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The Painfully Obvious
Chief Pennington, of the Atlanta Police Department, came out with a statement this week that does not necessarily classify him as a rocket scientist. That is not to say that he is less than intelligent. I am simply speaking of his most recent statement. He called a press conference to announce two things. First, (hold on to your hat for this one), the City of Atlanta is a dangerous place. When I heard this bold statement, I was amazed that there were living souls who had not already figured this out. Have you been to Buckhead lately? There is more blood on the streets than what you would find in the ER at Grady. Secondly, he wanted to let us know that the City of Atlanta needs more police officers. I had to sit down. Was this just an epiphany that Chief Pennington had or was there something factual that he might have based these startling statements on?
Obviously, Chief Pennington realized that he would have to start from scratch to get any attention concerning the dire situation in the City of Atlanta. Of course, if the city leaders knew that Atlanta was a dangerous place and that they were short of officers, something would have already been done on both fronts. Let's just pretend, for a moment, that the Mayor and City Council in Atlanta did not already know what Sam Massel has been saying for ten years. Maybe they have been so engrossed with bringing the Olympics, Superbowls, and the NBA Championships to the city that they really believed that the city was crime free. Maybe they had bought into the concept of the "Build a field and they will come." However, they should also realize that as soon as someone gets killed in the bleachers, they will leave, quickly! So, Chief Pennington is trying to get his city's Fathers and Mothers (politically correct) to see the obvious. Chief Pennington is not alone in this struggle.
Police chiefs and law enforcement executives all over the country have been preaching for many years about the "Parks or Police" concept. We can put the finest recreational facilities imaginable on every corner of every neighborhood, but if the people who live in these areas do not feel safe, the amenities will go unused, except for the criminal element that is left behind. There is no single item on any budget that should come before public safety. We need good schools, we need good infrastructure, and we need good roads, and so on and so on. All of these efforts are a moot point if we cannot provide a safe environment for people to utilize these resources.
The thin blue line, which is how law enforcement refers to themselves, is really an imaginary line that separates us from anarchy. As long as the line is in place, everything is wonderful. The line can stretch, bend, and flip flop, but it must never be broken. But as with all things, there is a limit to its elasticity. Without proper funding and manpower, the thin blue line will snap and when it does, the snap will echo across our society like a sonic boom. We can never afford for this to occur. Government officials must take note. It is nice to give yourself a 70% raise, as we saw this week in one of our sister counties, but you cannot do it when there are not enough officers to patrol the streets. For once and for all, let's get real!
A great analogy would be to imagine the greatest pizza that you have ever seen. The sauce is spread so evenly and perfect. The toppings are lined up symmetrically and have just the right combinations of pepperoni, peppers, cheese and all your other favorites. It is impeccable. Then imagine, just as you pick it up, the crust crumbles into a thousand pieces. Someone forgot to put in enough flour and the crust has crumbled. All of the toppings crash to the floor in an awful mess. Chief Pennington and Chiefs all over the country are trying to build a pizza in their city. They just need a little help on the crust.
For further information, visit www.voice4victims.com
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