AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: MAY 2017 17 PAUL KELLY TOM WETZEL OPINION/EDITORIAL I had the opportunity recently of providing a safety presentation to a group of Jewish Ho- locaust survivors. The pro- gram was geared towards crime prevention, which is ironic as these gentle souls had been victims of some of the worst crimes against humanity. To think that I was trying to warn them about burglars when so much had been stolen from them while they were young was striking. As kind as they were in listening to me talk about ways to protect themselves, they could have collectively said to me that, “You have no idea when it comes to evil.” And they would be right. Those eyes have seen un- speakable hell. To say it was a privilege to be in their company would have been a grand understatement as I was in the presence of a tiny part of a living history. As I told them at the start, there was more wisdom in that room than the entire city combined. I think about them now as I watch anti-Semitic be- havior in our country which seems to have ratcheted up and wonder what anxiety they must feel when they see recently vandalized grave sites at Jewish cemeteries in Philadelphia and University City, a suburb of St. Louis. Do they worry that history is trying to repeat itself? Over the years, we’ve seen other violence against Jewish targets, and when the perpetrators are captured, we often find persons who h a v e h a r - bored illogi- cal animus to- wards a group of people who have done nothing to them. Sadly, these arrested sub- jects will only be replaced by others later in a vicious cycle that seems to continue unabated. Will it ever end? And what can we do to abate this dark mindset? Maybe take a page from community policing. This approach to police services recognizes that we cannot arrest ourselves out of a problem, particularly something as foul as anti- Semitism, a corrupt phenom- enon that has contaminated entire nations. So how can a lesson from community policing address such an intractable mess like this, as well as other hate crimes against different races and religions? Start young. Early educa- tion involving cops and kids is a critical component of any community policing program worth its salt. Through partnerships in- volving cops, teachers and members of the community, a collaborative effort can be made to challenge students throughout their learning years to recognize the value of all human life. Primary-grade children would be taught early on about the powerful benefits of respecting others who are different from them. As they get older, they would learn more about the fallacies of the unhealthy stereotypes associated with different religions or rac- es. Primary-grade children would be taught early on about the powerful benefits of respecting others who are different. This is critical because kids may be getting a differ- ent message from their homes and this can help stop the development of early prejudicial at- titudes. When kids get old- er, they would be required to listen to Holocaust survivors tell of their painful past. If unavailable, there are other Americans who would volunteer to tell their power- ful stories. They could listen to a Tutsi from Rwanda talk of the genocide committed there in 1994 or a Bosnian Mus- lim talk about the horrors of ethnic cleansing around the same time. These testimonies could impact a young mind. And as one final effort, an officer could speak with older students about the legal ramifications of hate crimes. This would be followed by reformed offenders who could address the price they paid for adhering to a life of hate. A comprehensive venture of this nature would certainly involve significant effort. But as cops who value commu- nity policing know, making a neighborhood safe takes a team effort. We are at a critical junc- ture, especially with the pow- er of social media, where that effort is vital. And we owe it to those beautiful souls I had the chance to teach (a generous term as I was the one taught) that we can in fact attend to the better angels of our nature and stamp out hate. Tom Wetzel is a suburban po- lice lieutenant in the Cleveland area and an adjunct professor on community policing at Lakeland Community College. “So how can a lesson from community policing address such an intractable mess like this, as well as other hate crimes against different races and religions?” Think you’ve seen the dark side? Think again I n the past I don’t re- member a lot of “Good Samaritan” stories where law enforce- ment officers were helped or saved by a citizen doing the right thing. But I am happy and grateful to say that this year seems to be different. Within the last few months, several law en- forcement officers’ lives across this country have been saved by brave citi- zens who took grave risks to come to our aid. I only hope that we as a country have turned a corner with the false nar- ratives that have caused so much violence and even ambushes of our officers. We hope in 2017 we hear a lot more stories like the ones here. All of us in law enforcement need the sup- port of our communities and the people we serve to stand by our side and work with us. But there are also those rare times that we need them to roll up their sleeves and get into the fight if the situation calls for that. We are all indebted to these citizen heroes who stepped up when they were needed. • In Arizona, a 27- year vet- eran Trooper was dispatched to a vehicle accident. When the Trooper ar- rived on scene, the suspect ambushed him. The suspect shot the Trooper and began to beat him. A motorist came to the res- cue of the Trooper by shoot- ing the suspect. He saved the Trooper’s life. • In Baton Rouge, Loui- siana, a 56-year-old woman saw an Officer fighting with a suspect as she drove down the road. The suspect was beating the Officer with his own baton. This 56-year-old hero stopped her vehicle, got out, and began to fight with the suspect, which allowed time for other units to arrive. • In Austin, Texas, a Sher- iff’s Deputy got into a fight with a suspect who eventually was able to take the Deputy’s duty weapon. A citizen who was nearby pulled his own gun out and held the suspect at gunpoint until more units arrived to take the suspect into custody. • In Rising Sun, Indiana, Indiana State Police reported that a Conservation Officer was being violently assaulted when a female citizen in a nearby home came to the Officer’s rescue. This citi- zen helped the Officer fight the suspect, and the Officer eventually took the suspect into custody. • In Anchorage, Alaska, a domestic violence case oc- curred. The suspect in this case was armed with a knife and was attacking a woman he had a prior relationship with. When the Officer arrived on scene, he attempted to take the suspect into custody. The suspect fought back, stabbed the female victim and the Officer. During this attack, a citizen jumped in the fight to help the Officer. • In Estero, Florida, the suspect in this case (who was under the influence of drugs) attacked a Lee County Deputy, slamming him to the ground. The Deputy was fight- ing for his life when a hero citizen shot and killed the suspect. • In our own backyard, in San Francisco, California, a homeless male who was under the influence of drugs attacked a San Francisco Po- lice Officer. The suspect pinned the Officer down on the ground and multiple citizens came to the Officer’s rescue by prying the suspect off the Officer while other units arrived on scene. Paul Kelly is president of the San Jose Police Officers As- sociation. He can be reached at president@sjpoa.com. It’s nice to see citizens backing us, not attacking us