How does that old saying go? Something about “a few bad apples”?
When that particular missive is invoked it is rarely finished so you can be forgiven if its conclusion escapes you. I will refresh your memory.
It goes: “a few bad apples will spoil the whole bunch.” As true as it is of apples, it’s true of public officials.
The Rockford Police Department has been in the news lately, and it’s a lot to take in. Police officers investigated for stalking, theft, DUI and other unsavory offenses really is bad enough.
Learning the staggering sums paid to those officers not to work while under investigation adds insult to taxpayer injury.
We have got to hold these people to higher standards. I am so sorry, but if we give you a badge, and a gun, and the implied faith of the community — you just have to be better than average.
It is not too much to ask that we have law abiding law enforcement.
All this tough talk about “personal responsibility” and “fiscal conservatism” from local and state reps and yet it is clear where that attention needs to be focused.
We can start right at the RPD when it comes to looking for waste, fraud, and abuse.
Maybe we need better negotiators for those contracts. We deserve a police force with integrity, and while this may just be a case with a few “bad apples,” I’ve got my eyes on the entire bunch.
Maggie Watson, Rockford
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Local law enforcement should be wary of ‘a few bad apples’ | Letter
Reporting by Maggie Watson, Special to the Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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