Letter to the Editor: Police cuts are personal

Dear Editor:

He pulls on his bullet proof vest and buckles his gun belt. He does a final check of his equipment before he eases his patrol vehicle out of the parking pad and starts his shift, not knowing what’s in store for him during the next 10 to 18 hour shift.

Waking up to the sound of glass breaking is an experience that won’t soon be forgotten. You hear every piece as it clinks onto the floor and suddenly you’re frozen. There’s a feeling of helplessness that consumes you, your breath catches and then you close your eyes and pray its a dream. When you hear the familiar sound of the dead bolt click and the turn of the knob, there is a swelling in your throat, your mouth goes dry, you’ve just woken up to your worst nightmare. Soon there is a figure standing over you…..

There is a faint rumble of footsteps and shouts in the darkness. More glass breaking and soon the unmistakable sounds of guns being fired. It’s a thunderous sound that echoes through your mind. A siren wains through the night, the blood soaked blue uniform material has been cut open. Tubes everywhere, bleeps of machines fill the air. In the early morning hours the officer that was shot in the mist of a foot pursuit succumbed to his injuries.

He was a father, a husband, a son, he was a brother, and a friend.

An officer puts on his/her uniform, a bullet proof vest, a badge, and a gun belt. They get into a patrol vehicle that might as well have a big red target painted on it. But, they do this everyday. Risking their lives, they don’t ask for a thank you and they seldom receive one.

The Town Council says they get paid too much, they say the benefits are too great. What price do you put on someone who knowingly and willingly puts their lives on the line everyday?Officers at Mammoth Lakes and everywhere, say, ” I will do everything in my power to ensure your safety on my watch.”

The Town Council wants to reduce the number of officers at Mammoth Lakes Police Dept. They want to reduce their salaries and take away benefits. Essentially putting residents, visitors, and the officers themselves at risk.

Cuts need to be made to fulfill a debt, no one is disputing this, but before you take positions, before you demand more compensation, picture if you will, knocking on the door of the now widow of an officer. Look into the eyes of her fatherless children and tell them that their dad won’t be home for dinner.

Yes, cuts need to be made but public safety should never be on the chopping block. Is the Town Council saying that public safety means nothing to them? Are they willing to risk the safety of residents and visitors? Does the oath that the Council makes mean so little to them?

I recently read an article online entitled, “When your dad is a cop every police death is personal” written by, Travis Mayfield. Making cuts to public safety is personal. It’s personal to the residents of Mammoth Lakes. It’s personal to the visitors, it’s personal to the families of the officers who lay their lives on the line everyday.

I write this as a resident in the town of Mammoth Lakes, as a sister in the Law Enforcement field, as a friend to those who work at Mammoth Lakes Police Dept, and as a victim of a violent crime that has forever scared my memory.

Michelle Anderson
Mammoth Lakes