legs and meowed at the window, we saw it lacked a white tummy, and was a stranger. It was gone by the next morning, much to our relief. But that night, it came back and watched us eat dinner at the dining room table. By now it was hungry. Clawing at the window and crying to be fed. We lost our appetite, turned out the lights, and went upstairs to watch the news.

The next morning, the cat was still there, hungrier than ever. And now we faced a dilemma. Should we feed the cat or call the humane society? We opted for the latter, but were told the shelter was full and there was no more room for cats. Our only recourse was to call the Animal Control arm of the police department. This was a Saturday, and we would have to wait until they opened on Monday.

Needing help for our decision, we called our son who owns two cats, and asked his advice. He rushed over and took a picture of the cat with his iphone. Next, he vetoed the call to Animal Control. “They’ll just kill it,” he said. Therefore, he volunteered to either take the cat to another city or find it a new owner. This was around 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

Cat lovers apparently have a network at his workplace. He issued a call for feline rescue, and within minutes, one of his co workers said she wanted the cat, but we would have to wait until she got off work at 4. Tensely, we counted the minutes until she arrived. Would she change her mind? Would the cat attack her? Finally, a pretty young girl arrived. When she stepped onto the deck, the cat jumped into her arms. She carried it to her car, wrapped it in her coat, and drove away. Mission accomplished in a little over an hour.

Was it simply a stray cat, or had some irresponsible human purposely dumped it onto our property? That’s one thing we’ll never know. But we are grateful to a couple of Feline Rescue’s first responders.