The rule of law and policing are necessary parts of any functioning society because laws and their enforcement are needed to balance the dynamics between individuals and the culture. While many police calls and 911 scenes are routine, some are highly charged cases of various human carnage that are extremely messy and unpredictable, where everyone’s safety and security are on the line. 

Because much of America is heavily armed with guns, the police, out of necessity, have gotten militarized with SWAT teams and heavy artillery. However, mental illness and/or substance-use disorders are the underlying cause of most human problems, so jails are a setup for repeated failure with countless so-called “frequent flyer” 911 calls. Thus, the police need a much wider array of intervention and treatment options, such as counselors who go into the 911 trenches to de-escalate crises and drug courts that mandate various treatment options. However, to date, the police have to go it alone because usually the above-mentioned resources remain lacking.

Following George Floyd’s death, enlightened people began asking for such badly needed assistance for the police. However, conservative politicians falsely labeled this as “defunding the police.” For 35 years as a first-responder, I saw first-hand how stressful and dangerous police, fire and rescue work were, and still are, because people in need remain untreated. Thus, people get sicker and sicker, and police and first-responder work has gotten more and more stressful.

Mike Beebe

Lyndeborough

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