Cops

Now, we have entered into an area that piques people's interest. Whether it is in a positive or negative vein, everyone has at least one thought about cops. If you have had a negative encounter, such as receiving a citation for speeding, there is not much of a chance the attitude toward the police is positive. If they have assisted you in a time of need, they are then super heroes. Usually the feelings toward them are rarely lukewarm. When someone calls and the response doesn’t come, city hall will get a call. Even if the police were responding to a call like the one at Chuck E. Cheese or the robbery of a local bank.

People only realize what is happening in their own world. Their own situation is the not only the most important, it is the only situation. You can’t forget when you were in a crosswalk and a police car was there waiting for the light to change and then, without lights flashing or siren blaring, he takes off like the car was on fire, only to stop at the next traffic light. Knowing that there would be no penalty for him to break the law, it is not infrequent that this “privilege” is used. Yet they haven’t the time to write citations for traffic violations other than speeding. They are always caught in the middle. They probably would get writer's cramp from the citations of the individuals on their cell phones, not attentive to traffic. How about the ones texting while behind the wheel of a car? These offenses would be enough to fill the coffers of city hall. The situation is that citations for these hazardous situations would be difficult to fine because the police rarely, if ever, cite anyone for these acts of inattentive behavior behind the wheel. 

There is, however, no hesitation among administrators to put these officers in harm's way while administrators are risking their lives behind a desk. If you are wondering the reason for this: the police are too occupied with higher priority concerns. On a comparative basis, this city is woefully understaffed when it comes to law enforcement. You see there are not enough funds available to support a larger force that would be available to protect the citizens of this city. The administrators made certain that the trash fees were raised so that the trash would receive a priority, but the safety of the citizens takes a back seat to trash.

There is one other issue: the administrators made certain that they received their income increase to the tune of a reported $2.4 million dollars. If there were a sense of propriety, would not the police be ahead of the pencil pushers? You see, if that $2.4 million had been used for the city (ie. citizens), there could have been twenty new officers hired on a full-time basis. Not only that, the trash expense would have not been an issue and there would have been enough money to keep the pools open in the warm weather. The administrators, however, chose to fill their own pockets, in a cash-strapped city, as a priority.

To read more from retired Parma resident Leo Lampeter, check out the online blog, Leo Lampeter Speaks!, at https://leolampeter.wordpress.com

Leo Lampeter

Retired. Looking to create controversy.

Read More on Opinion
Volume 8, Issue 2, Posted 9:54 PM, 02.02.2016