The protest is not against the police, but a demand for accountability

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Senator Marlon Morgan’s call to wear blue in support of the police falls right in line with the lack of accountability that the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leadership has been supporting through its administration. I have no doubt that the leaders know that the protest is not essentially against the police, but it is a demand for accountability.

The prime minister touts that persons will either meet the judge or their Maker, and since then, persons have been dropping like flies at the hands of the police. Has there been a real increase in criminals confronting the police? And if this is so, why aren’t they willing to wear body cameras, which would serve to capture exactly what happened.

I recall earlier this year seeing the police acting in an unprofessional way and decided to video the incident. One police officer grabbed my phone, then asked that I show him my identification. Upon seeing my ID, he informed me that I resembled a suspect in a robbery. He instructed me to get into the back of the pickup, while letting me know that he had the authority to hold me for 48 hours. He said that I would be placed in a cell where I would be beaten by other prisoners. I felt no safer with these police than I would have felt with an ordinary gunman.

I was taken to the police station, where the password to my phone was demanded and the video erased. They then scrolled through my phone, informing me that they were looking to see if there were any videos of me performing oral sex acts. Now, the Government seems to want to give the police great power with no accountability. I would hope though that the taxes that I contribute to pay for my protection would see some amount of accountability being demanded and orchestrated by those who manage those funds.

It’s time for our leaders to look beyond their own personal agendas and start acting in the interest of the people. The police ought to defend themselves, and others, if necessary; however, they must be held accountable for their actions. Body cams would greatly assist in giving a proper account of what happened.

CONCERNED