Guns and rights
Regarding the concealed carry issue: When did the rights of people who want to carry guns in public usurp my rights to not have guns in public?
Why do their rights override mine?
Suzi Bond
Keaau
Share your appreciation
May 14 to May 20 is Police Week. It’s a time that our nation sets aside to honor the valuable contribution that our police officers make toward keeping our communities safe.
Our patrol officers work 24/7, 365 days of the year ensuring the safety of our community.
They work long and difficult hours — alternating shifts every month. Our officers deal with sleep deprivation issues with the frequent shift changes while doing dangerous and challenging work. They confront evil in our community on a daily basis so that we don’t have to.
In recent years, our officers are encountering increasingly violent crimes more and more often. Some of these dangerous encounters require them to respond with force that don’t always end well. Our officers endure trauma from these encounters and deserve community support when they are forced to do something they don’t want to have to do. Police officers protect the public from dangerous and violent offenders.
While there are bad eggs in every profession, the majority of our officers are courageous and humble men and women serving our communities with pride.
They live amongst us; their children attend our schools, their spouses work in our community. They are invested in the health of the place where they live and are dedicated to preserving that health. Their families make great sacrifices, as well, for their career choice. They are often left to fend for themselves during natural disasters or severe weather because their spouse/parent is out working to keep the rest of us safe during these times.
Our police department is also kept going by all of the support staff that they employ. There are 911 dispatchers that take all the emergency calls and then dispatch officers to the scene. There are word processors that type out all the officers’ reports. There are mechanics that keep the vehicles and their equipment working. There are IT workers that keep their data systems up and running. There are maintenance workers that keep the facilities clean. There are clerical workers that keep important records. There are crime lab technicians that collect and process evidence, and the list goes on.
Let’s set aside time during Police Week to let these brave public servants know how much we appreciate them here on the Big Island. If you know an officer, share your appreciation with them for what they do.
They deserve it.
Police Chaplain Renee Godoy
Hilo