Bremerton police chief: 'You don't get to assault police officers'
BREMERTON, Wash. -- A local police chief has a different take on the community divide we are seeing in Olympia after a police officer shot two brothers who allegedly attacked him with a skateboard after he stopped them for an attempted shoplifting incident.
Bremerton police chief Steve Strachan wrote an opinion piece in the Kitsap Sun, saying it is never okay to assault police officers.
"People forget the fact that we cannot get pushed down on the ground and lose the fight or become unconscious because that means we're going to lose that firearm which could be used against the officer, or more importantly, against the public," Strachan told Q13 FOX News. "You don't get to fight with the cops, you don't get to put your hands on police officers. I think we need to say that out loud."
The chief says there is no excuse for many of the officer-involved incidents we have seen across the United States in the last several months, like the man shot and killed while running away from an officer in South Carolina or what he calls "poor training and decision-making" that led to the death of Eric Garner in New York City.
But Strachan says all lives matter, and police officers take an oath to protect all lives.
Here's an excerpt of his editorial:
"Black lives matter. All lives matter, and words matter. The way we communicate and the impression we leave matters. In the ongoing controversy and public debate over police and community relations, up to and including the recent events in Olympia, two things really need to be part of the conversation: First, we all need to be more aware of the underlying “spin” in messages and headlines about so-called “police violence” and second, we absolutely have to focus on the fact that it is not acceptable, ever, to attack or assault police officers."
"The second point we need to keep in mind as we discuss these important issues is this: You don’t get to assault police officers. Let’s repeat that: You don’t get to assault police officers. Period."
You can read his full article on the Kitsap Sun >>