Sunday, April 18, 2021 | 2 a.m.
View more of the Sun's opinion section
What a refreshing article about Assemblyman Tom Roberts concerning his approach to governing and his comments on the trials and tribulations of being a police officer (“ ‘Here to serve’: Collegial legislator draws on law enforcement experience,” April 11).
The future of our republic depends on elected officials who think like he does and who work with the other side of the aisle in a constructive and respectful fashion, despite different political philosophies. Finding common ground should always be the goal, knowing that you will have to agree to disagree at times.
Regarding policing, we simply ask them to do too much. They are great and often heroic in dealing with violent or potentially violent situations. But asking them to deal with all societal and domestic problems often goes beyond their training and must be enormously draining emotionally. Police are people too, and as such are not perfect. Some are far less than perfect, but they have enormously difficult jobs. We must come up with better ways and training that recognizes these realities. Defunding police is not the answer.
I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I’m grateful to the Tom Robertses of the world.
