Show k f. rn i I f THE ENE THIN BLUE LINE By Icy 1 Detective Larry F. F Chevalier J I. I In Jays days gone by all that was r necessary to make a law enforcement enforcement en en- f officer was a body a badge and a beat Today law enforcement officers officers officers' of of- fivers fivers' are more carefully sel selected ted They ar are required to complete eight weeks of mental and physical training at the State Peace Officers Academy with an average grade of not less than eighty percent The peace officer must be trained in patrol tactics and various other fi fields tas as Rules of Evidence Techniques of Arrest Scientific Aids and Investigation The individual l responsibilities responsibilities s of the police officer ti have ve become more complex The officer is at the center of activity and many times has to tomake tomake tomake make immediate decisions His r reactions actions mus must be be rapid his r reflexes sharp and he must be physically sound and ment mentally alert a UNFORTUNATELY WE WEli li live e in an an anage age of violence nce This is the er era of mob violence militant grou groups s and nd rebellious disorder The police must be e quick to react in defense of justice and equality quality It should be tie made public knowledge that P police service is dedicated to serving the law abiding majority as opposed to the criminal minority The p police lice function of any society is a service to that s society lety There must be a mutual r respect from both officer f fand and citizen for each other the off officer officer of of- f er reali realizing ng his daily r responsibilities to the ci citizen zen a and ad d the th the Citizen un understanding what the officer must do to uphold law aw a and d order There There are many organizations such as the Revolutionary Action Movements The Black Panther Party and the C Communist P Party which believe in violence They seek to instill fear in the minds of f the American merican people To take fake our nation they must first break down the effectiveness efre ef ef- re t veness of law enforcement They would like nothing more than to sow in the minds of citizens the idea that law enforcement enforcement enforcement en en- is bigoted unfair and corrupt THE TIIE TRAGEDY V IN these radical concepts and ideas is that it encourages deliberate and provocative violations of the law To these groups the law lawis lawis lawis is something to be obeyed only it fits their purposes They disobey the rules of our society and at the same time do everything v possible to discredit r the the very role of law en en- This attitude has become more and more accepted accepted ac ac- ac and is doing an extreme amount of damage to our constitution and structure of government It has been said If we implant into the minds of citizens especially young people the concept that law enforcement is an enemy that laws are to be obeyed or disobeyed a at t the convenience of the individual and that civil disobedience is the best way to effect changes In our society we are sowing the seeds of anarchy and chaos Over the years there have be been n tendencies to create heroes of the criminal element Th The hoodlum who carries a gun vi who lio speaks obscene language is often extolled with high esteem A criminal is not a glamorous per person on He lie is selfish interested only in himself and completely callous of the rights of others His actions are injurious to family life and demean the concept of love justice and fairplay Crime is a dirty unscrupulous business which reveals man at his lowest level To glamorize any person of this nature e is a serious miscarriage of oC moral values that through working together we the officers and the citizens can keep our city a better place to live and to raise our families MY MV PURPOSE is not to tot 1 t cre create je e ill feeling nor to cast blame on any These things have been mentioned that the public may be aware that they can happen appen here Citizens should know w m more more re about our our department and its officers I would like to know how you about your police department and what you would like to know about the depart ment I will try to c cover ver all questions in future columns Please send a c card rd or or letter to Vernal Verral City Police E E. E Main to the attention of Dec Det Chevalier In future columns policies and procedures will be explained explained explained ex ex- ex- ex that you as a citizen may have a a better understanding understanding un un- of our department and its functions In In n closing I would like you you to r remember m lT ber berthat that mans man's struggle to maintain a society of law and order is riot not t without many conflicts both moral and legal legaJ The seed eed of f liberty is guarded daily dally by members of the THE filE THIN BLUE LINE |