GETS PROBATION

To the editor:

Question: How can anyone accused of stealing cocaine from a police evidence
vault go through the maze that is our legal system and emerge with a walk
and a probation ("Tough on crime message becomes joke in North Las Vegas,"
Oct. 30 John L. Smith column)?

How many others living in the Las Vegas Valley could do this? Perhaps we
could estimate the number by looking at the apparent criteria.

It seems that first one must have a spouse who is a police lieutenant. (I
assume lieutenant or above would qualify.) Second, it seems one should have
a sibling previously put on probation for drug possession by Judge Donald
Mosley. (A guideline, I guess.) Third, it seems that one should only be
prosecuted by a crime-tolerant D.A. (Perhaps that will change with the
upcoming election.) Fourth, it seems that one must have a cagy defense
attorney capable of convincing the "powers that be" that it was all only a
mistake. (They seem to be everywhere.)

Based on those criteria, I estimate the number of others who could
accomplish this at zero. But just in case there is someone who could
qualify, I wouldn't recommend that they raid a police evidence vault. There
may other required criteria that were not published in the paper.

G. CHRISTENSEN

LAS VEGAS