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Opinion

Tidwell: Announcing Scottsdale initiative ‘Super Fund Our Police’

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I am writing to you to make you aware of a grass roots movement taking place called “Super Fund Our Police.”

This movement is being initiated by six Scottsdale residents who are concerned about the seeming lack of support for our law enforcement officers nationwide.

We began this movement to put “a voice” to our support of our law enforcement and emergency services and the job they do for us.

I, for one, am always fearful when I see a police or other law enforcement officer pull over a vehicle on the road. I can’t help but wonder who they are pulling over and whether that officer could be in danger. I think of their children, their spouse, their parents and how many lives could be affected by an encounter gone bad.

I realize how heavily we depend on our police officers to keep us from harm. We expect them to keep our property from harm also. We expect them to be there for us when we call, often in our darkest hours. We need them to secure our sense of community.

But across our nation, law enforcement officers are leaving their jobs behind. Some outright, some through early retirement, but the outcome is the same.

We lose well‐trained, committed officers. We lose years of paid training and experience, only to funnel additional tax dollars into recruiting and training new officers. And the dwindling numbers of individuals choosing to enter into law enforcement is staggering.

Showing our officers appreciation translates into a matter of our own safety, of curbing escalating tax‐based expense and (I believe) of our moral obligation to show community support.

To accomplish this, we are asking Scottsdale citizens to join us in showing appreciation to our own Scottsdale Police Department by helping to raise $40,000 in supplemental funds for them to use for training, recruitment, education, equipment, and community engagement.

Please join us in showing support to our Scottsdale police officers through a one‐time “Super Fund Our Police” donation. To donate visit: https://superfundourpolice.org/donate

We want our officers to know we recognize and appreciate the job they do for us.

We want them to remain on the job, keeping us safe; we want them to be safe in the process.

We want to serve as an example to citizens in other cities. We want to encourage them to follow our lead and support our law enforcement and emergency services personnel.

Editor’s Note: Betsy Tidwell is Board Chair of Super Fund Our Police and a resident of Scottsdale.