Firma transportowa JKC Trucking z Summit, Illinois poinformowała, że nie będzie wysyłała swoich ciężarówek do miast, które są za zredukowaniem finansowania dla policji lub za rozwiązaniem policji.

„Naszym priorytetem jest wspieranie naszych kierowców i ich bezpieczeństwa na drodze” – powiedział Fox & Friends Mike Kucharski, współwłaściciel firmy JKC Trucking z siedzibą w Summit „Jeśli będziesz mieć cenny ładunek i nie będzie policji, na której można by polegać, kto będzie chronił naszych kierowców?” – tłumaczy Kucharski.

Według US Bureau of Labor Statistics prowadzenie ciężarówek jest jednym z najbardziej niebezpiecznych zawodów w kraju. W ankiecie przeprowadzonej przez CDLLife w połowie czerwca w tym roku, 79% kierowców ciężarówek powiedziało, że odmówi dostaw do miast, które nie posiadają policji. Wielu kierowców ciężarówek wyraziło swoje obawy o bezpieczeństwo, a jeden z kierowców napisał wprost „nie ma gliniarzy, nie ma ciężarówek”. Inny kierowca napisał: „Dlaczego miałbym chcieć ryzykować swoim życiem jeszcze bardziej niż już to robię… policja jest potrzebna, aby nas chronić, już teraz do kierowców strzelają” – napisał zaniepokojony kierowca ciężarówki.

Ekspert w dziedzinie ciężarówek Dan Doran, który pracuje w usługach transportowych od ponad 40 lat i był przewodniczącym Stowarzyszenia Przewoźników Ciężarówek (TCA) w 2018 r., powiedział już w połowie czerwca, że firmy transportowe, które chcą bezpiecznie odebrać swój ładunek w niektórych miejscach, będą zmuszone do „wzmocnienia bezpieczeństwa”.

SUMMIT, IL – Mike Kucharski, the co-owner of JKC Trucking, joined Fox News to discuss his companies decision not to run routes in cities that defund the police. 

Kucharski said:

“Our first priority is to support our drivers and their safety when they are on the road,” 

Pointing to the high value of the cargo that his drivers have in and on their trailers, he said:

“Defunding the police is a bad idea, because when you are on the road for weeks and days at a time…with valuable cargo, everybody wants to steal this. When you are a truck driver long enough on the road, there is no safe place. Violence is everywhere. So if there are no police to rely on, who is going to protect our drivers?”

A recent survey of truck drivers showed that 79% of respondents were concerned about driving in and through cities with no legitimate police presence. 

1,283 people responded to the following questions from CDLLife.com:   LET Unity – It’s being called the “Netflix” of the Emergency Responder and Veteran CommunityPlay Video

Would you pick up and/or deliver in cities with disbanded police? 1,014 of them said no. 

Here are just a handful of the comments that drivers submitted with their survey responses: 

“…if something was to happen and you have to take matters into your own hands, and then you risk being prosecuted for protecting yourself.”

“This is not an area you need to act fearless and think you’d look like a fool for saying no…Imagine what kind of fool you look like for driving into a hot spot and putting your life in danger.”

“I will not deliver to an area with a disbanded police department. My life matters and I do this for my family. We are already at the mercy of these towns and cities with laws and hate against us for parking, getting a meal or even using a restroom.”

“Simple. We may not like it all the time, but law and order is necessary.”

“Most places we go already can be dicy [sic] and about only time you see a cop is when lights is on behind you.”

“For my own safety and security of my customers’ loads, I have already informed my dispatcher that I will refuse all loads to cities that have defunded their police departments.”

CDL Life reached out to Kucharski for a comment, and he supplied one, saying:

“Defunding the police is not the solution. We all have to work together with critical thinking and find a solution. The problem, during this time of crisis, is that the government has been behind the steering wheel. It’s time for small businesses to take over the steering wheel and make the right decisions, to sit down with the politicians. I welcome the politicians to sit down with us so we can educate them on what is best for the economy and small businesses. Last time I checked small businesses were the backbone of America.”

But, not everyone was applauding Kucharski’s decision. One Twitter user commented:

“Who gives 2 shits about JKC. More loads for the rest of us.”

That individual must have been part of the 21% of the survey that indicated they would continue driving in those cities.

But hey, the only cities that would really be affected would be New York City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Seattle and Portland, right? 

Fox pointed to an article in USA Today that itself highlights a report set to be released soon from the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). The non-partisan group said that of the 258 agencies they surveyed in July, nearly half of them reported that their budgets have either already been cut, or they expect them to be reduced soon. In some instances that decrease is substantial.  

We could argue that any decrease is substantial.

The study pointed to some of the cities mentioned above, but also included Baltimore, Tempe, and Eureka, California, to name just a few. 

And in the midst of the budget cuts, many of these cities are seeing a spike in violent crime. 

Chuck Wexler, the Executive Director of PERF, spoke with USA Today about the biggest budget cuts law enforcement agencies were dealing with since the 2008 recession.

Here is what he had to say about the situation:  

“Unfortunately, the situation this time is only certain to get worse because of the pandemic’s resurgence and the convergence of the defund police movement,” 

Wexler continued:

“It’s a combustible mixture for police departments, because reform is often achieved by hiring a next generation of officers and acquiring new technology that can assist their work. The unintended consequence of these times is that those reforms will now be held back.”

Here is a look at the spike in crime is taking place in NYC, all the while, politicians continue to scream for defunding. 

