Wittner angry about PD support

MONTE VISTA— Local pastor and member of the fire department Wayne Wittner spoke during unscheduled citizen comments of the July 6 Monte Vista City Council meeting.
Wittner shouted to council for several minutes, stating he has been attending their meetings for three years and does not believe council supports the Monte Vista Police Department.
“What council is saying is law enforcement…aren’t doing a darn thing.” Wittner stated council members do not go on enough ride-a-longs with police officers, which he said he does, calling many of the calls that officers respond to “garbage” which the police shouldn’t have to deal with, including mimicking a wife claiming “my husband is picking on me: make him stop.” Wittner also mocked Mayor Debbie Garcia’s statement and voice at the previous council meeting when she thanked former Police Chief Evan Lopez for his service to the community upon his resignation, adding several times that thanking them is not enough appreciation; council members should take time to go to officers’ individual offices and thank them for their service regularly. Wittner stated the officers risk their lives at traffic stops, not knowing what they might encounter. “When these men come on, they know what the pay scale is,” but stated “a pat on the back” will get the city “three times the dedication a salary will.”
Wittner continued, angry that the police department did not have enough overtime to do a police memorial ceremony, saying it was disappointing. Wittner wants to see council not wish the officers a good day/evening but pat them on the back regularly and wish them “to be safe” because he doesn’t want to read about an officer getting shot at a traffic stop.
Wittner did not offer any explanation about how a pat on the back would prevent violent incidents or keep the police department from going over their annual overtime budget by $5,000 in six months; he just made it clear that council was not meeting a standard of adequate wording in their praise for local police, which he correlated to police leaving the city.