James_Nov-Dec_2025_web - Flipbook - Page 14
by recognizing the need for the
profession in an orderly and lawbased society. The “defund the
police movement” has proven to be
the fastest conceived, implemented
and failed social policy in United
States history. All but the utterly
naïve, zealously ignorant or those
raising funds by appealing to a
warped political base, recognize
and understand that without a law
enforcement presence in a community, the poor will be preyed upon
and the weak are left vulnerable.
Around the United States, and
sadly in some places in Georgia, people do not feel safe enough to roam
the streets of their own cities and
communities. It is hard to imagine, in
an age where the word “oppression”
is thrown about with little regard
for truth, a more oppressive environment or a more abject restriction
of personal freedom than being
unable to allow children to wait on
a bus stop, adults to go to a mall to
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shop, or people to go downtown to
a restaurant on a Friday night for a
peaceful dinner. Crime-ridden communities are not free.
While bail reforms, lack of prosecution of violent criminals and a
commitment to seemingly excuse
abject criminality are problematic
at best, the safety of every community begins with the presence
of law enforcement officers to not
only deter crime but respond with
due alacrity to calls for help. No
one ever called 911 in fear of escaping an active assailant, a domestic
abuser or a home invader praying
that a guardian wouldn't arrive
quickly. The need for male and female warriors answering the call to
protect strangers has always been
present, will always be needed in
the future, and in many communities is sadly lacking now.
Recruiting the best and the
brightest for any profession is a
commonsense endeavor. When
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it comes to public safety, it is a
shared responsibility as well as a
public benefit to ensure that the
smartest, bravest and most dedicated among us will— in the spirit
of Isaiah 6:8— raise their hands
and say, “Send me.” Even the best
staffed police department may
have one or two recruiters. Few
if any have officers and staff dedicated to retention. However, any
profession that consistently loses
its elders who guide policies, procedures and make decisions having
strategic consequences will experience profound difficulty and over
time such loss is unsustainable.
Only intense community support and involvement, including recruiting, retention, encouragement,
and open public support in town
halls and council and commission
meetings will turn this tide so that
law enforcement agencies are not
scrambling to fill shifts or sacrificing response times to ensure
