BLESS JUDGE HIMEL

God bless Judge Ronald Himel for allowing high school students to
cross-examine a drug cop from the jury box in his courtroom during their
field trip to the Halls of Justice [''Himel may have crossed line,'' news
story, April 18]. Although the practice deviated from protocol, it made a
mockery (or model) of drug-war proceedings for the public to judge.

Himel acquitted the drug defendant. Hopefully, the evidence supported his
decision, because judges are duty bound to follow the law, no matter how
awful or harmful. Regardless, as a taxpayer, thank goodness for the
acquittal. We'll now need one less of Sheriff Mike Sheahan's drug-war pup
tent on the grounds of the Cook County Jail.

How dare the sheriff mention more jail construction. The taxpayer suffered
from the doubling of the bonded indebtedness of Cook County when the
capacity of the jail expanded from 9,000 to 10,000. The county board should
invest in one drug-war pup tent, and reserve it for the sheriff.

James E. Gierach, Oak Lawn