I remember a time in the not so distant past.  The year was 2016, and racial tensions were running high.  Freddie Gray was a resident of Baltimore, Maryland.  He was arrested and notoriously died while in police custody.  Soon afterward, Black Lives Matter and other activists became enraged.  They began to protest the police department's presence in their neighborhoods over alleged brutality.

Let's fast-forward a couple of years later to present day.  Now we see over 300 murders in the City of Baltimore this past year.

When I saw the number of murders, I was shocked.  All of the intellectuals and activists on CNN told me that if there were fewer policemen in their neighborhoods, they would be much safer.

You can imagine my shock when I read that now there are calls for the police presence to pick back up in the black parts of town.

The city officials began working on a plan that took the police out of certain parts of the city.  Instead of trusting its police officials to do their jobs, the city stepped in.  In 2014, the murders totaled 211.  Freddie Gray died in April of 2015, which sparked the riots and the knee-jerk reaction by city officials.  The police were pulled back immediately.  This caused the murder rate to increase to 315 the same year.  But the city officials got what they wanted in less police presence.  These types of numbers occur when people who are not trained and have no business making law enforcement decisions call the shots.

It's ironic that activists wanted the police gone, but now they insist that the police come back for their safety.  The question that comes from this is, will the city and the activists allow the police to do their jobs?  If the city tries to dictate how the officers can police, instead of letting them operate off department policy, state law, and city ordinance, there is no reason to try.

The city officials must understand that the police can engage with the community in a softer capacity, but there is also a dirty side to the job as well.  Some of those parts are getting out to conduct a field interview with people standing on the corner in a high-crime area and conducting traffic stops that lead to arrests if probable cause is found.  There are dirty parts of policing when suspects run and the police have to chase them.  Those often end in hands-on situations, where force is used.

If the city allows officers to do their jobs fully, they will gladly accept the invitation.  Officers will accept the risk and protect even those who wear shirts or hold signs saying they hate the police and want them dead.

These men and women truly protect and serve.  The question is, will the city allow that to happen?