Rez double standard of justice

Since I came here in 1992, there are some constants that I have found to be so on the reservation, and one of them is the high caliber of men and women that work for the Navajo Police Department. I have found them to be right up there with the best people I have ever known.

Some I have been able to get to know personally. I have heard of the long hours that they put into their work. I don’t think there are any more dedicated people who put so much on the line everyday in the whole country.

It is sad to see as these men get families that the sacrifices on their time become so great that they must seek work elsewhere. If these men and women chose to give up the extra time spent beyond their 40-hour work week would be one thing, but that it is taken from them with no consistent policy in place to make sure they are reimbursed, puts this Navajo Police Department in the same category as what they are sworn to defend us against-namely thievery.

How can the Navajo Police Department expect to have respect when it forces its own employees to sue for overtime pay, which is rightfully theirs. (Are you kidding me?)

One thing I’ve found is that you can’t have it both ways. Stand up for the justice of you own workers and not with fancy words—with actions. Put your money where your real value is—your dedicated workers who serve us and you so proudly. They should not have to beg for what is coming to them, and you should not need some court to remind you of what is right and fair. You should be the single standard.

Clifford S. Alexander

Tuba City, Ariz.