Law enforcement spending in keeping with growth of the area
Published 10:00 pm Monday, October 3, 2016
To the editor:
In reply to Chris Friday’s, “Local government obsessed with law enforcement spending,” I can only assume, Chris, you have never owned or operated a business that needed upgrades to keep up with its future needs. Have you noticed the growth happening in our area? Obviously not since you refer to it as a “community of retirees and artists.”
Wake up, Chris, get out into the area and see what is really here. Go visit the Columbus Police Department and see why the building (an over sized closet) needed expansion.
Go visit the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and jail in Columbus (which, by the way, is your county seat) and see the old, dilapidated, environmentally unhealthy dinosaur of a building that houses the offices of people that serve and protect you, as well as the under-sized over-crowded jail that can’t hold youth or women criminals which have to be transported and housed at facilities outside of the area which costs you big taxpayer bucks.
Go to the old historic courthouse on each day of the week that Criminal District Court is being held, sit there and watch some of the other 150 to 200 residents on the docket that day who obviously aren’t retirees and artists (well, maybe artists of criminal activity) who also live in your community.
Oh yeah, before I sign off, I have personally ridden along side the two (gifted/donated by way of a grant) Columbus PD impressive motorcycles as they were promoting public safety within your community or escorting bicycle and marathon runners participating in fundraisers.
Also, I hope it never happens, but if there is ever a fire where you live I bet you will be thankful to see that new shiny fire truck pull up to put it out faster than some of the older equipment.
Or maybe you will be thankful the next time you see a drunk driver handcuffed on the side of the road instead of possibly crashing into you or a loved one at one of those “heavy handed tactics” roadblock/checkpoint.
So go ahead, Chris, come out of the cave you are living in and tour the rest of Polk County as you will be surprised at the diversity and how big it has gotten. Spending has to happen to keep this area safe and to carry your community into the future as it is not, and never has been, just a small community of “retirees and artists.”
~ Charles Weinhagen, Saluda, N.C.