Soon-to-be released survey of 258 police departments shows almost half have had budgets cut

A trucking company owner told Fox News on Wednesday that in order to keep drivers safe, he will not direct services to cities that are pushing to defund the police.

“Our first priority is to support our drivers and their safety when they are on the road,” co-owner of JKC Trucking Mike Kucharski told “Fox & Friends First.”

Kucharski said that defunding the police is a bad idea because drivers carry valuable cargo on the road for weeks.

“Everybody wants to steal this,” Kucharski said.

PORTLAND POLICE OVERTIME PAY EXCEEDED $5.3M SINCE PROTESTS STARTED

A soon-to-be-released survey of 258 police departments nationwide shows almost half have had their budgets cut amid calls for police to be defunded despite increases in gun violence and otherwise violent crime in some parts of the country, according to USA Today.

The outlet was first to report that the Police Executive Research Forum publication, which is expected to be released in the coming days, shows cuts in the police budgets are largely being made to training and equipment.

WHAT ARE THE MAJOR POLICE UNIONS?

Protesters are pushing to “defund the police” over the death of George Floyd and other Black Americans killed by law enforcement.

Floyd died after a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, held his knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes despite Floyd’s several shouts that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd was handcuffed at the time.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APPVideo

Kucharski said that his company is also avoiding states pushing to defund the police because his insurance coverage is prone to dissolve.

“Another issue that I am seeing in the future is I have cargo insurance, liability insurance, fiscal damage insurance, and I am very curious how when I renew my contracts at the end of the year, if there is going to be language — if I am going to even have coverage going into these places,” Kucharski said.

“Right now I have coverage going all over domestically. You have to get special coverage for Canada or Mexico or you might have to buy special riders for this on top of everything.”

Fox News’  Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report.

The truckers who help Americans get through the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders by keeping store shelves stocked are on the front lines again, this time rolling into massive protests, rioting and a defund-the-police movement that they say threatens drivers’ safety.

The owner of a large trucking company in Illinois will have to halt his drivers going into Minneapolis and other big cities if police departments are defunded, saying his drivers’ safety has to be the top priority.

“It’s getting harder and harder to do business,” said Mike Kucharski, co-owner of JKC Trucking. “If they defund the police in Minneapolis, JKC trucks won’t go there.”

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Labor statistics out in December of last year revealed transportation incidents were the leading cause of workplace fatalities and truck drivers rank as one of the top 10 deadliest jobs.

Accidents contribute to deaths and injuries, but so does hijacking and crime, said Mr. Kucharski. He noted many drivers make their deliveries early in the early morning when it is still dark.

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“A lot of drivers are worried about going to places that were defunded,” he said.

Drivers also have been trying to avoid those areas, as anti-racism protests turned violent across the country and rioting persisted in cities such as Seattle and Portland.

In Portland, where sometimes violent protests have lasted for more than two months, Police Bureau spokesman Officer Derek Carmon said he wasn’t aware of any truck drivers caught in the mayhem or requesting help.

“I am unaware of truckers reaching out for assistance for anything related to safety. We welcome them to do so in order for us to address their specific concerns,” he said.

A spokesperson from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association said the group has been monitoring the protest situation across the country.

“We know that there were concerns about protest areas, but we know of no recent disruptions to the supply chain,” said Norita Taylor, the Association’s director of public relations.

Truckers have a reputation for being tough and fiercely independent. They also share camaraderie with police.

Bill Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations, said law enforcement regularly relies on truckers to find runaways and missing persons, to look out for human trafficking, and to provide tips for high-profile fugitives.

“Truckers are vital employees and trucking companies are essential service providers. The reliable and safe transportation of goods and products is crucial not only to the economic vitality of a community but also to its safety,” Mr. Johnson said. “After all, it was a trucker who first reported the location of the D.C. Snipers at a Maryland highway rest area, a report which led to their capture.”

He said trucking is already a dangerous profession.

“Removing the protection of our police from cities and communities will understandably make it more difficult or even impossible for truckers and other transport and delivery workers to perform their jobs,” Mr. Johnson said.

JKC Trucking driver Brenda Echols, who lives in Texas, said truck drivers are accustomed to delivering to dangerous neighborhoods — and then the anti-police movement erupted.

“I’m always concerned about [safety] even without defunding police,” she said, adding that she supports the Black Lives Matter message. “Being a female in a truck alone having an early morning delivery in an area where there are homeless people, there could always be that issue.”

In addition, Ms. Echols noted, truck drivers often cross state lines, limiting their ability to legally carrying a firearm. She said new laws are needed that would allow more drivers to arm themselves.

Ellen Voie, president of the industry advocacy group Women in Trucking Inc., said most of the focus during the COVID-19 crisis and racial upheaval has been for drivers to tell their employers if they feel unsafe.

“I’ve talked to some CEOs and they are cautioning their drivers if you feel unsafe to let us know and we will route you around it,” she said of the unrest in several cities, most recently Chicago and Portland, Oregon. “The carriers are trying to make sure the drivers feel safe.”

Ms. Voie also said drivers have been very diligent, sharing information about how to reroute around massive gatherings.

“It’s a very close-knit community where they really do look out for one another,” she told The Washington Times.

Safety for female drivers has always been a concern, even before COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter protests, but given today’s times, more focus is being placed on keeping drivers out of harm’s way — including various safety protocols and amenities being implemented at truck stops.

“Nobody wants our drivers to be in a situation,” Ms. Voie said. “It’s just how a company’s culture is in regard to giving the driver control over their own safety.”