To the Editor, There is something that needs to be talked about more in communities like ours, and that is the lack of real oversight on those in positions of authority.
When there is little to no oversight, it creates an environment where some public officials begin to feel like they have free rein to do as they please. Whether it is intentional or not, that kind of unchecked authority opens the door for personal judgment, personal agendas, and misuse of power.
Public servants are just that—servants of the people. Authority does not mean control over someone’s life. It does not mean you stand above the citizens you serve. It means you are trusted to follow the law, uphold your oath, and act in a way that protects the public, not overpowers it.
There should be systems in place that routinely review and audit agencies for misconduct. There should be real accountability, not just on paper, but in practice. If a system has the power to arrest someone, take them to jail, and put charges against them, then that system should be held to the highest level of scrutiny.
Right now, it feels like the opposite can be true. It can feel like one person is forced to stand alone against an entire system—law enforcement, prosecution, and the court—trying to prove their innocence step by step. That is not how it was meant to be.
Judges are supposed to be neutral. Prosecutors are supposed to seek justice. Law enforcement is supposed to protect and serve. When those roles begin to overlap or lean too far in one direction, the balance is lost.
What happens when someone in power gets it wrong? Or worse, doesn’t care to get it right? Without proper oversight, there is very little to stop it.
This is not about attacking the system. It is about strengthening it. Because without accountability, trust disappears. And once people lose trust in the system that is supposed to protect them, it affects the entire community.
Our legislators should be paying attention to this. Oversight, transparency, and accountability are not optional—
they are necessary to keep a free system functioning the way it was intended.
Respectfully, Jeremy Austin Eureka, Kansas
