DEFEND CONSTITUTION, NOT BAD SCHENECTADY COPS

I am writing to you in response to the letter by Wendy Swezey, which
appeared Aug. 21. I found Ms. Swezey's letter disturbing for a number of
reasons.

First and foremost, her assertion that officers Richard Barnett and Michael
Siler are "super cops" is totally incorrect. They are nothing less than a
disgrace to the honest cops who risk their lives every day. Second, her
statement that "the worst thing they did was drop off a drug dealer in
Glenville with no shoes" is also false.

In fact, the narcotics, which they supposedly confiscated, were found in
their lockers. Presumably, they intended to distribute or resell these
drugs. In that case, what makes them any different than the criminals they
arrested? I don't claim to know whether or not they harassed a "hard
working kid," but I would not put it past them.

Ms. Swezey refers numerous times to civil rights, and asks why the drug
dealer in question should have any. The simple answer is that we all have
civil rights, even dope dealers. Let's reverse the scenario at hand. What
if the Galway cop stripped her of her shoes, and dumped her in Hamilton
Hill? Would she consider civil rights "baloney" then?

The part of her letter I was disturbed the most by was the reference to
bringing drug dealers to Galway, and assuring us that they will not be seen
again. When last I checked, we did still live in the United States of
America. This is not the old Soviet Union, or Red China. We do not make
suspected enemies of the state disappear. Ms. Swezey ought to reread the
Constitution, and pay particular attention to the Sixth Amendment. In case
she forgot, that is what guarantees all citizens a fair trial before a jury
of their peers.

In conclusion, I do support the honest members of the Schenectady police. I
also do care whether our youth grow up addicted to drugs. I do not support
drug dealing on the streets of Schenectady, or any other city. I do,
however, expect my city's police officers to obey the same laws they
enforce against its citizens.

PATRICK M. CREEDEN
Schenectady