Letter to the Editor:
I am expressing an emphatic “no” to hiring additional candidates for the Police Commission. There should be no more than three people on this commission. Furthermore, all candidates should be selected based on merit and qualifications. Diversity should not be used as a criteria for selection. I believe that this is, in and of itself, discrimination when used as the primary qualifying factor for employment. Police should be out keeping our community safe and not be participating in excess meetings or paperwork.
Once again, I strongly urge that no more than three candidates be selected for the Burbank Police Commission. I have lived in Burbank for 40 years and have been satisfied with our police protection.
Shelley Burrel
Our police commission must represent the civilians that the police department serves as they must “provide civilian oversight to advocate best law enforcement policies for the greater good of the Burbank Community”.
It’s only in the best interest of all community members to ensure that those responsible to act as liaisons, do not act from a place of unconscious bias.
The fact is, real solutions to very real problems can only happen when decision makers engage with police AND those calling for reform, oversight and accountability. Policing can be safe, effective and work better for everyone. In fact, I can’t begin to imagine how anyone can think that it’s reached perfection and can use no improvement which is what this letter, in essence, suggests.
It seems Ms. Burrel has ignorantly proven that she has little desire to accept any of the above as true or necessary and ties up her whole embarrassing argument with a racist bow. (Hint: reverse racism is NOT a thing).
It’s not 40 years ago, thank goodness. I often wonder if some of these MAGA Burbankians have read a book in the last 40 years.
If you are going to spend limited city resources on reform, then we need to identify exactly what it is about the Burbank PD that you believe needs to be reformed. I’m not talking the generalized points that the media shares of incidents that happen outside our community. I want to know, exactly what is happening in our Police Department that requires such a big change. These things are not free and I want to be sure we are spending our limited resources where they can be best used to make things better and not just give a couple of politicians some meaningless talking points.
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