It's National Police Week and local authorities are taking the opportunity to highlight the work of law enforcement and the positive impacts they have on their communities.

DeWitt County Sheriff Mike Walker on the WHOW Morning Show Monday told Regional Radio News law enforcement is a great opportunity to serve the community they work for and it is a noble profession.

The shift in how law enforcement is treated and regarded has resulted in officers fleeing the profession leaving agencies everywhere struggling to staff departments.

According to Sheriff Walker, the shift in the views of law enforcement in the last several years has been as rapid of a change as he's ever seen in his 35-plus year career. He believes a lot of the changes are due to 'knee-jerk reactions by the public based on very incomplete information.

Yesterday on Regional Radio, we heard from Clinton Police Chief Ben Lowers that there has been a general increase in hostility towards authority and law enforcement. While the Sheriff agrees with that, contrary to what the Chief has seen, the Sheriff has not seen much of an increase in the number of complaints his department receives regarding stops made by his staff.