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

DATE: TUESDAY, June 1, 1993                   TAG: 9306010233
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

POLICE DO THANKLESS JOB IN A VIOLENT WORLD

When someone fights police officers trying to arrest them, they don't worry about laws, rules, etc. They just fight like animals trying to injure or kill the officers.

Violent altercations are wild situations with incredible amounts of adrenaline flowing in all participants. Unless you have been in this kind of situation, you can't understand how difficult it must be for the officers to follow rules and procedures for using force.

People who fight back need to realize that officers are not expected to lose, and they are not paid to lose. Society doesn't expect them to lose because officers are the only thing between law-abiding citizens and thugs who use violence to get their way.

Law-enforcement officers do a thankless job in a more violent world. People need to respect authority and our police. No person should hurt another with physical violence, but it happens every day. Without police, we could all become victims.

If Lee had respect for the law, he would be alive today. The blame for his death lays not on the officers, but on his shoulders. CHRISTOPHER RAGONE CLOVERDALE