| PursuitWatch.org's Response
From the "Blue Knight's" opening sentence,
he/she is already off target. First, a restrictive policy would drastically cut down the
number of officers lost in the line of duty, who are currently more likely to die in a
pursuit then from the discharge of a firearm. Second, the writer mislabels those who run
from the police. PursuitWatch supports the pursuit of rapists, murders, carjackers, and
"recidivist thugs," but not those who have a broken mirror, exceeded the speed
limit, or those who have committed other non-violent crimes. Does the "Blue
Knight" support deadly force on a 23 year old who does not want to be caught with
beer in a dry county?
As for this "fantasy world" comment, I can only
assume it comes from the claim that there was not a increase in the number of crimes
committed in Orlando following the adoption of its "anti American pro-socialist
agenda" policy. Next, the "Blue Knight" claims the murder rate will go up
if the death penalty is abolished. I ask Mr. Knight to read this: Dr. Fagan's Testimony.
The "traumatic experience from past police
involvement that didn't go in your favor" was the murder of my sister, Sarah, in late
2001.
I felt that choosing red font would provide further
evidence of my "anti American pro-socialist agenda."
Does calling me a "democrat" with such malice
imply that you are not? Do you not believe in democracy? I guess a autocracy with you at
the helm is the right way to go. I, and an overwhelming majority of Americans, including
President Bush, are huge supporters of democracy. Perhaps you should learn the difference
between a democrat and a Democrat.
If you take a poll of police officers, I'm sure you will
find that the only reason they pursue is to find the guy that is on his way to my house to
"hold [me] at gunpoint while his thug partner robs and rapes [my] wife and then
shoots [me] in the face because [I] looked at him." I'm sure that happens all of the
time in cities where the pursuit policy is strict.
Finally, in order to prove the final paragraph incorrect,
I direct Mr. Knight to PursuitWatch's Mission
Statement. One sided, irrational, ignorant statements like this, no matter what side
is being argued, accomplish nothing. Unforunantly, Mr. Knight's attitude only hinders his
argument.
John Phillips
President/Director
PursuitWatch.org
|
Recently, a somewhat
angered viewer sent this letter to PursuitWatch. All discourse is welcomed and if
permission is granted by the writer, will be published on PursuitWatch.org.
I don't know why you or anyone else who
lives in Florida would
advocate a restrictive pursuit policy that would be more beneficial to
felons than to the police officers. If truth be known the problem truly
lies with the recidivist thugs who rome our streets with no consequences for any of their
anti social behavior, especially juvenile offenders. If you
want my opinion, bring back the fleeing felon laws where you can use deadly force on them
if they flee from a forced felonious crime, this would be a giant deterrent. Judges, state
attorneys and politicians are refusing to do anything about crime in our country. O.K.,
forget the pursuits, if that's what you liberals want, take them away completely but
at least give some type of tool to the police forces before the crime gets any
worse than it already is.
You guys must live in a fantasy world if you
think that crime is
going down, its only reported that way by manipulated statistics. Police
chiefs and mayors all know this so they use the FBI's crimes statistic
reporting criteria to manipulate the stats as they see fit. This makes them
look good for political purposes. As long as we have money, cars and drugs and
people who covet them in the streets of America, violent, evil crimes will persist.
Lessoning the ability of police officers to react with
instinct then putting some redundant forty page pursuit policy in effect,
then hold them accountable to the point where their livelihood and career are on the line
if they don't follow this policy to the "t," is on the same absurd liberal
agenda and mindset as abolishing the death penalty then believing that murder will not
increase.
You must have had some type of traumatic
experience from a past
police involvement that didn't go in your favor and now all you want to do is criticize
and advocate anti-law-enforement legislation. Your web site is nothing more than a facade
for your anti American pro-socialist agenda. You are a liberal democrat with nothing
better to do than arm-chair quarter-back everything that rubs you the wrong way,
then you stir up trouble and whine about the way police fight crime because its not to
your satisfaction. Why don't you just put yourself through a police academy and then ride
along with some real police officers for about six months...then you can make your social
engineering decisions based on what you see and experience. Do you honestly think
that police actually like pursuing vehicles at high speed. Some adrenaline junkies may
tell you they do, but they don't, no one does. Officers are just trying to get a
recidivist thug off the streets before his anti social behavior leads him to your house--
he breaks in --holds you at
gunpoint while his thug partner robs and rapes your wife and then shoots you in the face
because you looked at him. That's why police officers pursue. Sure there are going
to be some innocent people that are hurt and I'm regretful that has to happen. Sometimes
bad things happen to good folks, but don't blame the police, put the blame where it
belongs.
I also noticed your back firing Poll. It seem
that most people want
the police to pursue after their stolen property or the thug that just
robbed them. They also want violent antisocial thugs to get the punishment they deserve.
They want honest anti crime judges, honest anti crime police chiefs, honest anti crime
state attorneys and honest-- aggressive-- anti crime police officers that put dangerous
pieces of trash behind bars where they belong and don't have to worry about the idiots
like you who go lawyer shopping every time the police don't follow some ridiculous
policy to every letter.
Sincerely,
The Blue Knight
P.S. I challenge you to put this letter on your site.
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