A lot of people talk the talk, Beau Phillips is walking the walk.
Phillips left the Gulf Coast in Gulfport Monday walking north on Hwy. 49.
His walk won’t end until he has covered nearly 450 miles and reaches South Haven near the Tennessee line.
The Mississippi Walk for Law Enforcement is Phillips’ brainchild, a twofold mission to raise awareness about the low rate of pay for police officers in Mississippi and raise funds for officers and their families hit with unaffordable expenses due to injury or property loss.
A district manager for Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas for Glock Firearms, Phillips has served in the Marines, as a police officer in Tupelo and in the National Guard. He served a tour in Iraq with the 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas.
In the course of his duties for Glock, Phillips encountered a police officer who was obviously struggling to make ends meet.
He tells the story quite eloquently.
“About a year-and-a-half ago, I was driving through one of the poorer counties in our state and stopped to put some gas in the Glock car and met a deputy,” he said. “When you meet someone, you know, you check them out, you look at them.
“He had a superbly clean and pressed uniform, but it was very old and threadbare. The holster he was carrying was in poor shape. After a few minutes you make friends, you build a rapport and I said to him, ‘You can tell me to go bump a stump if you want to, but can I ask you how much money you make?’ It was about $25,000 a year.
“I said, ‘You’re like all the other officers,’ and he said, ‘Yep, I work extra jobs, cut grass and do a little carpentry work to make ends meet.’
“That really sowed the seed for me, what could I do to get a voice to get our leaders in the state to wake up just a little bit to the plight of law enforcement officers.”
Phillips said he has a number of suggestions as to how police officers could be better compensated for their efforts on behalf of society.
“We don’t have to break the bank any more than it’s already broke,” he said. “I have three ideas I think could help out.”
One is to secure one percent of the tax on alcohol sales and earmark that money for law enforcement salaries only.
Another is to place a tax on tobacco sales for the sole purpose of funding law enforcement.
The third is to place a surcharge or tax on gaming operations.
We allowed the casinos to come into Mississippi, let them help out,” Phillips said. “If law enforcement isn’t working, how long are the casinos going to stay open?”
Stone County Sheriff Mike Farmer met Phillips as he crossed into Stone County and offered any help his department could provide.
“Anytime someone is trying to assist law enforcement officers and help them during bad times, that’s great thing,” Farmer said. “We’ll provide any assistance he may need as he passes through Stone County.”
Phillips is pulling a cart with gear for his walk as well as 7,000 pennies, one for each commissioned law enforcement officer in the state.
He intends to cover about 20 miles a day until his hike is over.
Those wishing to provide assistance, whether financially or morally, can visit Phillips’ web site, www.mississippiwalk4le.com and find a variety of ways to help out.
“I know times are hard, the economy’s bad and I’m not saying everyone out here’s not having hard times regardless of the profession you’re in, but this is the one I love the most,” Phillips said. “I applaud all the agencies that have stepped up and are paying their officers more than the county next to them, that’s great, God bless them.
“We need some kind of stipend program so we can match the poorer counties with those that are doing better economically.”
Phillips passes out a card for his walk which quotes scripture.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight . . .” is from 2 Corinthians 5:7 and “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God . . .” is from Romans 10:17.
Phillips wants everyday citizens involved in raising awareness about the work law enforcement officers do and in encouraging lawmakers to increase financial support of those officers.
“Call your state representative, go to his house, see them at church and when you shake their hand, squeeze onto it and don’t let go until they make you a solemn promise that they will at least bring it up on the floor of the house,” he said. “That’s what it’s going to take.”
