CHIEF BROCK RESPONDS TO HOLY SMOKE RULING

To the Editor:

In my eleven year tenure as Chief Constable of the Nelson City Police
Department I have not deemed it appropriate or potentially beneficial
to participate in media rhetoric. However, considering the nature of
the comments concerning the Holy Smoke investigation, alleging
significant flaws in both officer's character and the department in
more general terms, I feel it would be inappropriate to sit mute.

I would like to begin by acknowledging that whether your profession be
that of Judge, police officer, housewife, lawyer, or mechanic our
constitution allows you not only the opportunity to form your own
opinions, but to express them publicly if you so choose. Many of our
decisions in life are based on our personal opinion based on a
specific incident. I believe such is the case on this occasion.
Individuals have formed opinions and aired them publicly. One must
concede that some opinions warrant public disclosure in that the
community is entitled to an explanation when a high profile decision
is rendered. However, history has shown us that even the opinions of
some of the world's most prominent individuals have proven to be flawed.

Police officers are routinely required to make split second decisions.
They are also often required, by the very nature of the
investigation, to make decisions given a very short time frame. That
was the case in this investigation. Do they make mistakes on
occasion? Yes. What is of interest is that most often those that
review the officers' actions take days, weeks, even months to
analytically dissect these officers' decisions. Most importantly,
even if the officers were in error, and I most certainly don't concur
they were, in my opinion they were acting in good faith to uphold
their commitment to serve and protect the citizens of this community.

When reference is made to investigations (plural) being done with more
professionalism based on one investigation (singular), I suggest the
comment has little merit. Further, when a comment concerning
improvements around the police station is made, once again I suggest
we are subject to one person's opinion based on what, I have no idea,
other than one investigation.

In summary, let me thank the many citizens who have expresed their
support for the officers concerned and the department in general, and
their consternation with many of the comments. You come from all
walks of life including legal professionals very familiar with the
officers involved.

Ron Brock
Chief Constable
Nelson City Police Department