Few issues about politics have the emotional overtones as those dealing with fire and police. Hence the nearly standard campaign mailer with a candidate’s support by firefighter and police associations. But few voters ever ask if the candidate without the endorsement would ever propose measures to reduce the safety of his own home or family.
From time to time, though, the misdeeds of some members of these departments open a window that permits the public to engage in justified scrutiny. Last year, in Los Angeles, we had the dog-food incident with firefighters that caused that city millions of dollars in litigation from charges of racism, and countercharges by those who perpetrated the unsavory practical joke. Once in awhile, we also get to see the videotape of a policeman overstepping the bounds of proper professional conduct for all the public to see.
Today, it has become more difficult to raise issues of performance or pay about firemen and policemen. It is even more so since Sept. 11, 2001, as images of the bravery and sacrifice of New York’s finest has permeated the consciousness of the public at large. Today, you can’t separate bravery, heroism and a blow to the nation’s psyche from the uniforms of policemen and firemen.
