InTucker Magazine

On the Beat with Lt. Schoeppner

Lt. D.G. Schoeppner is Tucker’s liaison to the DeKalb County Police Department and can be followed at facebook.com/dgschoeppner or emailed at dgschoeppner@dekalbcountyga.gov.

“The only thing we have to fear is…fear itself.” These words were delivered by President Franklin Roosevelt to the American people in his first inaugural speech on March 4, 1933. At that time, the United States and the rest of the world were suffering through the peak of the Great Depression. Right now, I invoke those powerful words to remind you all that we have overcome crisis before and will do so again. Having spent a majority of my adult life responding to emergencies, I can tell you that it is only natural to be afraid. It only becomes a problem when you allow that fear to take control of your actions and override what you know to be rational and correct.

Almost no one is around from the last time we faced a worldwide pandemic of this sort. This is uncharted territory for many of us and it is definitely very scary. But if we all calm down and take a deep breath, the way through this is pretty clear.

As I sit here writing this there has already been a curfew declared for Tucker. The purpose of this curfew isn’t to trample your rights or give the police an excuse to hassle you. It is encouragement to do your part to overcome this crisis. I can assure you that just about everyone here at the police department would love to have the option to stay safe at home with their families, but that is not what we signed up for. Despite the personal danger, everyone here shows up for work everyday and puts themselves in harm’s way in order to keep you safe. Help us do that by complying with the curfew.

Panic buying and hoarding of essentials contributes to making a bad situation worse. Because there was an initial run on items like toilet paper, it is very difficult for some to buy these items now. I know that many stores are placing limits on the number of items they will sell to individuals, but please keep in mind that buying a crate of toilet paper or hand sanitizer likely means that someone else will have to go without it. I implore you all to only buy what you need in order for the supply chains to restock themselves.

Obviously, this is a topic that can be discussed in far greater length than will fit in this small article. However, if we keep calm, look out for ourselves, and then look out for our neighbors, we will emerge from this scary time just fine.