Giordano: Lauding police who do their jobs right

I GUESS IT'S just coincidence that suddenly the NFL's TV ratings have dropped significantly this season. I'm sure it has to do with the presidential debates, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning not playing, people watching games on devices other than TV.

I'm sure there is no "Kaepernick effect."

Rasmussen Reports, in a new survey, attests that the growing number of player protests at NFL games modeled after Colin Kaepernick's gestures have resulted in 32 percent of American adults saying they are "less likely" to watch a game. Could it be that people in our area will still watch the Eagles but are cutting down on other games? Are people sending a message to the NFL that they still love football but reject the antics of athletes?

As far as sending messages, I interviewed Jeffrey Andrulonis, an Army veteran and owner of several radio stations, who sent a message to East Carolina University last week. In retaliation for many members of the East Carolina Marching Band refusing to play the national anthem at a recent game, Andrulonis refused to broadcast their game this past Saturday, even though he had a contract with them.

He told me that these were not protests but attempts to create a spectacle. He also said that the sponsors associated with the game agreed with his decision. I think the fans and guys such as Andrulonis are not only angry at the protesters, but also are standing up for police.

I saw how much people are supporting police when I recounted on my radio show news accounts of Abington police disarming a man who attempted to commit "suicide by cop." Two of their officers spotted a man whom the Upper Dublin police had alerted to area police departments might be suicidal. When they approached him, he pulled out a loaded .38-caliber revolver.

The cops' actions were above and beyond the call of duty. They did not shoot the man, but instead, while they were struggling with him, were able to discharge his weapon into an empty garage. This a remarkable story, and I was wondering why it had received scant media attention.

Abington Police Chief William J. Kelly was listening, called in and provided a theory. He told me that both officers were white, and the man they subdued and helped was black. He told me that the media did not disclose the race of the man when reporting the story, even though he made that fact known when reporting from the scene of the incident.

"We thought that that was an important part of the story, considering everything that's been going on," Kelly told me. "Yet, every one of the news outlets that we'd seen had deleted the race of the individual when they were telling the story."

I agree with Kelly. I think this incident doesn't fit the narrative that cops, particularly white cops, are gunning down black men because of implicit racism at an unbelievable rate. I take each one of these shootings on an individual basis. For example, in some, like the recent shooting in Tulsa of unarmed Terence Crutcher, I think the officer should have been charged.

Overall, I think we should be celebrating the cops in this case and reporting hopefully someday that the man they rescued recovers mentally and leads a productive life. I would like to see a reunion at that point and coverage that makes us all feel good. I would like to see and hear how his family members feel, since they reported his suicidal tendencies to police. And I would like to see stories on "suicide by cop" and the emotional burden it places on cops.

The good news is the Abington officers will be honored by elected officials and others at a special event Thursday night at 7:30 at the Abington Township Board of Commissioners' Office, 1166 Old York Road. Sgt. Ozzie Toledo and Officer Gary Martinez will be commended. I hope the media gives it the full coverage they deserve. I know that many people across the Delaware Valley and I will want to stand up to say job well done.