EVANS: Let me be clear about it

Published 10:00 am Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Recently I addressed our county commission to request more aid and protection for our mentally challenged residents. Upon review, I realized that a couple of my comments were subject to misinterpretation and were in need of further clarification. When speaking with limited time one might be inclined to inject some bullet points without the necessary explanation. I am humble enough to admit that I committed such an error. When I stated that some negative encounters between police and our mentally challenged never should have happened, in no way was casting judgement on any individual officers’ action. I feel, it never should have happened because it is my personal opinion that the community at large and our leaders have not stepped up and done enough to keep our officers out of these no win situations. We already know that our community has a large population of mentally challenged, so we must not bury our heads in the sand, but be proactive. I am not an expert but it does appear that there are policies and procedures that, if adopted, can create a safer environment for both the officer and our mentally challenged citizens.  Our officers are always on the front line, but they should not be the only line, and when things do go badly it’s the officer that usually bears the bulk of the blame and criticism.  For clarification, when I cite the rapid devaluation of life that is infiltrating our society, I am not referencing our police, but a national population which is becoming more and more tolerant of violent behavior due to its uncontrollable love of guns.  Our society has normalized mass shootings of schools, churches, parades, and teenage parties and an increasing number of elementary students bringing guns to school.  I am occasionally asked to speak to groups about proper protocol and conduct necessary to make their encounter with police a safe and pleasant experience.  When I suggest to drivers to always make your vehicle safe for the officer during a traffic stop, it always requires a detailed explanation.  Likewise, our elected leaders and police leadership also should strive to make the environment as safe as possible for our officers.  Understanding that they control the purse strings, my first request is to our elected officials to commit to providing the necessary financial support, tools, and resources needed to enable our officers to safely and effectively manage the mentally challenged. Our community leaders, political leaders, business leaders, religious leaders, education leaders, and especially our youth leaders must all come together and work unselfishly to make our community safe for everyone. For many years I have  consistently written, in this paper, recognizing and expressing my support and appreciation for the quality of our police service, on occasion even citing individual officers for jobs well done. Because of my concern, I will always be an advocate for the safety and well being of the mentally challenged along with all of our Public Safety personnel. Again, to every woman, man and canine who darn the uniform each day and work to keep our community safe, we must all say thanks to you and your families.

Hudman S. Evans Sr.

Baldwin County