More than two years after activists called to defund police departments over accusations of murder, brutality, and other crimes allegedly committed by a few, law enforcement officers say the wounds are still present and painful.
“If you want me to risk my life, it’s one thing to pay me, but it’s another to respect me,” veteran police officer, law enforcement trainer, and public speaker Dave Smith told The Epoch Times.
Smith and other law enforcement representatives say defunding police departments hurt the communities they served and destroyed police officer morale. Sgt. Betsy Smith is a retired police officer, the current spokesperson for the National Police Association, and married to Dave Smith. She said restored funding has yet to do much to rebuild the confidence many officers once had in their communities….