
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 31, 1993                   TAG: 9303310331
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

THE TOOLS OF THE CRIMINAL TRADE

CAPT. Charlie Compton of the Virginia State Police in Salem is concerned that if ITT night-vision goggles are made available to the general public, criminals will use them to their own advantage, as they do scanners (March 11 story, "ITT looks to civilians for goggle sales; police look askance"). I assume the captain is concerned about all the other things the criminal can use to advantage. The bandana handkerchief has been replaced by the ski mask, even Hollywood makeup. I understand the sheriff and his posse had to give up their horses and get cars when the criminals did. Maybe the police could require automakers to build all vehicles to go slower than police cars.

Virginia is the only state in which radar detectors are illegal. Why? Radar detectors are of little or no benefit to drivers. Are the police going to make civilian-band radios illegal? They know CBs are used to warn of police presence. CB walkie-talkies have been used in robberies. I understand drug dealers use cellular phones, pagers and pay phones to make drug deals. What can we do about that? Airplanes and ships deliver tons of drugs. We could go on and on.

Oh, by the way, police radar wasn't outlawed when it once clocked an apartment building at 70 mph and a tree at 81 mph.

Why are police trying to take scanners out of the hands of honest citizens who enjoy them as they do television or any other radio?

Night-vision devices have been in the hands of civilians for many years, and law-enforcement officers aren't the only ones with bullet-proof vests either. HAROLD BOWMAN SALEM

by CNB