We need peace officers

I really appreciate the description of a peace officer attitude in Blaine Blackstone’s March 11 letter. We need peace officers as described. “The officer DID NOT write a large number of citations. He didn’t make a lot of arrests. Yet...the people he served loved him (along with anyone who had the good fortune to work with and learn from him).”

I bet he did not hide in the dark along a straight stretch trying to “catch” someone 10 or 15 mph over. I bet he did not sit at the edge of speed zones “catching” people coming down from highway speed to the local lower zone. I bet he avoided seatbelt tickets. Some officers are about enforcing the code and some are about keeping the peace. A very different attitude that brings very different results. The enforcement officer uses the people to serve the law. The peace officer uses the law to serve the people and when he does not have to issue a ticket, he is successful. Both the officers and the people would be much better off if the peace officers would encourage the enforcement officers on the force to be peace officers. If this were to happen, the defund the police phenomenon would go away and everyone’s life would be more peaceful.

Mark French,

Plains