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Community Corner

Helicopters above neighborhood unnecessay

Moments ago, a helicopter began circling south Davis and Olive drive announcing on loud speakers that an elderly man is missing. I am sensitive to the emergency. However, barking public address announcements on loud speakers is inappropriate, unnecessary and unprecedented. We do not live in a police state, or a war zone. We are citizens who have the right to peace and quiet, and the right to not be addressed as a mass via aircraft. The mere sound of helicopters is annoying and stressful to many. To be awakened in the night by the police making public announcements is outright frightening. The police have always dispatched officers to search for missing persons with great success. My concern is, the public might become accustomed to these aerial public address tactics, and not question theri purpose as public law enforcement becomes increasingly militaristic.  A more effective means of "announcing" a hunt would be to post an alert on the dpd and/or other press websites. The City of Davis is NOT enemy territory, and as such, it's citizens deserve to be treated and addressed as citizens, not as persons inhabiting a police-controlled, occupied territory. 

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