What's with all the hate in the Police Chief article?

Have you looked at the comment section of the Trib's story about hiring a national firm to recruit top prospects for Police Chief? There is a lot of animosity out there for an action which is actually pretty smart to make sure that Mesa gets the best, most qualified candidate out there.

One of the most troubling parts is how much religion and racism are being played up as part of the discussion. Mormon-bashing is nothing new, but it usually has a disasterous result. Linking ethnicity to Mesa's crime problems is also a shallow and thoughtless maneuver.

Why don't we stick to the issue at hand? If your outrage is over the taxpayer cost of the search, where were you during the Fiesta District debacle? If you think Mesa is against latinos, where were you to defend Gascon when he was being crtiticized for his unauthorized trip?

Gascon started this city in the right direction, and it is up to our city leaders to find the best person to replace him and continue helping Mesa down the right path. Crime is down, we need to find the right person to make sure it stays that way. Having a professional search is part of what it takes for Mesa to grow up and start acting like a big city. Now, if only the commenters could do the same.