In his Dec. 21 letter (“Fatal crash: Blame reckless driver, not trooper”), Alan Gingras extolled the blame be put on the driver for making bad choices and decisions, i.e., steal a car, speed, attempt to evade arrest, and whatever else was occurring, not the trooper or officers pursuing. I agree but feel there is at least one other entity involved that must partake of the “blame”. That is the politicians, weak and timid managers, and supporters of “No Pursuit Policy” law enforcement.
At the head of this culpability list is the media hype on law enforcement pursuits that instills the thought in those choosing to make bad decisions that “If I run, they will not chase”! Being retired from law enforcement, I am well aware that there are instances where pursuits are better terminated than continued for safety matters. Each officer is trained and capable of making that decision. But, did the street racers who killed innocent victims, have a “trooper on their tail’ to blame? Let’s reassess the cause of these tragedies. People do bad things and don’t think they will be held to answer or be responsible for their acts. We see this all the way down to our students in schools who at age twelve, bring a weapon to school. We immediately look for someone else to put at least part of the blame on. When we consistently apply discipline and responsibility on those directly responsible, we will finally start to see a turn around in behavior, performance, and self esteem.
Camano Island
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