NOTHING TO FEAR

Police officer Michael DeLay tells News Journal
readers that criticism of police shootings is too often knee-jerk and
unwarranted. He cites an example wherein he came close to harm when an
apparently innocent bystander assaulted him during a traffic stop. The
inference is that such encounters give police similar justification
for violence against unarmed citizens.

What he ignores is that criticism from the ACLU and others against
police is not unwarranted if we also consider the many stories where
cops assault or kill unarmed citizens. In the past decade police from
Los Angeles to New York City and many points in between have killed
citizens in drug raids to wrong addresses; on simple marijuana busts;
and in the worst cases, direct murder with a dropped weapon provided
by self-same police. Refer to www.hr95.org/Memorial.html for just a
partial summary of citizens killed by police.

As long as police nationwide in towns as (relatively) small as
Pensacola continue to arm their officers with SWAT gear, automatic
rifles and other military hardware citizens would be foolish to not
thoroughly investigate every violent encounter between police and
civilians. If the police actions are warranted, officers have nothing
to fear from such scrutiny.

STEPHEN HEATH

Public Relations Director

Drug Policy Forum of Florida

Clearwater