Do you fish? I was fishing in a stocked lake recently in Northwest Arkansas. I had a stringer with several fish and was casting for more when a young fellow appeared. He looked at my fish, then at me, and commented that I must be having a good day. I responded that the day was enjoyable but lamented that I kept catching catfish. The young fellow, an area resident, laughed: “The state stocks only catfish in this lake, mister. That’s all you can catch!”
And so it is with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. They recruit from the same pool of candidates that they’ve been recruiting from for decades. How then is it possible to hire personnel who have a broad perspective with regard to social and racial issues, public service and a variety of other elements that contribute to an educated, well-rounded police officer? It’s not!
So, when the dung of criticism hits the fan, police management and city officials are astounded. How is it possible, they publicly wonder, that these many allegations of mismanagement and errant law enforcement behavior are being thrown at us? We are, after all, St. Louis’ finest!
If you limit your fishing to the lake stocked with one kind of fish, you will keep catching only one kind of fish. You can take that to the bank.
Michael K. Broughton
Green Park
