PUYALLUP, Wash. — A police officer in Puyallup, Washington found a disturbing message written on the street in front of his home. The communication says, “PIG LIVES HERE.” Included as part of the troubling note is a stick figure of a pig as well as “ACAB” (all cops are bastards).
Puyallup Police Chief Scott Engle did a good job humanizing the person referred to as “pig.” This is what he wrote on the department’s Facebook page:
One of our police officers found this in front of his house recently. I wanted to share a little about this police officer.
I hired him a few years ago. I remember his interview. He wanted to make a difference. He wanted to continue to serve.
You see he came to us after a long and dedicated career in the US Army. He saw law enforcement as a way to continue to serve and give back. He had a passion in his eyes in that interview that you could tell he wanted to make a difference.
Today he’s a police officer. A husband. A dad. A grandfather. A brother. A neighbor. A veteran. He’s been a coach. He enjoys fineness. And he wants to serve and protect.
We need police officers. We need someone to call when the drunk driver drives down the road in front of us or passes out behind the wheel. We need someone to call when the domestic abuser has beat up their partner. We need someone to call when somebody has stolen from us. We need someone to call when children have been abused and need protection. We need someone to call when drugs continue to destroy our community. We need someone to call when gunfire erupts and someone has to run to the gunfire to make it stop. We need someone to call when we’ve been in an accident. We will always need someone to call. And police officers will always answer the call.
You see we need each other. Police officers cannot do this job without you. We are all in this together.
I believe in our police officers. I stand with them 100%. They work in a profession that most will never understand and never could do. Police families this past year have been put through some of the most unbelievable and stressful times I have ever seen in my career. It used to be that people saw a police car in their neighborhood as a sense of safety. Unfortunately we are living in a world now where police officers are worried about their own homes. And that’s just the honest truth.
We cannot live in a society where everyone gets to do whatever they want without any rules. Without any accountability. We must live in a world with respect for all, civility towards all, and responsibility. And if not someone will answer the call and that will be police officers trying to serve and protect as best they can.
For me and my family I will continue to pray for our police officers and their families. For our country. For our community. For our leaders. For respect for all. For civility for all. And for responsibility.
United We Stand. Divided We Will Fall.
Chief Scott Engle
Puyallup Police Department
