In this whole 911 Center funding debacle, it strikes us as peculiar that no one on the county level is willing to place blame where blame belongs.

It also strikes us as odd that when two former officers summon the courage to speak up they automatically become the villains in this matter.

Talk to as many law enforcement officers as you are able, even off-the-record as we have done, you will find the blame clearly falls in the lap of Scotland Neck and its police department.

We struggled mightily to summon up the courage ourselves to speak with town police Chief Joe Williams on the matter this week because we have always had the utmost respect for him.

We also respect the two officers who spoke to us for the record this week and believe their past misgivings have been absolved either through the court system or administrative actions of the state Highway Patrol. Simply put, we trust our sources and stand by the story we published Wednesday saying the Scotland Neck Police Department clearly and routinely circumvented the 911 Center to save money.

Now comes the part that is obvious after attending the 911 board meeting in Halifax Wednesday evening: All who agreed to participate in funding the operations of the center should pay and should use the 911 center as if their life depended on it because it does.

We cringe at the thought of what might happen on the most innocent of traffic stops should an officer not check in with the 911 Center. Around the state, nation and here locally, traffic stops can go bad in an instant, leaving an officer lying on the side of the road fighting for his or her life.

This issue is not about saving money; it is about saving a life.

We commend the Roanoke Rapids delegation Wednesday night for speaking their minds on the matter, coming closest to indicting Scotland Neck for not paying their fair share to a system that, while it may have its flaws, is designed to protect citizens and those who look out for the well-being of citizens.

Roanoke Rapids should not have to pay $100,000 more because it is fully invested in the system and uses it without fail. Those that don’t use the system are not only causing an unnecessary burden on the towns that do, they are putting the lives of their emergency responders in danger.

As the 911 board meets again next week to consider the best funding option, we believe that funding option has to incorporate a minimum fee where a town is charged whether they use the system or choose to risk the lives of those sworn to protect and serve by not using it.

We believe the county has to quit walking on eggshells and cast the blame where blame is due and tell Scotland Neck that it must pay its fair share, quit circumventing the system and not saddle the municipalities that do use the system with an unfair fee increase. It is, to us, a matter of life or death — Editor