Missouri Gov. Mike Parson voiced support for law enforcement during his Tuesday briefing while pledging to work together with citizens to make things better across the state.
“As a former law enforcement officer, I know how difficult this job can be, especially right now,” Parson told officers. “These are challenging times for our state and our nation, but I want you to know that we support you and appreciate all that you do for the people of this state.”
Parson stressed there is “no room for racism in Missouri” and said he will meet Thursday with community leaders from Kansas City, St. Louis and Columbia “to listen, to learn and better understand the needs.”
Parson urged everyone to work together to find solutions.
“If we are trying to make a difference in our society, it’s going to take all of us listening to one another and working together for a greater cause,” he said.
However, he does not support recent calls to defund police departments.
“What happened in Minnesota was a tragedy, and the officer was charged with murder, which he very well should have been for what he did. Every day though, police officers go out there and the large, large majority of them, 99% plus, do the job they should be doing day in and day out,” Parson said. “Doing away with law enforcement officers is not an answer for anything.
“You want to change the way we do business? You want to make things better? We can all do better. I can do better as governor. Law enforcement never hurts to learn and can do better also, but the reality of it is, every day, whether it’s the tornadoes that happened early on when I was governor or the drowning incidents at Branson, it was law enforcement who went in there.”
Parson also stressed that “law enforcement is going to come when someone calls 911. Nobody else is going to come. Those are the things we need to remember sometimes.”
Thirty-eight law enforcement officers in the last 50 weeks have been killed in the line of duty, Parson noted.
“They were public servants, and they did it for somebody else. It goes all the way from a motorist assist to domestic violence to bad drug deals all across the country,” he said. “They gave the ultimate sacrifice.
“To try to blame all law enforcement for some bad actors is not the answer. To get rid of the bad actors is the answer.”
Parson said he, the state’s law enforcement officers and the public need to “figure out solutions, and I firmly believe that by us working together, really trying to make a difference, we can make changes.
“We all have to work together to do that … to try to keep one another safe.”