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Readers’ Views

Voting my conscience

To the Editor:

I was born and raised on the

West Coast. I had a D behind my name on the voter registration for decades. Every four years, I voted accordingly. However, as I grew older it was becoming harder to check that box. I can understand your concerns.

The DFL has run Minnesota for many years now. If the powerful politicians in Minnesota continue to support the chaos that they invited into the Cities, they won’t get my support or other like-minded voters.

If Dan Feehan feels BLM is a force for good, defunding law enforcement is necessary and radical change is a must, then check that box. My conscience and common sense tells me otherwise.

Diane Tow

Fairmont

A legacy for police

To the Editor:

It has been two years since former officer Bob Meschke passed away. Our daughter Shannon recently made this post on social media:

“I have been feeling bummed in recent time that it’s becoming socially unacceptable to make comments about the ‘good cops.’ I have always been proud of how my dad conducted himself as a police officer. But my feelings about his work had far less to do with anything he said to me, and far more to do what others in the community would tell me about him. Strangers would approach me, asking if I was ‘Officer Friendly’s’ daughter, and proceed to tell me stories about how he responded to calls at their scenes.

“I recently found an essay that someone wrote about my dad and later gave to him. It was written by a guy, who as a teenager, was found causing mischief in town. He said that my dad responded to the call, seemed larger than life when he arrived, and that he was rather afraid of what my dad would do. This man went on to explain how, after my dad briefly questioned him and waited for him to repair the wrongs he had done, he told him to get in the police car. He was quite surprised when my dad invited him to sit in the front seat instead of the back seat where he was accustomed to being. My dad proceeded to drive around town in this air-conditioned place for a long chat. He shared how my dad asked him a series of questions, spending time getting to know him, and about how my dad ended up inviting to participate in a local Youth Law Enforcement Explorers group. He said that my dad encouraged him to think about their conversation and then dropped him off a block from home, so his parents wouldn’t know he had been caught getting into trouble.

“The man who wrote this letter said it was this single incident that compelled him to stop misbehaving and start getting serious about his life choices. It is ultimately what led him to become a police officer himself, saying, ‘I wanted to be a cop just like you, Bob.’

“In this testimony I can see what justice could be … and maybe even ‘should’ be.

“If justice were a recipe, it’s ingredients might include: protecting, serving, seeking understanding, communicating, revealing the truth, upholding the law, providing encouragement, and showing some grace along the way.”

Thank you Shannon for sharing this perspective of who our law enforcement officers really are and what they stand for. This is only one of many “Explores” influenced by Bob who have gone on to become career law enforcement officers.

Thank you to the police officers and deputies who serve in this capacity in Martin County. Please know that you are greatly appreciated by most, and may you also make this kind of difference in the lives of those you protect and serve.

Sandy Meschke

Fairmont

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