Dallas Police Shooting

Hello Chief Santarlas, I support your comments 100%. However, I will provide my own experiences with law enforcement having served over 20 plus years as a federal, state, and local officer. What qualifies me to comment on anything that has been said or done over the last week or years. I am 51 years old and have come a long way through life as an American who happens to be African American. I have served in Korea, Germany, Somalia, Italy, Greece, and other countries. The biggest question I have been always asked is why do you defend a country who has treated your race in such a negative way. Why are you willing to go to war and die for a country that will not even treat you as a man nevertheless an equal. Here are some of the things I have shared. I am the son of slaves that hailed from the Newberry, South Carolina Hardy Plantation and I can trace my roots back to 1874 and beyond. As such I recognized that all persons outside my race and culture are not bad or evil. There are some who stand up for what is right and follow the laws of the land of the United States. Some use the law to hide behind and to justify their actions. The law is suppose to be blind and does not care what color or race a person is. When good people standby and do nothing they are part of the problem. No one should take advantage of persons who do not know the law or are not educated. I have friends from all walks of life and from all political fields. I am able to share some of my thoughts openly and honestly of how these situations make me feel and what are some of the thoughts of those who feel they have been wronged. As a police officer I had to be twice as good as my counterparts and held to a different standard. I was held to a different standard by the Black Mind you I am a retired military veteran as well and it hurt. What hurt even more is after being the good guy all these years still not being given a fair chance. So over my lifetime I educated myself by taking obtaining college degrees in in criminal justice, sociology, criminology, education, and now forensic psychology. The privilege still exist in law enforcement for those less educated and have internal connections or are owed political favors. This brings us to some of the points we are at today. Money and power can still purchase what honesty and integrity can not. The privilege of those that have been in power for way to long is changing as our world and country does also. If we do not allow everyone to have a seat at the table then we will be on the menu. We must be able to sit down and openly discuss why things are the way they are and what we can do to make it better or the recent actions will not stop. Let's look at some history of those who stood for peace and non violence, where and what did it get them. Respect is the next issue. Regardless who is in the office of President, Chief, etc. respect the position even if you do not agree with the person the majority of voters have voted into office. Yet people still call our President by his last name and refuse to call him president there is decorum that we should follow. How can you ask me to respect the next person voted by the people of this country into office when the respect has not been shown. Respect is earned and not demanded. Lead by example and not do as I say. Our law enforcement folks have to get back to community policing and caring for all citizens in their areas of responsibility regardless of what social economic status one belongs to or comes from. Promotions and hiring must be fair and unbiased. They should be based on merit, performance, and education. This is not the case in many of our agencies. Finally, no officer should have to worry if they are going to be killed by a citizen, criminal, racist, terrorist, or anyone else for doing their job. I do not support such actions and will always stand up for right even when it may not be popular. Social media is not the court of law of the land but it does change how things happen now. When Rodney King was brutalized by officers and an disinterested person shot video footage of the incident it did not change the juries mind nor was it considered valuable enough to have weight on their decision. We all know the aftermath of what happened. All citizens have a right to peacefully assemble and voice their dissatisfaction with their government, without having to pay for permits and restricted to certain areas. However, no one should block roads, sidewalks, entry ways, etc. as this is a violation of law. As a criminal justice educator I have always instructed my students that they could say whatever they wanted as long as they supported it with valid data from at least three real valid sources. In a few years I will be 60 years old and I will tell my experiences for years to come. I will not sugar coat it as I do not now. If we want change we must be the change that we want to see in others. I did not mention the Bible in any of my response as it could offend some but I am a Christian and I believe in God's word. If you ever need me to come and share in person just say the word and I will make a valid effort to support your request. Respectfully Submitted, Kenny Hardy, MSgt, USAF (Retired) and LEOSA

Well said.

This was terrible, as a country we forget " We the people" in the American Constitution whether you're black white yellow pink green or orange we are all the people, some people need to reread it