Law enforcement deserves our support

By Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville

As a veteran of more than two decades of service in the Maine State Police, I was pleased to see the results of a poll that was conducted recently showing that eight in 10 Mainers have a positive view of law enforcement. This same poll showed that 88 percent of Mainers feel that the current shortage of officers in our state is a priority.

Maine is in the midst of five consecutive years during which the crime rate has dropped significantly. Violent crimes occur here at one quarter of the national rate. In contrast to what one sees in media from other states, we live in one of the safest places in the U.S. — thanks to our law enforcement personnel. 

With a number of bills in the Legislature this session designed to weaken or simply attack law enforcement, it is not clear whether elected representatives in Augusta are following the will of their constituents.

Take for example the testimony on LD 214, a bill to eliminate qualified immunity for law enforcement officers. This bill has exposed the misunderstanding that many people have in believing that police officers are immune from prosecution. This is simply not the case, yet many who testified argued otherwise.

Well-intentioned, but misinformed citizens provided testimony demonstrating how deeply many feel, but also how mistaken they are. These statements included, “No officer or department has ever been accountable for any of their actions,” and police are “fully protected” by the statute. A representative of the Sierra Club, claimed that police officers are “allowed to violate laws with impunity.” Without evidence to support the claim, he stated that “There have undoubtedly been hundreds of examples of excessive use of force” in Maine.

The conviction of a police officer in the much-covered Minnesota case recently is a useful example. While qualified immunity is on the books in that state, he was held accountable and convicted on all charges, including murder.

Mike Edes is the executive director of the Maine Fraternal Order of Police and former chair of the National Troopers Coalition. He says of the Maine State Police, “We have the best group of police officers in the U.S.” He also knows that finding the liability insurance that would be needed if this bill passes is nearly impossible or prohibitively expensive. In his conversations with police officers currently serving he regularly hears that many plan to leave law enforcement if the bill succeeds.

In all my time as a state trooper and since, I never once met a police officer who got rich doing their job. They risk their lives to keep others safe, and Maine’s low crime rate is evidence that they are doing an excellent job. Passing this law and exposing them to costly and frivolous lawsuits would be asking too much.

My very last call as a state trooper was to visit the family of a fellow trooper and inform them that their loved one had been killed in the line of duty. It was a long drive and not a welcome assignment. There are not a lot of other professions where this kind of thing occurs and it shows the seriousness of the kind of work law enforcement requires.

This bill and others like it will make Maine less safe and a less attractive place for both visitors and those seeking to relocate permanently. Rather than jumping on the national anti-police bandwagon by creating harmful, unnecessary new laws, Mainers should recognize the relative safety of their home state and be grateful for the law enforcement personnel who have helped make it so.

Davis represents District 4 in the State Senate.