THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 8, 1996 TAG: 9603070205
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
The story on Chesapeake City Council's investigation of a police cover-up raises some serious questions. The most important is how far the city government will go to satisfy a personal vendetta against some of its dedicated officials. The recent firing of Jim Rein should serve as a reminder, and the council should be reluctant to make a similar mistake. An ATV was stolen, recovered and arrests made. A grand jury convened and a trial date was set. This is our system at work. So where's the cover-up?
Apparently, an internal investigation and a review by the FBI failed to reveal a cover-up. Councilman Robert T. Nance Jr. feels otherwise. Why? How far is this carried to further his political ambitions and satisfy his ego?
The Chesapeake Police Department is one of the best in Virginia. Those who strive to discredit it for personal gain should be the target of an investigation.
R.C. Rhoads
Smith Avenue A great officer
In response to the continuing controversy with the Chesapeake Police Department and City Council, I am compelled to write this letter.
My family and I have known and loved Capt. Billy Spruill since he was a young teen. He has always been an intelligent, honest, warm and caring person.
I, having been in the first coed class of the Norfolk Police Department, was extremely proud when Billy expressed his desire to become a police officer to me many years ago. I knew that he would be perfect for the job. He had what I thought it took to be a good cop: honesty and integrity. I have only become more proud of him over the years.
Without going into specifics concerning this supposed ``cover up,'' I will say, Capt. Billy Spruill is and has always been a great police officer and a superb parent. When everything is out in the open, all sides having been heard, Capt. Spruill will have handled this situation honestly and professionally.
Helen S. Connelly
Midway Mobile Home Park TV coverage
This is in reference to Channel 10's recent coverage of the ``substandard investigation'' of the adult sons of prominent Chesapeake officials.
Channel 10 carried the story almost nightly for over two weeks, while Channel 13 carried the story only two or three times and Channel 3 not at all.
Who is behind Channel 10's nightly coverage? Why did Channel 10 publish some results of council meetings before the council had even met? How did verbatim personnel files and letters from policemen to City Council members get into the hands of Channel 10?
On the surface, it appears that Channel 10s affiliation with certain Chesapeake officials merits inquiry. The grand jury investigation should include a hard look at Channel 10.
Naomi M. Young
Meadow Lake Road Cutting nurses
I would like to address the issue of hospitals cutting costs by replacing registered nurses with unlicensed personnel. This cost-cutting measure leaves a majority of patient care to aides who average only two to eight weeks of training. Additionally, there is a large workload increase for the remaining registered nurses.
This is not to imply that unlicensed personnel have no value in the current health care system. There are many valuable skills that these aides can competently perform under the supervision of a registered nurse. The problem arises when there are not enough registered nurses to supervise the patient care or when the aides are pushed to perform skills that they are not qualified to carry out. The job description of the unlicensed personnel continues to grow while the amount of training they receive remains the same.
As a nursing student, I am very concerned about the impact that cutting registered nurses may have on patient safety. The American Nurses Association feels that a reduction in registered nurses could endanger the safety of patients. An ANA survey found that 79 percent of nurses who reported RN staff reductions believe patient care has suffered as a result, and 54 percent of these nurses link these deteriorations to nurses taking care of more patients than before or having less time to provide patient care.
I urge the American public to open their eyes to the dangers of cost-cutting and demand that the quality of their care not be jeopardized. Specifically, I recommend that all patients request information about the registered nurse to patient ratio before they are admitted to any hospital. Americans need to realize that only time will tell what the true cost of cutting registered nurses will be.
Tracy Evancho
Michael Thomas Court by CNB