By Arthur Moore

These council members want to take this away from the police department. Ward Three City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen, Ward Two City Councilor Jefferson Thomas (“J.T.”) Scott, Ward Four City Councilor Jesse Clingan, City Councilor at Large Kristen Strezo, Ward Six City Councilor Lance L. Davis, City Councilor At Large Wilfred N. Mbah.

The police have not had to use this in many years as a situation has not arisen that they had to dig into that option. Yet these non law enforcement city council members are deciding that police and law enforcement can no longer use something which may be useful if a situation arises.

There is no need for the council to even consider this or even waste time discussing it and bothering our city Solicitor with it. We are fighting serious problems here and wasting time on something that should not even be discussed.

This is a law enforcement issue and should be left up to the experts in law enforcement, the police to make this decision. Obviously the police are very good at it as they have been getting the job done without it so far. But to take it out of their arsenal in the event one day it is needed and required is not only wrong it certainly can be life threatening. Leave it to the discretion of the police where it has been handled properly. And get busy working on the problems of the city and stop wasting time with things that need to be left alone. We have a pandemic and people are out of work and trying to get by.

We have homeless here and many other problems. Stop ignoring those problems! Every one of these city council members needs to be opposed in the next election and be gone if this is what they are wasting our tax dollars on. Stop making non problems a problem