Statement from Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller:
I have been asked about my stance on the verdict.
I will tell you that law enforcement should not and cannot condone the abuse of authority within our ranks. When an officer acts in a way that clearly violates the law as with the death of George Floyd, they must be held accountable. This means not just losing their jobs as sworn officers, but that accountability also must extend to the criminal justice system.
If I am going to talk to our community in Buncombe County about 21st Century Policing then I am obligated to speak up when an obvious injustice happens at the hands of law enforcement. I will tell you that the death of George Floyd is such a time.
But we must not stop there. We must also address the educational gaps among our black and brown children in our schools or we will have failed. We must address poverty, the opioid epidemic and so much more that plagues our community or we will have failed. Let’s keep moving forward together to build a community of WE.
Lots of Buncombe county police are white and male…wonder how many of them believe lack of diversity is a problem here? Willing to bet not many. Power likes to stay in power. FIX THE PROBLEM…hire more women and people of color.
Lou:
Is it a “hiring” problem or an “application” problem?
That is, if people don’t apply — or, those that do apply don’t meet certain requirements — then, the departments can’t just “hire more women and people of color.” I’ve no idea what their application pool looks like, regarding gender and ethnicity, but I wouldn’t simply assume that all genders and races are rushing to apply — especially in current times.
With the mass exodus of police officers from the Asheville Police Department, the low starting pay, the literal life-and-death risk of the job on a daily basis (for those in non-office-based positions), the often thankless nature of the job, the mental and physical stress of the job on officers and their families, the distrust, fear, and, unfortunately, hatred toward many law enforcement officers, and more, I can’t imagine these agencies are being inundated with applicants.
Therefore, just saying “hire more women and people of color” isn’t helpful. It’s not like that idea hasn’t already occurred to them. Maybe you should apply and help change things through example?
Also, as with any employer, I would hope these agencies hire the best qualified applicants, regardless of their gender or race. If everything else were equal with applicants (education, qualifications, aptitude, attitude, background checks, etc.), then I could see a case for basing a hiring decision on gender or race to expand diversity, but only under such conditions. Really, though, I think the larger issue is about having the right people — with integrity, compassion, etc. — rather than having a certain color or gender.
Lastly, perhaps we can all help the situation a bit by being courteous and respectful toward law enforcement officers and remembering that the vast majority of them are good people who do a tough job that’s dangerous and often with little appreciation. These folks also have families, they live in our same neighborhoods, and they generally want the same things that the rest of us want.
Wishing you well,
IMF
If the police in this backwater town are considered “the best qualified” well, that would explain A LOT. Also, I grew with a racist alcoholic father who was also a cop…and every single one of his friends were just like him. Racist, supremacist JERKS. Thanks for your input, took too long to read though…might wanna look up the word “brevity”.