LOCALS STILL BACK THE BLUE
Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
HOUSTON COUNTY A new Associated Press poll shows Americans have less faith in some U.S. institutions in any time since they began the poll in 1973. Institutions like Congress, business, media, and banks all rank lower this year. Among the highest ranked? Small business, the military, and the police.
In some parts of the country, support for local police departments fell over the last two years, but now in the bigger cities, support for local law enforcement is rising again due to high crime.
Crockett Police Chief Clayton Smith has officially been Chief of Police since 2019, and realizes that law enforcement across the country has taken a hit over the last few years.
“We’ve seen a lot of officers get out of the job and move on to something else because, at times, they feel like it’s not worth it. They feel like they’re not supported. We don’t see near the number of applicants that we used to,” Smith noted.
Looking to improve communications and relations with the community, Smith implemented an open door policy which he says has helped the community feel more comfortable with their local officers.
“I think that’s helped out a lot, the community understanding that they can come in and visit with the Chief and maybe express concerns or problems they have. And the department as a whole does their best to address those concerns,” he said.
The officers feel the improvement in support in many ways, from interactions with residents and the public response when authorities are looking for a suspect. Officers often gage support based on personal gestures they didn’t expect.
“Sometimes a random citizen will pay for our lunch. We don’t even know who it is sometimes. Police work is 24/7, so not everyone gets the holidays off, and we see our businesses and community members show up with a goodie bag to let us know that they appreciate us and the job that’s being done,” the police Chief indicated.
Police work is never easy, in any size community, but Chief Smith feels better communication can resolve a lot of misunderstandings.
“They’re not always going to agree with the decision we make,” he said. “We’re sworn to follow the law and go by the law and that’s what we do, and some people may not understand that. They may not understand why something is being done the way it is, but I encourage people to remember that we have to go by the law because if we don’t, we can be held accountable for that.”
Smith encourages people to come and ask about the law, or department policies, so that there will be a better understanding of what role a police department plays within a community.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
