No union support for fruitless efforts

By John Stites, Henderson

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015 | 2 a.m.

In response to the letter “Unions should empower black communities” (Las Vegas Sun, Dec. 29), as a retired sheriff’s sergeant, law enforcement union member and former union president, I want to explain the role of law enforcement unions. Our role is to negotiate the wages, benefits and working conditions of our members. We also act as a watchdog, providing evaluation and assessment of the actions of law enforcement management.

The letter writer apparently believes we should expand out roles into educating and supporting the empowerment of young black men and women.

Whether it is youth athletics leagues, school drug education projects, neighborhood watch committees or just interaction with at-risk youths on the street, law enforcement has made major efforts to engage black and minority youths to provide them with positive direction and enhance their goal-making decisions. With all these efforts, black America still resents any interaction between police and black youths. Though 99.9 percent of this interaction does not result in any deaths, black America insists police, especially white police, are out to kill black men.

I would advise the letter writer that his requests do not fall on deaf ears, but with all the efforts by law enforcement to address his concerns, why would our unions divert our effort to support an issue that has had little, if any, positive results to this point? Our allegiance is to our membership, and our membership is being attack by black America.