Adopt a Cop at the Tucson Police Foundation

May 19, 2016 — bullet proof vests., bullshit, city, fund raising, TPD, Tucson Polics Foundation

Today in Tucson police stations are hosting open house and demonstration events to bring attention to the work of the Police Foundation. I attended the morning’s demonstration in the parking lot of the midtown station. They had set up the SWAT team equipment and the bomb squad demo, complete with the bomb robot.  I arrived early to find only one other citizen on hand to “thank a cop”.  He was hanging out in the SWAT truck chatting up Officer Stoner, one of the officers on that team.  We both had learned about the event on Nextdoor.  I am not sure that the cops felt particularly appreciated by the presence of two senior citizens. Later I saw a large delivery of chicken from a local restaurant and realized there would be other forms of thanking going on today.  Businesses drop off water, snacks and treats to supply the stations…including, but not limited to, donuts. Good to see that happening…it will last longer and be much more useful than the attention of a couple of old people.

I don’t think that most people in Tucson know that each cop has to buy his or her own bullet proof vest for duty.  These expensive items are not supplied by the city because this is just one of the things the city says it can’t afford.  Tucson makes a regular practice of underfunding the basic services departments in good times or bad.  The root of this silly philosophy evades me.  Scrimping on budgets must sometimes be a reality, but how can the city think it is okay to send these people out to risk their lives and not even provide them with adequate armor?  Even the Roman army had good armor.  There in the parking lot I saw all kinds of heavy equipment of the super expensive kind.  Why are we out buying that stuff before we buy protective vests for all the cops on duty using that stuff?  I object!  Officer safety should come first. This policy makes it look like we don’t care about that.  I don’t believe very many tax payers know this is the case.  Nobody asked us if we thought this was acceptable.  I would certainly have said “NO!!!! Vests first, please”..but I was not consulted.

Captain Kevin Hall explains the origin of the Police Foundation and the scope of this Adopt-a-Cop campaign to buy vests for all our officers.  This fund is open all year, making purchases as vests wear out and are needed in the department.  I see a lot of cheap talk about loving and/or respecting first responders, blah blah blah.  Here is a great way to put money where your platitudes are.  We need to show them some love by arming them properly for the job they do for us.

TPD SWAT

Midtown TPD

Bomb Squad

Midtown TPD

Midtown TPD

the bomb robot

JR the bomb dog

motorcycle cops