Who mourns police?
Enough rhetoric and enough of Al Sharpton. He causes more problems and he is not Martin Luther King Jr., even on his best day.
The fact is that police officers work under high stress. If some officers make mistakes, this problem should be addressed beforehand. Appropriate stress management and other training techniques including cultural sensitivity are appropriate. Police departments that do not offer this are operating in a mode of systemic failure.
Put yourself in the shoes of a police officer: Each day you parole the streets of Philadelphia. Some people are extremely violent. Others are depressed. Some are mentally unbalanced.
Police officers never know what they will face each day. They are asked to be family counselors, social workers and psychiatrists on the streets of Philadelphia. Having said that, when poor judgment or a violation of conduct standards occur, corrective measures need to occur swiftly. Citizens should have a right to protest. That is why our nation was founded. But, this does not mean destroying property.
Grievance procedures need to be in place for these matters to be heard and solutions implemented when appropriate.
Myles Gordon
Bustleton
Protecting wildlife
I am pleased that the Obama administration is leading the effort to conserve the Greater Sage-Grouse, one of the most iconic and imperiled bird species of the American West. I feel strongly that the Bureau of Land Management and the USDA Forest Service need to follow the measures called for by agency scientists to conserve the species. These include recommendations to limit future oil and gas drilling and mining, better grazing practices, and the creation of protected areas.
Conserving the Greater Sage-Grouse will require protecting large areas of habitat. Protecting the remaining large expanses will also help stem the decline of many species of wildlife and preserve the wide-open spaces of the American West for future generations of Americans.
Barbara Wood
Tacony
Boyle: Thank you, NE
As we collectively ring in the New Year, I wanted to extend a heart-felt thank you to the residents of Northeast Philadelphia. For the last four years I have been honored to serve as your state representative and I am excited to enter into my third term. My commitment to Northeast Philadelphia is as strong as ever.
The problems we face in the legislature are great and will require more bi-partisan support than ever before. This is why I plan to continue working closely with my Republican colleagues such as Rep. John Taylor and Rep. Tom Murt. I have also been a member of the Northeast Philadelphia/Eastern Montgomery County legislative alliance, and a co-founder of the millennial caucus.
But all of my work comes down to a simple goal: to continue to invest and represent the neighborhoods in which I live and that I represent. Continuing to work with city and federal agencies is vital in making sure quality of life issues are addressed and our neighborhoods stay safe and our schools stay strong.
Again, I appreciate the overwhelming support and hope that you contact my office if we may be of assistance to you.
State Rep. Kevin J. Boyle (D-172)
Philadelphia and Montgomery counties
Pro-police, pro-citizen
Demonstrations continue all over the country against the police and the alleged war on young black men. The media cover all this with great urgency.
In 2014, 15 police officers in this country were ambushed and killed — assassinated for being men in blue. The two cops killed in the media hub of New York City have been given fair coverage, but I didn’t know there were 13 others.
In fact, police officer gun deaths are up 56 percent over 2013. I didn’t see that headline — did you?
In 2014, 126 police officers were killed in the line of duty. Can any of you name more than two of them? Oh, the media didn’t pound their names into your head, like they did with Michael Brown.
I know that deadly force policies and civilian review are legitimate issues, but maybe what we have now is a war on police, and maybe we need to cover that, too.
Richard Iaconelli
Rhawnhurst
