The effort of the Albert Lea Police Department to hold meetings with citizens is commendable. Community policing is a valuable tool in making a community safe, and one that quality law enforcement agencies embrace.

Police have a greater role in society than ever before. They not only go get the bad guys, they promote public safety, protect civil and human rights, deal with diversity, face greater social control and intervention in domestic affairs and deal with new and changing technologies.

On top of it all, they have to maintain the image of being the good guys. Easier said than done in a country with children-oriented video games and music that glorifies crime as portrays the police as the enemy.

We want our children to trust the police. Smart parents raise their children to respect and help the police officers.

And in that line of thinking, it is good for the police to know the neighborhoods. What better way than to hold meetings with the residents.

And this is merely one reason in favor of community policing and the meetings. There are many positives that can&8217;t all be explained here.

Thanks, officers of the ALPD, for listening.