Police captain: ‘Say no to Joe’ Arpaio
I, too, would like to join the vocal opposition for our Fresno County Republican Party to honor Joe Arpaio. Our history is rife with police officers who “thought they were just doing their job” when it came to their inappropriate, let alone illegal efforts to enforce our laws.
Racial discrimination in law enforcement is perhaps the singular most dangerous threat to our democracy. After spending nearly 40 years in local law enforcement, I have to admit that there are few true racists officers that I have seen. Unfortunately, Arpaio has proven differently.
Decades ago it was the man in a uniform who gave strength to the divisive racial issues this country has suffered through and bred fear among minorities that the police were “the enemy.” Politicians emboldened them because of their inability to demand that all laws be enforced regardless of the color of one’s skin or lifestyle.
Fortunately, America has made great strides in assuring that discrimination is minimized if not eliminated in our society. A British statesman named Edmund Burke says it best: “All that is necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.”
Say no to Joe.
Capt. Al Maroney, Fresno Police Department (retired)
This story was originally published September 5, 2017 at 3:36 PM with the headline "Police captain: ‘Say no to Joe’ Arpaio."