A sign of things to come?

[Jonas]

With the two closed police threads, I'm a bit hesitant to post this, but it may give us all a bit of insight into what will happen after disaster strikes.

Last week, a female officer on our small town police force was attempting to arrest a man who was under the influence of drugs on the grassy lawn in front of the county courthouse. The man, being about a foot taller and 50 pounds heavier than the officer, had thrown her on her back and, rather than trying to escape, proceeded to beat her. The elderly manager of the local supermarket's meat department was driving by, saw what was happening, stopped his pickup truck, and went to the officer's aid. Between the two of them, they managed to subdue the drugged out individual, who was transported to the county jail.

What's the purpose of this post? Is it just a "feel-good" story from small-town Texas? I don't think so. When the SHTF in any degree, be it a local or a world-wide disaster, our local police officers and sheriff's deputies are our town's and county's first line of defense against lawless individuals who would prey on the weak. The local officers in small-town UK are YOUR first line of defense as well.

I'm not saying you should grab the first constable you see today and plant a big, wet, sloppy kiss on him. Nor am I saying that the constable will become your best buddy and marry your daughter. What I am saying is the "us vs. them" mentality does neither the citizens nor the police officers any good. Your local officers should be treated politely by the people that they are sworn "to protect and to serve", and thanked for a job well done when one goes above and beyond the call of duty. Then the officer and his fellow officers may go the extra mile to stand up for the citizens when disaster hits, as it most surely will, rather than head for the hills, as the members of the New Orleans Police Department did after Hurricane Katrina.

Prepping isn't just the accumulation of "stuff". It is also the accumulation of relationships. The local law enforcement officers are a good place to start!