U-Talk: Do you think there’s room for improvement with law enforcement?

By Staff | Feb 6, 2023

: Chad Parcell

: Eteu Spencer

: Teresa DeSpain

: Calvin Endrus

: Leon Frazier

Tiana Lao, Special to the Daily Herald

Chad Parcell

“Yes. I think they need to get paid more, and I think that they could go on better psychiatric testing before they get hired, you know, so they know what they’re in for when they get there because there’s pretty traumatic things that happen, and they see things that will change their life. … I think it’s going to help the community by having better law enforcement. The higher the pay, the more psychiatric testing, it’s going to have a better quality in law enforcement I think.” — Chad Parcell, Orem

“I’ve got a dissertation for that one. A, cops need to stop killing people the way they are, especially ethnic people. B, cops need to quit killing children the way they are, especially ethnic children. C, cops need to quit killing women the way they are, especially ethnic ones. You know, we are in a society right now where the cops are acting like paramilitary, and they’re not out there to protect, they’re out there to hurt people. And their mentality, they’re taught to be afraid, and when you work your job in fear, you guys are going to act out of fear, so what the police need to do is first, they need to become a part of the communities they’re a part of. And second, the biggest thing, I think is most important, is they need to realize that they are not the military. Police officers, they were once called peace officers, so they need to learn to just quit instantly going into violence, and their real job is to calm down and make peace.” — Eteu Spencer, Provo

“Yes. Just make sure that everyone is treated equally. For them to treat people equally, and also to have respect for law enforcement as well, so both sides, I think, there is room for improvement. It just seems like there’s a lack of respect for law enforcement because some law enforcement officers have not acted well, and it just reflects on the rest of the profession as a whole, even though most of them are fine, you know — they treat people with respect.” — Teresa DeSpain, Orem

“It’s a major problem with the way law enforcement is being done. Total disregard for civil rights in many cases. Too much use of force. They seem to lack a lot of training in dealing with people in a variety of situations, particularly where their ego is at stake. … They claim they lack the resources to properly train, but it’s usually the mindset that comes right from the head, from the chief of police and the mayor, and ultimately the public. Because the public wouldn’t stand for some of the stuff that goes on.” — Calvin Endrus, Pleasant Grove

“Yes. There’s corruption in the police force. I’ve seen a lot of corruption in the local police forces. Not lately, but when I was more active and involved in businesses, yes. In Provo. I think there should be some kind of citizen review boards working to review officers behavior, and they should talk to more people. … It doesn’t take a special degree except going through a police academy to become police officers, so the consequences, you have a lot of people that are kind of at the ropes end. They need a job, and they’ve got a family, and they can get quickly in the police department.” — Leon Frazier, Orem