Law Enforcement and Emergency Services

The last few years have made it very difficult for those who serve the public, especially for law enforcement and emergency services.

Those who choose this career do so knowing that they will not grow wealthy on their salaries and there is a good chance they may be injured or even killed.

Still, these brave and noble individuals put on their uniforms every day to protect us.

Add into this equation the recent movements to either defund or eliminate law enforcement and other emergency service providers and the situation would be untenable for normal people.

Thank goodness, law enforcement and emergency service providers are anything but normal: they are extraordinary people.

In my work as a civil rights attorney, I often have to deal with law enforcement. Sometimes, it's to report threats made against clients or groups I represent, other times its to report threats made against me personally (unfortunately, this happens more often than I expected and frequently comes from gangs and hate groups). In each case, law enforcement has been considerate, responsive and diligent, even though they also become targets by helping my clients or me.

Of course there are some bad apples in law enforcement, just as there are bad apples in every field. This does not overshadow the daily benefits we receive from those who put their lives on the line for us. While I support rigorous investigations and punishment of those who betray their badges, I will never support calls to inhibit law enforcement personnel from doing their jobs. I reject any call to defund or eliminate law enforcement, whether it is overt or through policies that expose law enforcement personnel to added risks for simply doing their jobs.

In fact, I support allocating additional amounts in our state's budget for both law enforcement and emergency services personnel and will work to enact legislation, such as sentencing enhancements for violence against law enforcement and emergency services personnel, that provides additional protections and benefits for those who serve in these critical fields.