Edmund "Ed" A. Martin
Jefferson City
Dear Editor:
Jefferson City is a great community in part because of an excellent local city and county government. However, recent news articles have raised public safety concerns about adequate funding for equipment and pay for police personnel.
One of the primary responsibilities of government, at all levels, is the safety of its citizens. It is a prime consideration of where people want to live, work and play, and where businesses want to conduct their business. Safe communities grow and attract people and business whereas unsafe communities lose people and business. This has recently been evident in many of our larger cities.
Better updated equipment with body cameras, communication equipment, and vehicles are all important components in today's public safety world. However, along with the proper equipment is a well-trained, competent police force. The rising turnover rate for Jefferson City police officers is raising concerns about the ability to maintain the high standards of a well-trained and experienced police force to deal with an increase in per capita violent crimes and weapons incidences in our city. More states and the federal government are looking at ways to restrict tactics that officers use to apprehend suspects. This means the selection process for officers that can meet the physical, mental and emotional requirements to work in a more dangerous environment will become greater and more challenging.
Many consultants in establishing pay grades for police officers relative to other occupations in the same work entity are starting to upgrade police to higher pay grade levels because of the new restrictions and dangers when apprehending suspects. Police are required to be constantly engaged with the public. No remote work during a pandemic! They are the first to be called when danger and violence occurs in man-made and natural disasters. The Boulder, Colorado, incident where one of those killed was a police officer is another reminder that we need to address this public safety concern in Jefferson City.
So the question is not whether we need more funding but rather the best way to fund the police. A public safety tax is one of the ways. I know I don't have to say this in Jefferson City, but the term "defund the police" popular in some areas of the country is pure insanity. So let's properly fund our police.