Ill-informed Citizen looked up from her smart phone and shook her head as she and her friend waited for their coffees.
Her friend, Voice of Reason, realized something was wrong.
“What is it now?” Voice of Reason asked.
(Editor's note: This is the first of a three-part column series on police misconceptions. The column series continues next week with Night of the Yammering Dope Fiends)
“It's just them po-lice in Roanoke Rapids thinkin' they deserve new patrol cars. Waste of money is what it is.”
Voice of Reason scratched her head. “You really think so?”
“Yeah I thank so,” Ill-informed Citizen said. “Look at them Chargers. You got to pay a purty penny for them thangs.”
“I read that story and I think you're wrong,” said Voice of Reason, knowing her friend was a headline reader and photo scanner. “I read that story and it says they bought them on a state contract that allowed them to buy them cheaper than they could a Ford or Chevrolet. That means they went through a bidding process and got them at the lowest price.”
“But they ought to be puttin' that money into sump-in for all the folks here. I mean, look at that dad-blamed thee-ater over yonder, burnin' a hole in my pocketbook.”
Voice of Reason laughed. “You haven't been to one show out there and you're sitting here complaining, besides, the topic is police cars.”
Voice of Reason explained to her friend that the new police cars were for all the citizens, a way to protect them when they needed police help so officers could respond to emergency situations in a safe and timely matter. “You've got to look at it this way. These new cars are replacing five that had 100,000 miles on them. Shoot, how much money have you put into that gas burner of yours? At some point it becomes more expensive to repair them than it does to just buy new ones.”
“Yeah, but,” Ill-informed Citizen countered without coming to a point.
Voice of Reason laughed. “Yeah, I thought so. Saying those new cars are a waste of money is like saying you have no concern for those officers. What if a malfunction caused an officer to wreck? What if a malfunction caused an officer to die. You would be the first person screaming they should have bought new ones. Wear and tear kills a car, especially police cars.”
“The nanner puddin' sure looked good at the Barbecue Place,” Ill-informed Citizen said, trying to change the subject.
“Oh, no,” Voice of Reason countered. “You're not getting off so easy. You brought it up so we're going to finish this conversation. We're not going to play if you don't like what's being said change the conversation.”
Ill-informed Citizen sighed.
Voice of Reason explained the city couldn't have hoopties on the road, like her friend's, in a profession where response time counts. “You say it's a waste of money but look at you with that smart phone and that big high definition television you have at home. Now that's a waste of money when you complain you could barely pay your cable bill last month. I wouldn't go casting stones at the police department for trying to protect their officers.”
Ill-informed Citizen became flush. “But.”
“But nothing,” Voice of Reason said. “Did you see what the city manager said in that article? No because you didn't read the article, you just saw the picture of the pretty car and assumed. The graphics on that car didn't cost any more than the graphics they had on the old ones.”
Voice of Reason explained what the city manager said in the story her friend allegedly read. “It's reflective of a budget stable enough to upgrade our fleet.”
Voice of Reason said, “Does that sound like a city manager who is out to squander money? I've been to a few council meetings and if anything that council is looking to save tax dollars when and where they can. Believe me, if they thought for a second it would be a waste of money they would have held off. And you talk about the theater, I guess you didn't read where they are trying to refinance the theater debt?”
“I cain't read all that refinancing stuff, it flares up my gout,” Ill-informed Citizen said.
Voice of Reason felt sorry for her friend and wondered why they were friends at all.
“There's a finer point to this car deal,” Voice of Reason said, “And it's about pride and that's something that goes a long way. I know you feel bad because your grandfather lost his job when the textile mills closed. I still feel bad about it, too, but we can't keep mourning a past that slipped away from us. We have to move forward and not think everything is a vast conspiracy against us. There's hope out there if we would let our voices be heard and go to a few council meetings.”
Ill-informed Citizen sat dazed, thinking about how good that banana pudding would have tasted. “What any of this got to do with pride?”
Well, Voice of Reason, said, “If you had bothered to read the article rather than just scanning headlines you would have seen where the city manager said something about the graphics on the car and the ties they have to the community and the history of the police department.”
What the city manager said was, “I think the graphics are much more reflective of the community and the pride the community has in the department.”
Pride, Voice of Reason said, “Goes a long way and without that pride, this city is going to stall. You need to get more involved, read instead of scanning headlines. There is nothing wasteful about getting these cars at all. It was planned, deliberated and thought out, not like that time you bought that high-end washer and dryer you ended up having to return.”
“I thought this talk was about po-lice cars,” Ill-informed Citizen said. “You done stopped preachin' and commenced to meddlin'.”
“No,” Voice of Reason said. “It's about being well-informed and understanding that those who serve and protect us need to have safe and proper equipment to do it with.”
“Well,” said Ill-informed Citizen, “You ain't convinced me them cars won't a waste of money.”
“I just did,” Voice of Reason said, “You just don't want to hear the truth.”
“I'm gonna go back to the Barbecue Place and get me some of that nanner puddin',” Ill-informed Citizen said, leaving her friend — Lance Martin
