Letter: Police have never been more professional

The Seattle Times would have you believe there is a rash of police killings in Washington state. Their own numbers, however, do not back up their argument.

Of the hundreds of thousands of contacts between the police and citizens from 2005 to 2014 there were 213 deaths. Of these 84 percent of the suspects had a weapon, and according to the Times, the weapon most likely used was a firearm.

They make the case that minorities are being killed at a higher rate than whites. Their own stats, however, indicate 70.8 percent of the suspects were white. According to a 2014 census estimate whites made up 80.2 percent of the population of this state. I find it curious that the article in question went to great lengths to get quotes from the ACLU, while almost completely avoided current law enforcement experts in deadly force.

The fact remains that policing has never been more professional. Our officers are smarter, and better trained and equipped than ever before. They do a job that few are prepared or capable of doing. They put their lives on the line each day, and are due our respect.

Yakima

This story was originally published October 10, 2015 at 8:04 PM with the headline "Letter: Police have never been more professional."