Our police are under siege across the Country by protesters who are disgusted with violent acts of law enforcement upon innocent victims.  Yet without a reputable force of public safety officers, residents of our communities would be open to rampant crime and lawlessness having to take the laws into our own hands, many of them not specifically trained for restraint and adequate lawful defense of their own well-being.

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Now our Utah State Legislature in their fifth special session of 2020, has even cut the $250,000 earmarked for a special first responder Crisis Line to help our law enforcement officers deal with the mental health trauma that often comes with having to face the tragedy of life and death situations "Utah lawmakers eliminate funding to help first responders," Deseret News (June 19, 2020).  As a state legislator, I commit to never to betray the trust of these fine people who put their lives before others.  These first responders deserve more than being the first cut.  Even more astounding is that our State Legislature only used a third of its Rainy Day Fund  to avoid more severe public education and social service impacts "Utah Legislature approves coronavirus-related budget cuts," The Salt Lake Tribune (June 18, 2020).  At the same time however, our State Legislature apparently forgot how to honor those people who save the lives of those who benefit from education and social services. 

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While I have personally met a number of residents some of them motorcyclists and/or some of minority descent who have complained about the aggressive and uncalled for treatment by the police, their complaints mostly centered around the actions of officers outside of Davis County.  I have witnessed the continuous patrols of Sunset Police cars in their City while out walking.  I have witnessed the rapid response by police and paramedics to traffic accidents.  Our Davis County officers serving West Point are one of the few in Utah that are cross-trained with Police Academy credentials as well as paramedic certification while patrolling West Point neighborhoods.  I have met with the Clearfield and Clinton Police Chiefs and their ready availability to answer my questions relating to crime or transportation issues in our communities.

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We must be careful not to overreact to national or big city crime issues and instead focus on the law enforcement activities in our own neighborhoods.  I will work closely with resident concerns about how law enforcement operates in House District 13 and I will develop working relationships with each local government and their agencies to ensure that Davis residents receive and have access to law enforcement services that we can trust and increase the amicable relationship between neighborhoods and police officers through encouraging and working to retain "community policing" programs.