Police officers deserve more respect than given in letter

In response to Tonya Sumpter's letter on Oct. 22:

I don't usually respond to letters to the editor but I feel like this is one time I need to make an exception.

I don't know if you are related to an officer or not, but I can only guess that you aren't, because unless you have a family member that is a police officer, or you are a close friend, you couldn't possibly be educated enough about their jobs to understand exactly what they do on or off duty. My husband is an officer and has been for over 10 years. I couldn't even begin to tell you how many times people have knocked on our door all hours of the day/night and asked for him to help them because they saw the patrol car in the yard. I personally sat with a lady and her infant child in my own home in the middle of the night. She showed up on my door step in her night clothes clutching her baby to her chest. Her face was bloody and her baby was crying hysterically. My husband detained her boyfriend at their residence, a few doors down from us at the time, until on-duty officers arrived to arrest him because of what he had done to this poor woman and child. They had only lived in the neighborhood for a few weeks, and she came to our house because she saw the police car parked in the yard.

On many occasions, on his off day we were supposed to meet for dinner somewhere and he had to stop and help someone so he missed a family dinner or gathering. Or he followed and stopped a car that was swerving in and out of traffic until an on-duty officer could get there. My husband works a ton of hours on community/neighborhood watch programs. (These are hours that he is supposed to be off and could be sitting at home with his family, and NO he isn't getting paid for them.) He also patrols our neighborhood at night as well as adjoining neighborhoods on his OFF days (again no pay). He does this because it was a high-crime area before we moved into the neighborhood and he wants to try to keep it low now. People new to our neighborhood tell us how much safer they feel with a cop living in the area. Anyone in this neighborhood knows they can come to him if they need help, and they know if his car is here then he is available to them and on duty 24/7. My husband isn't the only officer Sumter County or city has that does these things. Sumter has a lot of brave men and women that risk their lives on a daily basis. I know a lot of them, and I know they work long and hard and risk their lives for the public and deserve more respect than what you have given them in your letter. You just don't hear about the good things our officers do on or off duty. Like many others, you seem to only want to point out the bad things.

There are K-9 officers, investigators, traffic units and many others that are on call and have to be ready at a moment's notice. Wouldn't it be upsetting if you truly needed an officer and one lived on your street and they had to go to the office first to get their car/equipment before they could help you? I guess you would complain then as well.

Just so you know, Sumter County officers were told that off-duty driving during the gas hike was restricted unless it was an emergency.

I've heard my husband challenge people in the public to become a reserve deputy or state constable and ride along with an officer before they begin to criticize. In other words, walk a mile in their shoes before you judge them. If you are unable to do that then you should educate yourself better to their actual duties, policies and procedures.

H. REYNOLDS
Sumter