As chief of police in Santee, I am charged with the task of protecting this wonderful Oasis of Recreation in spite of the way many feel about the law.

I am very encouraged about the prospect of a brighter, safer and more enriched Santee, but if we are to have a brighter Santee, it may come in spite of ourselves. Meaning some of us will have to change from a "me attitude" into a "we attitude." The oasis must belong to law-abiding citizens. We must be better citizens by obeying the most basis rules, laws and regulations. We must be better than we were yesterday.

We cannot obey just the laws that are pleasing to us, or obey only the laws we choose. Most of us will agree in obeying laws such as those preventing murder, criminal sexual conduct, criminal assaults, as well as anti-drug laws. However, what brings a community down are those laws that appear to be innocent in nature but devastating to the community as a whole. Obeying these laws is essential to a prosperous and safe community.

Common laws that we most often broken for personal reasons are speeding, littering, loud music, illegal parking, shoplifting, trespassing, illegal drug possession and fraud -- common laws that say something about the individual person.

Breaking these laws does more to destroy our quality of life because these are crimes committed against our community and show the most disrespect for this "Oasis of Recreation." We cannot continue to want better and act worse when it comes to our fellow citizens. The town of Santee must be about "we and us" not about you and your personal situation.

The Santee Police Department intends to make all citizens accountable for there actions that infringe on the safety of others and their ability to be happy and enjoy the town of Santee. The Santee Police Department will go beyond its natural duties to protect both the haves as well as the have-nots because we are sworn to protect both.

We must be better stewards of this land or we will not benefit from it. We must be good neighbors and good citizens. We must do what is best for Santee; not what is best just for ourselves. We must understand that the county and the state are watching how we act, appreciate and further develop our next projects in this oasis.

I can say with certainty that if nothing else is in our future, we shall have a safer, a more peaceful and more law-biding future in spite of ourselves and our attitudes toward our neighbors. And we shall cooperate with all of our law enforcement and civic partners to achieve this goal.

-- Chief Kenneth "Mac" McCaster, Chief of Police, Santee

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