STROCK'S TAKE ON SCH'DY COPS IS DEAD-ON

In response to Norman Perazzo's letter of Aug. 21: I also do not always
agree with Carl Strock, but on the dealings of the Schenectady Police
Department he is right on the money. Carl did an excellent job covering
some of the testimony that would have surfaced had former Schenectady
Patrolman Michael Siler not copped a plea the day his trial began. Mr.
Perazzo's explanation of the egg-throwing incident and the Glen Sanders
bachelor party as being innocuous deserves rebuttal. The forced sex acts on
a female substance abuser in exchange for crack cocaine borders on rape and
clearly shows an abuse of power, as does the bachelor party bus laden with
police officers throwing eggs at cars. These are illegal acts perpetrated
by people who are sworn to uphold the law.

The writer explained Strock's observation of police officers gathered on
the courthouse steps with their arms folded across their chests in a
menacing manner as simply being a show of unity. Since when does a show of
unity include harassing an innocent man wearing an FBI hat or intimidating
a young female newspaper reporter?

To excuse the trading of drugs for information leading to "bigger" busts as
over-zealous corner-cutting and poor judgment for the sake of expedience,
is convoluted at best. Condoning these actions perpetrates police officers
creating their own crime wave for personal gain, i.e. overtime pay,
decorations, promotions, sexual favors, etc. In this respect the end never
justifies the means, and in fact creates the subculture that exists in the
Schenectady Police Department.

I do agree with Strock that there is a rotten culture stigmatizing the
Schenectady Police Department. We, as a society, cannot condone such a
culture because the question will always be: Who is policing the police?

VINCE RIGGI Schenectady