Public Comment for 6_15 City Council Meeting Allan BakerFrom:Allan Baker
To:Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL] Public Comment for 6/15 City Council Meeting
Date:Monday, June 15, 2020 7:49:13 PM
I am very much in support of local citizens exercising their 2nd amendment rights to open carry to
help ensure a peaceful protest environment as was done on June 6th—an armed citizenry is a polite
citizenry.
I am against any efforts to defund the KPD based upon a reaction by those who oppose the above
mentioned exercise of 2nd amendment rights. KPD has shown admirable professionalism in the
protection of peoples’ rights during the trying times of these last several months.
A strong message needs to be sent to those groups (mostly comprised of outside influences of which
there are a handful—we all know who they are) who intend to thrust dangerous and over-hyped
political agendas upon the local citizenry of Kalispell, and the Flathead valley in general, that such
antics will not be tolerated here.
Having said this, it has long become apparent that it is time to take a careful look at current police
training techniques being employed nation-wide that far too much resemble something more
appropriate for military combat than those more applicable to peace officers. These military training
techniques and the philosophical tenets behind them are, no doubt, leading to a proliferation of
police abuse and violations of the rights of a free citizenry. Thankfully, I am not aware of such
extreme examples of police abuse locally by KDP, but there is no doubt that too much of a
militarized atmosphere has indeed crept in locally over recent years.
Therefore, it is appropriate to take measured and locally-oriented steps to ensure KPD does not fall
into the same pitfalls that other big-city police departments are experiencing.
It is not appropriate to give in to outside forces that do not represent the peaceful, community-
minded people of the Flathead valley, and Montana in general, by giving into their mis-guided and
ill-founded notions of “change”.
Sincerely,
Allan Baker