vision2020@moscow.com: Last Night
Last Night
Greg Meyer (klewprod@valley-internet.net)
Wed, 25 Jun 1997 20:06:15 -0600
>Date: Wed, 25 Jun 1997 19:00:10
>To: Vision2020
>From: Greg Meyer <klewprod@valley-internet.net>
>Subject: Last Night
>
>First of all let me say that I have a great deal of respect for the law
enforcement profession. I believe police officers have an incredibly
difficult job and are not compensated nearly well enough for the stress,
pressure and responsibility that goes along with wearing a badge.
>
>By the same token some might argue that, along with receiving more
compensation, officers should be screened very carefully and their
performance reviewed with equal scrutiny. Again, I have no direct knowledge
of that process, so I am going to assume that very careful screening and
in-depth, regular reviews are a matter of fact. After all, these men and
women are the only ones in our society who carry lethal weapons on a regular
basis and are called upon to make difficult decisions concerning the use of
force when responding to various situations.
>
>Officers who are truly committed to that old adage of "protecting and
serving" and carry out their duties with a smile on their face and a helpful
attitude in their hearts are appreciated by all of us. Those who don't are,
regretfully, often feared and considered a threat rather than a source of
aid and comfort.
>
>Like any other profession, there are going to be good officers and those
who come up a little short of "good".
>
>On the other hand, policy is something set by the administrators, the
people who run the department.
>
>Consider a situation my wife and I experienced last night around 10:15pm.
We were celebrating our anniversary by enjoying some ice cream downtown.
Afterwards we started our walk home. We were approaching the crosswalk at
Friendship Square when we observed a young couple entering the crosswalk
headed east. At the same time a Latah Sheriff's cruiser (big car-Crown
Victoria?) was approaching the crosswalk from the south at what we thought
was a higher-than-safe speed. My wife heard the young man say to the woman
to "be careful", that he "didn't know whether they (the deputies) were going
to stop or not". At that point the Sheriff's car braked rapidly and stopped
just short of or slightly into the crosswalk. As the young couple crossed
the young man appeared to say something else, either to the woman (who was
his fiancee) or the officers. At that time I heard one of the officers yell
out to the couple. The couple was called over to the deputies' car (which
was stopped in the east lane of Main Street) and a "conversation" ensued.
My wife and I stopped by the fountain and watched as the couple was
questioned for several minutes.
>
>Finally the couple was allowed to be on their way and the cruiser drove
off. I asked the young couple what had happened. They were both upset by,
first of all, the fact that the deputies' vehicle had approached the
crosswalk so fast and barely stopped in time to let them safely cross. The
man told me that he was only speaking to his fiancee after the cruiser had
come to a stop, but that one of the officers called them over to the car and
started asking if they (the young couple) had been directing some comments
toward the officers. The young man and woman told the deputies they were
only speaking to each other about what they considered a "close call". They
were both obviously upset at being stopped for simply talking as they tried
to get across a crosswalk.
>
>I believe this is an example of inappropriate action taken by law
enforcement officers, and I believe it is an example of how a change in or
more careful monitoring of department policy could eliminate this kind of
intimidation.
>
>If anything the officers involved should have apologized to the couple for
approaching the crosswalk at that rate of speed. Instead this couple was
detained and harassed. Does anyone else have a problem with this?
>
>I intend to speak with Sheriff Jeff Crouch about the incident. I doubt
that Sheriff Crouch wants his deputies working this way.
>
>And, no Bill, I for one am not afraid of a "negative" label (druggie,
boozer, communist, tax and spend liberal, tree-hugger) being attached to my
name. God help us all if our willingness to speak out on tough,
controversial issues is held hostage by the fear of law enforcement or
anyone else suspecting us of not being a "good citizen". In fact, I feel
strongly that the way to truly be a good citizen is to exercise the fragile
rights and freedoms that we still cling to, speak our minds...and shed light
where there might be darkness.
>
>
>Greg Meyer
>Moscow
>
This archive courtesy of:
First Step Internet