Editorial

Don’t let a terrible tragedy tear us apart

Saturday, February 29, 2020

Our community was rocked by something terrible Thursday.

Someone we trusted not only with our public safety, but the safety of our children, was accused of some of the most horrible crimes imaginable.

Not many details are known at this time about the charges that have been filed against a now former Poplar Bluff police officer and an area woman.

But the details that have been released are important.

On Wednesday, the Poplar Bluff Police Department received a tip that one of their own may have been involved in something that harmed a child.

On Wednesday, the information was turned over to the Missouri State Highway Patrol for investigation.

On Wednesday, officer Brandon Hopper was arrested.

By Thursday, Hopper was no longer employed by the Poplar Bluff Police Department. He had been serving as the resource officer at Poplar Bluff Middle School.

On Thursday, the Poplar Bluff School District notified families of what had occurred and asked anyone with information about the charges to come forward.

It’s also important to remember that at this time no one has been convicted of any crimes.

Our community is rightly concerned, angry and frightened at the crimes of which Hopper and Amber Longhibler are accused.

We are right to question our officials about how this situation has been handled, and to want to understand the facts. Families want reassured their children are safe.

But we should also remember, people who commit crimes by gaining the trust of their victims, are able to do so because of their ability to gain our trust.

Based on the information released by the highway patrol, it appears the police department and school district acted quickly to see that these crimes were investigated and to protect the children of our area.

It’s also important to point out that one bad apple doesn’t mean the entire police department is bad. Our men and women in blue have a tough enough job to do without worrying about something like this.

We don’t know what came before Wednesday’s investigation, but we want to thank everyone involved for his or her quick actions.

We also want to ask our friends and neighbors to remember that in times of terrible tragedy, the strongest communities have to find a way to come together, rather than tear each other apart in fear and anger.

— Daily American

Republic

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: