Supporting Your Local Police

It is a commonplace among policemen these days to complain that the public is too indifferent about the recent wave of officers killed by snipers and ambushers. Cleveland's men in blue found out otherwise last week. After the unprovoked killing of Patrolman Joseph Tracz, the Cleveland chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police took a full-page ad in the local papers. Next to a large police badge pierced by a bullet, the copy said: "In our minds there is one whale of a difference between being injured or killed while enforcing the law and the rapidly emerging pattern of cop killing and guerrilla warfare." A mailing coupon at the bottom read: "I agree that something must be done about the senseless attacks upon policemen right now. I am in full support of the Cleveland policemen." The response has been enormous: something like 65,000 coupons have come in from all over the country. Money was not asked for, but $500 turned up in the first 2,000 letters opened. It will be turned over to charity. Some of the letters of support were sent from the black ghetto where Tracz died.

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