While I don't enjoy receiving a speeding ticket or a ticket for not wearing my seat-belt, our police have the authority to ticket me for those reasons.
Public drunkenness, DUI or other, more serious offenses such as destroying public property are arrest-able offenses and should be settled before a judge and/or jury in a court of law at an appointed time.
In Abbeville County, we should support our police, our deputies and other law enforcement officers. We should support the Blue monetarily with our tax money and physically if we see that they need help anytime.
When you break a law, it is not the police at fault. They do not make laws. They are hired and trained to enforce laws. Our police in Abbeville County do not harass law-abiding citizens.
Normally, police are called to situations and this can result in them being placed in some type of dispute. These disputes can end peacefully, tragically, or somewhere in between. In 99 percent of most cases, the result is left entirely up to the person causing the disturbance or breaking the law.
Police are not robots or computers. They are human beings with feelings and emotions and are trained to have a hard shell when it comes to showing their feelings (except maybe in cases where compassion is needed).
We don't need to defund police departments. We need to support them and show our appreciation for them for putting their lives on the line.
Imagine for a moment that you are a police officer. Imagine that you've pulled a car over to warn a driver that they have a taillight out. Imagine you have made this stop in order to inform the driver for their own safety and the safety of others on the road. Imagine the car has dark, tinted windows and it's after dark outside. This is a potentially dangerous situation: how will you, as an officer, be received? Can you see all the things that could possibly go wrong?
After writing this, I may be speeding down the street or highway and be pulled over and receive a ticket. I will probably do some pleading with many a "yes sir," "no sir," "yes m'am," "no ma'am" and try to receive a warning. But if I'm not able to receive a warning and I receive a ticket, I will pay it and slow down.
We appreciate the "Thin Blue Line."
Thank you!