Our View: Police may be asked for too much

Last week was especially brutal when it came to violence involving police officers.

A shooting by police in Louisiana, followed by another in Minnesota, then capped off by the shooting of five police officers in Dallas.

With all that blood spilled, with the hatred and blame boiling over in protests occurring in those areas, it’s hard to dial back the emotion to look at the problems facing law enforcement throughout the country.

We’ve said it before, but Green River does have a good police department. Yes, they’ve earned criticism over a mistake that occurred a few months back, but looking beyond that one situation, the city’s police department does a good job. All one needs to do is look through the weekly reports generated by the department to see how trusted GRPD officers are. They’re flagged down on the street looking for directions or help locating a pet. They’re also approached by people having questions about topics ranging from child custody to nuisance property.

The department, along with the school district, have two officers who patrol the middle school and high school. Yes, they’re there as a measure of security, but they also interact with students in a more-personal setting. They help educate children that officers aren’t scary and can be a source of help and assistance. Green River still serves its residents through a style of community policing that seems almost alien to larger cities.

Yet, with all the responsibilities officers have throughout the country, we’re inclined to agree with comments made by Dallas Police Chief David Brown that too much is expected from officers. During a media briefing Monday, Brown said officers are being asked to do a lot more than simply policing their communities, such as deal with mental health issues.

The legal system itself is forced to deal with the nation’s mental health problems, with officers on the front line of that issue. Many who have substance abuse problems also deal with an underlying mental health problem and people with severe mental illness are three times more likely to have been placed in jail or prison than a mental health facility.

Officers do a lot for their communities. It can be seen in Green River and many towns across the Cowboy State. In fact, we believe some organizations can learn a lot from local law enforcement agencies. However, there are problems that shouldn’t be dealt with by those sworn to protect us and it isn’t fair to expect them to do so.