United Not Divided

KSL CrimeWatch

Former Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder describes the need for the public to get along with the law enforcement pros that protect them. Respect is a two-way street. He also talks about the heartbreaking task of informing families that a loved one has passed on, especially when the loss is a fellow policeman. *** Tragedy is reverberated in every community across this country. The nature of this discussion has gotten so volatile. We understand that there are strong emotions, but, I don’t think any of us ever expected it to flare up, you know, in this kind of carnage. We’re all suffering. And to ensure that we can move through this successfully, we need to recognize that ”respect" is a two-way street. Law enforcement can only be successful with the support of the community we serve. When we lose the social contract to be decent to each other, it’s impossible for any of us to live in a safe and secure community. We’re living in a time where we’re polarized, where people are not really communicating. How do you move forward in a community when one side or the other is unwilling to communicate. It’s gone too far. What we have to have is people willing to look at us as individuals, and not as a blue or brown uniform. I’ll never forget the day that Doug was killed. “A member of the Unified Police Department, Doug Barney, was killed in a shootout at about 10pm…" Um, you’ve never really heard a cry until you’ve heard the cry of a son who's lost his father. And that’s something that will stay with you forever. That’s the worst thing you ever do. They’re human beings that are told that their loved ones are gone—you know, it’s not the cop that was killed, it’s dad or mom. I believe that we’re at a different place here. The other day I went into a gas station where I go every morning. And the clerk slid over some dollar bills with a note attached to it that said, “This is to thank them for all that they do.” There aren’t a lot of communities where, anonymously, people just buy a drink for you. It happens here all the time. It’s a great community. Behind the uniform there are human beings. And if we learn to treat each other that way, we will have a better community.