Police deserve more respect from city

I am the wife of a sergeant in Clovis’ police department.

He’s worked as a patrolman, detective, narcotics officer, undercover officer, administrative sergeant and now a patrol sergeant.

The raises my husband has received were few and far between.

Now that the employees in the police department have decided they work too hard for not enough money and are finally going to try a more proactive approach, they are being punished for it.

It seems city commissioners are deliberately slapping the police officers in the face by refusing pay raises until the union can negotiate pay raises.

Other city employees learned last week they would soon receive pay raises between 4 and 12.5 percent.

The frustration felt by police officers is generally ignored by the city commissioners. They have no idea what these men and women face daily.

Every time our family goes to Wal-Mart, to public parks or the zoo, to the movies or the mall, events and carnivals for our small children — and even in our front yard — we face conflict and tension because he is a police officer. He is never off duty.

We have to schedule family events around his work. We must always keep in mind that “Daddy has to leave again.”

My children also encounter conflict at school and after school due to their father being a policeman.

The men and women of the police department do not do this job for the money. They do this job to help the citizens of this city. My children and I take a back seat to the citizens of this town daily — and now to be told that the job they do is not good enough for even a 4- to 12.5-percent raise is a tremendous miscarriage of justice.

The message that comes across from the mayor, city commissioners and city manager is that the police officers’ salaries are not a high priority.

My husband has to work overtime hours for us to afford things such as baseball and swimming lessons. I am sure many people must do these things for their children’s after-school activities. But I face daily a realization that as Clovis’ population increases — and the number of seasoned police and total employees for the police department declines because they do not feel appreciated — dangerous situations will rise.

As these situations rise, the likelihood my husband will be hurt or killed on duty also increase. Crime and criminals do not care if the victim is a commissioner, teacher, nurse, husband or wife.

In closing, I am thankful I married my husband for love and not for money.

Amanda Kinley is the wife of Clovis police Sgt. Chris Kinley. She may be contacted at:

[email protected]