To the editor:

Well here I sit wondering why in the world would anyone want to be a police officer.

They risk their lives every day they go to work and for what? When they stop a criminal in the act they have to be very careful not to offend him. If the criminal can outrun him the officer cannot stop him without getting in more trouble than the criminal when the criminal is injured or killed. It doesn’t make any difference what he has done; all at once he becomes a saint, the pillar of the community.

We have riots, looting and destroying property. When a police officer is killed in the line of duty, where is the outrage? Where is the anger? President Trump threatened to send in the military to stop the criminal assault on the community. They criticized him, said he was creating violence. They said he was using violence to stop peaceful demonstrations. Well, I don’t know where they come from but where I come from looting, destroying property and hurting law-abiding citizens is not called peaceful.

When we take all the power away from the police, what are you going to do when the criminal decides he wants what you have earned with your sweat and hard work? What will you do when you call for help and no one comes. I know there are bad police officers just as there are bad citizens. There are bad people in all walks of life. But don’t condemn the entire group for the action of a few. I think President Trump is right on when he says you loot, we shoot. It is time to take the streets back from the thugs and criminals. As for the peaceful demonstrators I say carry on, keep it real, keep it peaceful. Free speech is just what it says. But that does not mean you are free to tromp on other citizens rights.

With the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution come a duty to respect other people’s rights. What happened in Minneapolis was a tragedy but I think that we are strong enough to survive the tragedy and learn by it and because of it we can become a better people. As you drive down the street and see an officer, smile, wave and say, “thank you for what you do to make my community safe.”

Bernard Levings

Great Bend