Re: Deputy Tim...

[curley@CYPHER.TURBONET.COM]

Mr. O'Daniel:

Well, as you have seen, there are a number of folks who (a) wondered 
about your motivation in identifying yourself as " law student" and 
(b) jumped to defend Deputy Tim.  I will assume that you appended 
"law student" just as others identify their work (sometimes with a 
little advertising slogan at the bottom), and not because you thought 
the appellation would cloak you with a superior knowledge of law 
enforcement officer (LEO) technique and procedure.  And, I guess I 
read your comment about Deputy Tim NOT as a complaint that you 
weren't able to get to the scene of the accident to be in the way and 
view the terrible losses that were sustained, but as a complaint 
about the way Deputy Tim treated innocent bystanders (when he 
presumably didn't know that he should be treating you badly because 
you are a law student).  I will assume that you had no intention of 
being in the way--that in fact, since you were a mile or more back of 
the scene, you may not have had any idea why cars were stopped or how 
long you were likely to be there--and that maybe an anticipated  long 
delay would have prompted you to consider turning around and taking 
an alternate route into the city if that was possible.  
It has not been my experience around Moscow that law enforcement 
officers are surly or rude, but that they largely mirror the attitude 
of the majority of the community--to the extent they can consistent 
with the work they do.  I have known some students (and other 
younger adults) to complain about their treatment by some officers, 
and I think that is unfortunate to the extent it occurs (regardless, 
of course, of the age of the "recipient") when it is unnecessary for 
the situation.  In a job that can require an officer to put her or 
his life on the line, it may be a lot to ask that when others have 
more closely approached an accident scene (you didn't mention how 
close you really were) that the officer you encounter say something 
like:  "there is a serious accident up there, and I'm going to have 
to ask you to stay back beyond ____" , but I hope and believe that 
most Moscow/Latah County officers would do so.  I don't know Deputy 
Tim, and I don't know what he had encountered that day before you.  
Maybe a bunch of unruly, disrespectful "rubbernecks" as someone else 
called them.  Maybe he had been pushed around by a superior, who 
knows?  Maybe his response to you was untypical for him.  We can 
recognize that some officers enjoy asserting their authority in 
excess of what is needed for the situation and hope that Deputy Tim 
isn't one of them.  Courtesy may not be a job requirement, but it 
sure helps keep the citizens more respectful of an officer's 
authority and the pronouncements that are a  necessary  part of  
fulfilling the duties of the position.
Thanks for mentioning the incident.  Just because heroic efforts were 
being made by law officers, medical personnel, and other emergency 
personnel who responded to the tragic scene, doesn't mean everyone 
on the periphery behaved as well as we would hope.  I think most of 
us stuck in a line of cars without knowing why would like some 
information when it could reasonably be made available to us.  And, 
if I'm standing in the wrong spot, a simple "would you please move 
over there" would probably suffice.
There just isn't much excuse for the littering, is there?  I wouldn't 
excuse one of my children for it just because I happened to be around 
to pick up their trash--even if I were defending them from a law 
student pointing out the error of their ways.
Good luck in your legal career.  I hope you are as sensitive to the 
needs of your clients as you would like Deputy Tim to have been to 
you.  
And, a word of advice--I wouldn't be speeding, littering, or 
committing any other infractions in front of Deputy Tim if I were 
you--in fact, I don't think I would do that if I were me.


Mike Curley
reply to: curley@turbonet.com
208-882-3536