When training first responders, don’t forget about mental health
Why not add a dedicated mental health training facility to the campus of the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center?
This would send a powerful signal of the city’s dedication to including mental health as a part of public safety. It would also serve as a constant and visible reminder to those officers in training that mental health is an integral part of their responsibility.
Surely the funding for this facility as part of the campus would flow as readily from those currently opposed to the center as the funds for police and other first responder training.
GAYLEN ROBERTS, CANTON
Discussion of facility’s curriculum left out of council debate
The Atlanta public safety training center concluded on terms that were both predictable and regrettable.
By allowing the debate to be framed as an “either/or” fallacy, critical improvements to the policy substance of the entire debate were excluded.
Do I support better training for Atlanta police and fire? Yes! When was the last time that undertraining someone was a solution to anything? Do I support training that helps get first responders home safely each day? Yes! Do I support training that includes safe and appropriate conflict de-escalation training as a part of the new facility’s curriculum? Also yes!
The only true way forward to resolve the “cop city” cacophony is to look at the actual training being proposed. It must balance public safety responses that maximize getting first responders home safely at night and equipping them to navigate situations by using an appropriate response. It’s about going from the ‘either or’ fallacy to dialogue about what constitutes a well-trained first responder in Atlanta.
MICHAEL E. SABINE, JACKSON
Training facility opponents chant as crime escalates
The proposed police training facility was approved by the Atlanta city Council as opponents of the measure confuse idealism with stupidity. The opponents chanted, “the whole world is watching.” Yeah, and the world is applauding as crime skyrockets.
A little history/trivia. That was a chant made by rich kids in Chicago in 1968 as they tossed bags of urine at police protecting Democrats at their convention. Oh, if there were no cops? Google The Boston Police Strike. Boston became a criminal smorgasbord.
MIKE RILES, ATLANTA
Plenty of blame to go around for Canada wildfires
The headline in Thursday’s AJC said “Hazy day in Atlanta? Blame Canada.” Our smoke pollution should instead be blamed on our planetary overheating. Modern humans dump huge amounts of carbon dioxide, methane, and other “greenhouse gases” into our shared atmosphere. As a result, our air, land, and oceans are getting hotter. Weather patterns are more extreme, and in many regions our forests are drying out. Dried out forests tend to burn.
Blame might be better assigned to centuries of extracting coal and oil from deep underground. We burn these “fossil fuels” intending to generate electricity, heat buildings and move far too many vehicles. This burning releases the greenhouse gases that overheat our atmosphere.
Our grandchildren will pay a terrible price unless we urgently stop the extraction and burning of fossil fuels. It was a silly, small mistake to “Blame Canada.” It’s a huge mistake to ignore the solid science that explains our planetary climate catastrophe.
HENRY KAHN, ATLANTA
