David Meyers, guest blogger, on demonstrations and crimes

David Meyers writes at Facebook: “I have no issue with demonstrations. They are an important component in keeping our country from straying off course. But I am interested in what the demonstrators will do after they have called attention to “the problem.” Will any of them actually seek to become part of the solution?

For 30 years, I worked in corrections—both adult and juvenile. I know that the challenges we faced are similar to those faced by police departments. It’s a tough and dangerous job. And the pay is seldom commensurate to the risk. As a result, it is not always possible to hire the caliber of staff you want and need.

I personally spent thousands of hours trying to weed out the bad employees. All of them were represented by unions. I am not saying that unions are a bad thing. As I learned in graduate school, “Any organization that has a union deserves it.” And by that measure, corrections certainly does. However, that means that due process has to be followed in disciplining a bad employee—even those who have committed felonies on the job.

Not only does management find this frustrating, but many good employees as well. As I wrote in my first book on Ohio’s prison system, “Some of the finest people I have known were working in some of the most thankless jobs imaginable.” I was glad we had them, but we always could have used more. A lot more.

It’s the same with police departments, too. In fact, I have never belonged to any large group of people that didn’t have some miscreants. But in most cases, they aren’t tasked with life and death decisions. They don’t have to deal with violence on a near daily basis. It takes a special type of person to do that. Unfortunately, not all people who are attracted to this type of work want to make things better.
Watching the demonstrations, the confrontations, and the wanton vandalism and looting play out on television, I am concerned that it will drive away exactly the type of people we need to be peace officers and attract those we don’t."

David Meyers is the author of many books that reflect his interest in music, Ohio history, crime, and black history.