Austin’s Daily Commentary – Injured Law Enforcement Officers Having Pay Cut

Austin: I'm not going to get terribly specific about what I'm discussing this morning, because I've been asked not to. There are some legal issues that are being hashed out, and some some battles behind the scenes that are yet to be fought completely. But let me tell you the the upside of what I've learned that's really going to disturb you. Certainly it has me.

We have a number, not just 1 or 2, but several high-profile individuals that have been involved in law enforcement mishaps. When I say mishaps, attacks, accidents. These are men and women who were serving our area wearing a badge and were severely injured through a gunshot wound, car accidents, stabbings, you name it. Severely injured to the point where they cannot function as professional law enforcement officers anymore. Disturbing disabilities that will be with them for the rest of their life.

And as a result of those injuries, they have taken a huge cut in their law enforcement pay. Now, I understand they're not working the job anymore. They're not capable of that. But we, as the people who hired them to protect us, have stepped away from our responsibility to pay their salaries in full.

And we've got to do better than that. And I'm not talking about the additional income that these officers make by doing specials and extra work. I'm talking about base salary.

That we have any law enforcement officer injured in the line of duty that we don't maintain whole as far as their salary goes makes me sick to my stomach and it's happening all over the place. We need to do better.

We need the state of Georgia and South Carolina to step up and make sure these officers are paid their full salaries. And we need the sheriffs who are letting these men and women suffer quietly, in silence, in anonymity, to step up and defend these people and let the public know what's going on.

Roundtree has failed us yet again, keeping his mouth shut about this. And several of these cases involve men and women who have served him exceptionally. We need to step up. More on this later. Stay tuned.

But what you will hear about how we have stepped away from our financial responsibility to injured law enforcement officers is going to make you sick. Sheriff Roundtree, step up and make noise about this. You need to. And that's the comment, I'm Austin Rhodes, 95.1 FM News Talk WGAC.