by Cady Sehnert
adminassist@thenewsleaders.com
With police officers more frequently becoming a part of local, state and national spotlights, it’s common for misconceptions and falsehoods to arise regarding our men and women in blue. According to St. Joseph Police Chief Joel Klein, one of the greatest stigmas surrounding the force is a lack of “approachability.”
“We’re here. If you have a question, come ask. We’re around,” Klein said in a casual sit-down conversation with the Newsleaders’ staff May 10. “If you see us on lunch, approach us. We get paid during the lunch hour. You’re not a bother. We want to answer your questions. It’s our job.”
With a significant amount of media attention focused on police officers, it’s inevitable for bias and scrutiny to occur.
“What’s unfortunate is you have one bad incident over here, and a million good incidents over there and what gets focused on is the one bad incident,” Klein said.
His advice when making a judgment call on a particular circumstance?
“Take it, and get all the facts,” he said. “Then make your judgment.”
Without a full list of facts, it’s unfair for all parties involved to make baseless assumptions.
How can you help support your local police? Show them the respect they deserve.
“It’s a two-way street,” Klein said. “We give people the opportunity to calm down and collect themselves. As police, we know we have a job to do, but we treat people with respect. We hope for the same treatment in return.”
