The following is written by Sumner Mayor Dave Enslow:

Every week, I pray that all our officers return home safely after their shift. As Sumner joins the nation in celebrating Police Week, I invite you to thank our officers for their constant dedication and join in honoring the service they provide to our community.

Hopefully, none of us will need police assistance anytime soon, yet at the same time, our own safety means we don’t always realize what our officers face on a daily basis.

Just looking at the log from last week, they had to look into a possible run-away teenager; respond to multiple vehicle prowls; recover a stolen vehicle; separate several domestic disputes; transport a felon or two to jail; document many new cases of graffiti; pursue a case of fraud; break up a fight among employees; respond to an accident; take a woman strung out on drugs to Good Sam….you get the idea.  They are busy.  And on top of all that, they do proactive things like help with events like the Daffodil Festival and Shred & Clean plus this weekend’s upcoming Party Intervention Patrol, scheduled to coincide with prom.

We can all identify that it’s getting increasingly difficult to be a police officer in this society.  Somehow, we’ve transferred entire societal challenges like homelessness, gun control and drug addiction onto the shoulders of law enforcement.  Add to that a decreasing respect for authority. When I was a kid, you’d never want to tell your parents that you got into trouble with police because if you did, you’d get it all over again at home.  Now it’s not uncommon for parents blame to police for catching their kids committing crimes, excusing kids for committing crime in the first place.

Again, while it’s great to take a week each year to recognize and acknowledge our officers and the work they do, I certainly hope you maintain that gratitude all throughout the year.  It’s a small return for the dangerous and difficult work they do.