Public opinion of law enforcement in large cities across the country is at an all-time low.
Protests throughout the summer have rocked nearly every major city, including Indianapolis, with rioting and looting as the most common theme.
Many protests, violent or not, come with messages like “Black Lives Matter” and “defund the police” on the lips of those participating.
Montgomery County Sheriff Ryan Needham recently shared his views on the unrest as a guest speaker for Crawfordsville Rotarians, noting vast differences between peaceful and violent protests, as well as police relations with the public.
Asked for his take on protestors targeting police and pushing to defund law enforcement altogether, Needham said it’s “aggravating, more than anything.”
“I’m not against peaceful protests; everybody has that right. But that’s not what’s going on,” Needham said. “Things that are going on across the country are just — I can’t imagine. I don’t know how in the world they could actually think it’s sensible to defund the police.
“I don’t know who they’re going to call.”
Some defund movements, like the one in Minneapolis where recent outrage was sparked by the May 25 murder of black citizen George Floyd, include calls for traffic laws to be upheld by city workers rather than law enforcement.
“Imagine getting stopped by a county highway driver,” Needham said. “They’re going to be unarmed. It’s going to be a disaster. It’s going to get some people killed, is what it’s going to do.”
Needham said officer relations with the Montgomery County community have not changed, saying the steadfast relationship has always been good between officers and area citizens.
One method of transparency which has helped with those relations is the use of cameras which officers wear and install in their vehicles.
“We have body cameras and in-car cameras for all of our patrol deputies,” Needham said. “That’s a tool; it doesn’t catch everything. But what it’s done for us so far has been tremendous. Our officer complaints are non-existent.
“The George Floyd deal, from what I’ve seen and what I know about, should have never happened,” he continued. “Police use of force never looks good. If I’ve got my hands on you and I’ve got to take control, it doesn’t look good. But to sit there and kneel on somebody for eight minutes and 46 seconds, is ridiculous.”
Another incident involving police officers and a black man in Atlanta, which resulted in his death, was particularly disconcerting for Needham, who said the result will further skew public views of law enforcement and have “a devastating ripple effect for years to come.”
“People need to make up their minds — what do you want, as a society,” he said. “They’re dealing with a drunk — he actively fights with two officers, steals their taser, turns around and makes a conscious effort to shoot them. It’s a deadly weapon. It is. And the prosecutor down there has charged the officer.
“That’s what I worry about, because all of my guys are watching this news, too,” he continued. “I’m worried about my five- to six-year deputies. They’re looking at this thinking, ‘I don’t need this. It’s not worth it. I could go mow yards or a number of other things that make more money, not work the weekends, not work nights.’ It’s hard enough for us to get qualified people now.”
Needham said he holds his deputies to the highest standards, especially in the midst of such unrest.
“They know what’s expected of them.”
