For the past five months, we’ve heard from multiple people who called police officers in Prince William County everything, from racists to terrorists to members of the prison industrial complex.
These speakers stand at a microphone and voice their opinions during the citizen comment portion of the Supervisors’ meetings, are very vocal, have called for abolishing the police department altogether, and often evoke the applause of their supporters who stand outside the meeting room to rally for their cause.
All of this got us wondering — are Prince William police officers really the monsters they’re being made out to be? I grew up in Prince William County, have had many interactions with police there, and have never found them anything but professional. But, I’m a white guy, and maybe, just maybe, my experiences differ from others.
Here’s our original report today about the Prince William police department and its years of high marks from the residents it serves. It comes as the Board of County Supervisors on Tuesday, December 1, will take up a resolution to remove any references to defunding or shifting of priorities of the county police department in the upcoming 2021-2024 county strategic plan. Since 2009, the police department — one of the most respected in the U.S. has scored 90% or better on citizen surveys conducted by independent research firms.
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