OFFENSIVE CARTOON

I am writing to say how offensive and inaccurate I found the cartoon
in (Sunday's) paper that depicted our Police Department aggressively
raiding the Cannabis Ministry while seeming to neglect the problem of
gang violence in downtown Hilo.

First of all, Roger Christie himself said that the police treated him
with "utmost respect" in his own words. That makes the cartoon
inaccurate and a total misrepresentation of the way the raid was
actually carried out.

Secondly, the cartoon suggests that the police are paying attention to
the marijuana issue at the expense of something more important and
serious, which is the issue of violence in downtown. I find that
offensive and insulting to our Police Department.

As a volunteer chaplain, I have had access to and an up-close view of
not only the workings of the department, but to the officers that are
sworn to protect our community. I can tell you from my experience that
our Police Department, from the top down, are fully committed to their
sworn duties. They are also feeling the stress of budget cutbacks that
we are all experiencing while working hard to ensure that the safety
of our community is not compromised.

I understand that political cartoons are to exaggerate a truth to
bring emphasis to a point. But this one didn't exaggerate a truth, it
was a misrepresentation of the truth. Our department needs support and
not criticism as they seek to provide a much-needed service of
ensuring the safety our community.

Renee D. Godoy

Chaplain, Hawaii Police Department