Letters to the Editor of the Pahrump Valley Times

Key to good policing is rigidly enforced standards

As Thomas Knapp pointed out in his commentary in the PV Times June 10th issue, earlier in America’s history citizens were expected to be far more self- reliant— and self-protective. They had little choice. But that era is far removed from today’s complex and hugely diverse society.

I do agree with Mr. Knapp on the matter of police immunity. It can be problematic. Statutory law and court opinions are often weighted against those individuals who are

viewed as suspect, and guilty of obstructing or in some way interfering with officers in the performance of their official duties. Instruction in tactics should include more than when and to what extent use of force, especially lethal force, is appropriate.

The best law enforcement officers I’ve ever known were people-oriented. To them their firearm was a tool of last resort. Communicating skillfully and exercising their authority with discretion earned them respect and cooperation.

The dynamics of public relations and the authority bestowed upon police officers is nothing less than challenging. As it should be.

For society to remain as safe and orderly as possible it is necessary that our modern day Centurions be fully effective, but always within the bounds of the highest professional standards.

Definitive evaluation is the initial step for those who apply to become law enforcement officers. It is doubtful however, that every state and every city in the nation screens its candidates by applying a nationally standardized system. Probing an applicant’s personality and history in depth isn’t merely useful, it is essential to reveal as much as possible about their personality and individual history. There are effective methods to accomplish this.

We’ve heard of cases where a police officer fired for misconduct from a department in a given state, has been hired by a department in another state. This cannot be allowed. Even if the fairness of a dismissal might be in question, some incident precipitated the action taken. And to put it bluntly, better safe than sorry.

We must have confidence in the men and women who are sworn to protect and serve the public. The term “peace officer” should mean the same for everyone, regardless of ethnicity, financial standing, or the neighborhood in which one resides. I’m not willing to give up on that ideal. We can do better. There is no acceptable alternative.

Ralph Bazan

Resident responds to letter’s Trump-hating rhetoric

After reading the letter to the editor by Mr. Jim Ferrell in your publication dated Friday, June 6, I must respond to his Trump-hating CNN-driven rhetoric. I can only assume that he never served in the military or has forgotten some basic tenants of the chain of command. You may not respect the man but you always respect his rank and in case you have forgotten Donald Trump is the COMMANDER IN CHIEF of the armed forces and that includes the Joint Chiefs! And furthermore, Gen. Maddis by coming out against our president not only breached the chain of command and all military protocol, he should be brought up on charges of treason!

And as for the Constitution, sir, maybe you should read it before you accuse others of not reading it. You could start with ARTICLE IV Section 4 and I quote, “The U.S. Government shall guarantee to every state in this Union a Republican Form of Government and shall protect each of them against INVASION and DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.”

And how can you sit there on your computer banging away while Minneapolis and all the other great cities burn and call that a peaceful demonstration? Peaceful demonstrations end when RIOT begins! Are you that addicted to CNN?

And as far as your closing salvo Mr. Ferrell, I will not address that insult but would like to ask you how you think that attacking and insulting those of us that are Trump supporters is going to help this country heal and get through this attempted communist takeover. I can only close with this paraphrase from Ben Franklin when he warned this new republic “to beware of the pitfalls of political parties.” And I would add that political parties are responsible for bringing out the tribalist and cult-like thinking of the population and they can become a bulwark to critical thinking.

And know this, Donald Trump is now literally being blamed for everything even though he has only been in office for three years. And the ones doing the blaming have been in government most of their working lives: Nancy Pelosi, 40-plus years, Maxine Waters, 40-plus years, Diane Feinstein, 50 years, Joe Biden, 40-plus years. What have they done in their careers to stop, “institutional racism”?

Sincerely,

Mike McGrath

Is Joe Biden quietly supporting defunding cause?

As Democrats jump on the ‘Defund the Police’ bandwagon, Joe Biden’s silence is deafening, showing that he is compliant with whatever the fringe of his party decides to do.

While President Trump is taking strong actions on the rioters and looters throughout the country during these unprecedented times, Joe Biden is attending fundraisers with Hollywood elites in support of the “Defund the Police” cause.

John Legend and Barbara Streisand have been incredibly vocal in their opposition to law and order while Joe Biden remains silent and accepts money from the very individuals calling for this outright.

Respectfully submitted,

David Hiebert