Dr. Jim Surrell, Journal columnist

We are truly blessed in the USA and in the State of Michigan and our wonderful Upper Peninsula communities to have outstanding local and state law enforcement personnel and agencies that serve us all so very well and keep us safe in so many ways. At this time I almost cannot tell you how frustrated I am with various individuals and some organizations recommending that we defund and/or eliminate our police agencies. This absurd and very dangerous concept of defunding and/or removing our police agencies is, in my judgment, perhaps the worst thing that could happen to our great nation at this time.

We have a total of 15 counties in the Upper Peninsula, and each county has a County Sheriff and a variable number of Deputy Sheriffs. The Michigan Sheriffs’ Association has been around since 1877. In addition to all our Michigan Sheriffs and Deputies, there are also very many great dedicated local city, village, and township police departments with very dedicated personnel located throughout the U.P.

All of our dedicated police personnel go though extensive training to prepare them for this essential and critical law enforcement job that they all do to serve us throughout the Upper Peninsula and the State of Michigan. Know that all our police officers must go through a substantial amount of training before they can become an official police officer. Here’s a brief look at the training of our Michigan State Police.

The Michigan State Police Training Academy is located in Lansing. This Michigan State Police Training Academy is a very highly respected training program which is 23 weeks long. It is known as the Trooper Recruit School at the MSP Training Academy in Lansing. This academy is often compared to a military boot camp. The recruit school environment instills discipline, commitment and excellence. From the residential program to the demanding physical training, every aspect of recruit school is designed to provide each individual the foundation for a successful career

The Michigan State Police (MSP) is a full-service law enforcement agency, with approximately 3,000 employees who provide over 60 different services either directly to Michigan residents or in support of other law enforcement agencies. The MSP personnel most visible to the public are the uniform troopers of the Field Services Bureau whose primary responsibilities include investigating crimes, deterring criminal activity, apprehending criminals and fugitives, conducting traffic enforcement to increase traffic safety, and participating in community outreach and prevention services activities. The MSP also has a cadre of highly trained detectives who conduct investigations in specialized fields such as homicides, fraud, felonious assault, computer crimes, fire investigation and criminal sexual conduct.

In my judgment, we all should be very thankful for our police officers who put their lives on the line every single day. They have all gone through extensive police training and have made the choice to be in this profession because of their strong personal desire to be of service to others. I offer my sincere thanks and appreciation to our police officers for their commitment to serve us all.

Here is my suggestion for what the letters in the word “Police” could really stand for.

P – Protecting

O – Other’s

L – Lives

I – In Our

C – Communities

E – Every Day!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Jim Surrell is the author of “The ABC’s For Success In All We Do” and the “SOS (Stop Only Sugar) Diet” books.Contact Dr. Surrell by email at sosdietdoc@gmail.com.