In the wake of the tragic incident involving the shooting of an Iraq war veteran by an off-duty Baltimore City Police officer outside of a nightclub, there are calls to review policies of the police department regarding off-duty officers and their weapons ("Fatal shooting by Baltimore police officer raises questions about off-duty weapons," June 8).

I believe it is time to re-evaluate the policy of off-duty police officers carrying their service weapons. Currently, Baltimore City Police Officers are required to carry their service weapons at all times they are within city limits. But I actually would like to take law enforcement reform in Baltimore a step further; I believe it's time to end the concept of police officers being on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The tradition of law enforcement officers always being on duty stretches back to the 1700s, perhaps even the 1600s, in Eastern Europe. However, as with all things, times change and the way we address issues change. Police officers have to deal with a more brazen criminal element, a culture that almost glamorizes crime and violence, and a war on drugs that has been ill-conceived and very costly in terms of lives and money.

Police officers are human beings. Just like the rest of us who expect two days off for every five days/40 hours that we work, police officers need the same off time to rest and recuperate mentally, emotionally and physically. Given the dangers of the job, it is unrealistic to expect the person to work 24 hours a day/seven days a week for 20 years without the stress and other aspects of the job taking a serious toll, resulting in things we such as police brutality or even worse, such as an overreaction with the use of deadly force.

Now that Baltimore City is asking to stretch the service time to retirement out to 25 years, this is a perfect opportunity to start some comprehensive local law enforcement reform. I propose we begin with four steps to such reform:1. Increase salaries for police officers in order to draw a larger and more diverse pool of applicants. 2. Put police officers on the typical work schedule of 40 hours a week. Grant/request overtime when called for and necessary. 3. Prohibit the carrying of service weapons during officers' off time in order to encourage them to relax and not worry about their jobs. 4. Mandate annual emotional, mental and physical checkups, and offer services in each area as requested by a member of the force.

Chris Blake, Baltimore