Compassion Needed

I often wonder if simple human compassion still exists in those whose positions enable them to right our society’s wrongs, or to simply lend a trusted helping hand.

Help is what the young woman, recently raped, needed after her car malfunctioned on the highway. Help from our police force is not what she received. Instead, the police passed her by, and she fell victim to an act that will affect the rest of her life. The woman now lives in fear, but, isn’t this type of fear supposed to be alleviated by our police?

Yes, it is. Often times though, small cries of help are ignored by the police, whose concern it is to answer such cries. As a result, brutal incidents, such as with this woman, have occurred.

This crime would never have taken place had an officer stopped. Nevertheless, it happened--due to a lack of concern. Officers need to get back to basics and remember why they became officers. I always thought that officers joined the force because they had a sincere desire to ensure safety in this often-dangerous world. Moreover, I feel that compassion, which stems from this desire, must truly be felt again by our police force. Then maybe, we can have faith in the force’s ability to ensure our safety, and thus, lessen the fear in our lives.

MICHELLE EMPTAGE

La Mesa