I couldn’t agree more with the recent June 10 “My Turn” opinions of Stephen Hussey and Police Sgt. Megan Cloutier. Stephen Hussey makes some great points as to letting this entire police controversy play out. In my mind, there are more questions that need to answered. Greenfield Police Chief Robert Haigh Jr. has served the city of Greenfield admirably throughout his tenure here. Can we please give this a chance to run its course before ruining the man’s entire career?
Likewise, do we really think that just because of this finding the entire Greenfield Police Department is racist? As for Sgt. Cloutier’s opinion, I, too, agree that these cuts are a recipe for disaster. How did the City Council arrive at this figure? It does seem that they were being reactive to the uproar by the vocal minority. I don’t see how making these cuts to the police department makes us any safer. No matter what color your skin is!
It does look as though they are trying to punish the police. As for Andrew Ritchey’s June 10 letter about “finding the entitlement within the GPD is incredible,” I am dumbfounded as to about what entitlement he could be talking about.
Is he talking about the entitlement of making a traffic stop and not knowing if someone in the car has a gun? Is he talking about the entitlement of arriving at a domestic dispute and not knowing if it’s going to escalate? Or is he talking about the entitlement of patrolling the city streets at all hours 24/7 to keep us residents safe. I, for one, am tired of seeing our police department dragged through mud time and time again by the vocal minority, as it is with all issues in Greenfield. Therefore, I am taking Sgt. Cloutier’s challenge and speaking out in support of the entire Greenfield Police Department.
Mark Colby
Greenfield