Apr 28, 2021 3 min read

With the help of an anonymous donor, this newspaper reported, Greene County Sheriff Marcus Simms will purchase ballistic helmets for his deputies. The article was accompanied by a photo of Simms wearing one of the helmets, dark glasses and military-style clothing, and holding an assault rifle with a multi-round clip, his finger on the trigger.

I’m sure the sheriff’s and the donor’s only concern was for the safety of deputies in high-risk situations. And with much of the public now packing weapons – some of them looking for an excuse to use them – police officers are understandably concerned for their own safety. But we are not at war here, and arming and dressing law-enforcement officers as storm troopers may only be worsening the situation this nation finds itself in.

The federal government has encouraged police departments to acquire its surplus military gear and vehicles. We regularly see on television dozens of men dressed and soldiers armed with assault weapons pouring out of armored personnel carriers to surround a house where some mentally disturbed person is threatening to harm himself – a situation in which sending a social worker might be a response less likely to end in violent confrontation and death.

Is it too much of a stretch to imagine police someday sending their surplus tank to confront angry demonstrators, a la Tiananmen Square?

No thinking person who has carefully considered the problems arising from the killing of civilians by law enforcement wants to “defund the police,” as the slogan goes. That’s the last thing people who live in high-crime areas want. They just want better police.

However, we do need to rethink the police. Are we hiring the best people for the job? Are they properly trained? Are they paid well enough? Are there other professionals more suited to handle situations we now ask of police, like dealing with the mentally ill?

I am old enough to remember what our local police were like half a century ago, before bullet-proof vests and SWAT teams. As a reporter for the O-R in the early 1970s, I had frequent contact with cops. Guns were not as prevalent then, but dangerous situations were, and police usually approached them cautiously and calmly, trying to defuse hot tempers with non-threatening talk. Their intention was to keep the peace, not gain the upper hand. Although I’m sure there must have been some incidents when a Washington police officer fired his gun in the line of duty, I can’t recall a single one in my 40-plus years at the newspaper. And that’s a testament to how well they did their job.

What many police departments need today is not more weaponry; they need more and better training – most importantly, in conflict resolution.

Parker Burroughs

Washington