ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 1, 1996 TAG: 9605010036
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
Blame those who break laws
THE RECENT tragic death of an innocent family should outrage the community, but not for the reasons some are putting forth.
I'm angry because the police are being condemned for doing their job. What if a hostage had been in the car that sped away and the police had not pursued? Then, they would have been condemned for letting a kidnapper escape. This ignorant knee-jerk reaction to blame the police has got to stop. They're on our side! Let's vocalize our support for the courageous job they're doing for us.
I'm angry, too, because misguided family members, in this and other cases, want to blame everybody but the one who actually committed the crime. The stupidest statement to date is that police made a ``murderer'' out of the driver of the car. He did that himself when he pushed on the accelerator and recklessly sped off. Maybe we need a law that makes a parent who coddles illegal behavior of a child an accessory to the crime the child commits.
I'm angry because the word ``responsibility'' is so often absent from contemporary vocabulary. We must accept responsibility for our own problems and insist that others do the same - no excuses. Until parents, the criminal-justice system and society start to place the blame for crime where it really lies - on the person's shoulders who committed the crime - we'll continue to have families all across the country whose heavenly Sunday afternoon outings turn into hellish tragedies.
MARK BONDS
MONTVALE
All acted irresponsibly
I AM appalled that this high-speed chase took place for so long. Other options should have been looked at by the police in this situation. Is chasing a criminal, who isn't even endangering society at the time, worth getting an entire family killed? I blame the police officers as much as I do Scott Allman. And I hope that some changes in policy will be made regarding high-speed chases so that lives of everyone on the road will be saved, including the officers.
I hope that everyone learns from these incidents and thinks about that family who died so senselessly. I hope that police officers and criminals who drive so carelessly will think of this when they act so irresponsibly. It could be you or your family.
SUSAN CAIN
ROANOKE
Stiffen penalties for fleeing
WE HIRE and train the police and expect them to do their job. Part of that job is to apprehend violators of the law.
Sometimes apprehensions involve vehicle pursuits. An officer is placed in a Catch-22 situation anytime he's involved in a pursuit. Say an officer attempts to stop an individual for a routine traffic violation, and the subject flees. The officer elects not to pursue, only to find out later the subject had just committed a violent crime. The officer will probably be criticized by the victim's family for not apprehending the subject.
The other side of the coin is a situation we witnessed recently. The officer attempts to pursue the subject, then elects to terminate the pursuit. Does this mean the violator will slow down? As we saw in the case of Scott Allman, that's probably not going to happen. The suspect continues and causes an accident.
The victims' families will probably criticize the officer for not continuing the pursuit, using lights or sirens to warn approaching motorists of the fleeing vehicle. Of course, the victims will file suit, seeking compensation for their losses. A greedy lawyer likely will convince the family not to sue the individual responsible, but to sue the police because the city/county have deep pockets. Citizens' groups and the media will then call for more restrictions on the police concerning pursuits, thus further handcuffing police from doing their jobs.
I know it's a novel idea in this country, but why don't we penalize those responsible for these tragedies - the individuals who violate the law? Make failing to stop for police a felony with mandatory jail time that cannot be reduced by lenient judges. Also, pass legislation barring a civil suit against the officer and department, provided the officer followed state law and department policy. It's time we make people responsible for their own actions instead of trying to penalize police officers doing their duties.
WAYNE RAWLS
SALEM
Parent's claim is ludicrous
I NOTICED that the father of Scott Allman (the accused driver in the fatal accident) blames the Roanoke County police officer, who was trying to stop his son, for causing the tragedy. I think blame should be placed squarely on the shoulders of the person responsible - Scott Allman. He made the conscious decision to operate a motor vehicle while his license was suspended, and to run from an officer who was attempting to uphold the laws of the commonwealth.
For the father to say that the police made his son a murderer is ludicrous. This type of attitude is probably where the son got the idea that he was above the law in the first place. I suspect this isn't the first time Allman has blamed someone else for situations his son has brought on himself. Unfortunately, most parents don't realize that, by continually defending a child's wrongful actions, they become an enabler. This prevents young people from learning to accept responsibility for their actions, and eventually leads to the type of trouble that Scott Allman is presently in.
JOSEPH F. HUDDLESTON III
ROANOKE
Restrict traffic chases
REGARDING recent police actions in and around Roanoke:
I have nothing but praise for our fine officers in this city, but there has to be some compromise in the way they carry out their duties.
Innocent people and a little baby were killed when police chased a man through traffic in Roanoke recently. All the regrets and reasoning our police chiefs used cannot bring them back.
Wouldn't it have been better to allow the person to stop somewhere, park the vehicle and then apprehend him? Maybe 98 percent of the time the police are correct in their calculations, but the 2 percent can be very deadly!
I urge the city and other local governments to restrict traffic chases in our area. This might save future lives and make us all feel a little safer on the roads.
BOB GREGORY
ROANOKE
No respect for authority
I JUST want to get this straight. Scott Allman refused to pull over for police, led them on a high-speed chase, killed three people - and the fault lies with the police? After reading his father's comments (April 23 article, ``Police defend fatal chase''), I can understand where his son gets his total disregard for police authority.
Allman says he didn't want to go to jail. Well, excuse me, but has he ever thought of obeying the law?
KAREN ROCK
FINCASTLE
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