Hot Pursuit

It doesn’t take much to figure out that the world is changing around us, and not always in a positive way.
I like to consider myself a “half full glass” kind of person and not dwell on the negative aspects of life. But sometimes it becomes important to focus on the negative things in an effort to create something more positive. 
There seems to be a dramatic increase in mentally unstable people who are taking out their aggressions in ways  Mentally deranged people are often resorting to school shootings, less than desirable encounters with police officers, violence in government buildings and basically disrupting the good life most of us want to enjoy. 
Last week the Steele County Board had to make a decision it rather would not have wanted to make. Commissioners added $160,000 per year to its already stretched budget to put two new deputies in the courthouse. The sheriff said the time has come for the county to enhance its security before something drastically goes wrong. The safety of court personnel as well as the general public is at stake.
Over the past few years, there have been shootings at the courthouses in Cook and Hennepin counties as well as a more recent attack at a city council meeting in the Twin Cities suburb of New Hope. For those who think rural Minnesota is immune from this problem, think again. Cook County is a small area in the northeastern part of Minnesota along the north shore of Lake Superior that serves a population of only 4,500 people. 
Recently the Ellendale City Council faced a choice of whether to cut its police service to the community. In the end, the council made the correct decision in keeping sheriff’s deputies with providing police protection. There is no price tag that can be measured on public safety.
The fact is we live in a changed society. There are incredible stressors facing many families and individuals, forcing some to act out in ways that make us cringe with anger, disbelief and anxiety. 
The decisions of the Ellendale council to maintain police protection and the Steele board to add more deputies will create a sense of security for many people and allow us to sleep better at night knowing government officials are trying to do their best for our own good. It’s unfortunate we need these extra layers of protection, but we live in a crazed world of evil doers. 
It’s important for us to recognize the awesome work our police officers do on a daily basis. Next week will be National Police Week, which is a great time for us to thank our public safety warriors. They truly should be our heroes more than any sports figure or movie star. 
We have lost three officers in Steele and Dodge counties over the years fighting to keep us safe. They include police chiefs in Blooming Prairie and Claremont and an officer in Hayfield. 
In two weeks, the Times will publish a special tribute to public safety in which we honor all those who maintain public safety for our communities. Look for this special section in the May 19 edition featuring not only police, but also firefighters, paramedics and EMS workers.
Just remember that positivity can come out of negativity as evidenced by some recent actions in our area. It gives us some hope that we can rely on calmness and peace to prevail and triumph over evil as public safety heroes go in hot pursuit of keeping us safe.