Thursday, June 11, 2015

Law & Order

Like most of America, I'm fascinated by the upstate NY prison escape last weekend.  How did they do it?  It's clear the escapees had power tools and some help.  First, let's hope they're captured quickly and without incident.  Second, the details are bound to be interesting.  The one has book and movie written all over it, but let's not diminish the horrible crimes committed by these men.

A McKinney, TX police officer has been fired for unduly roughing up a teen at an out of control pool party.  Here we go again.  The vast majority of American police officers do a great job, but it only takes a few to mar the reputation of the many.  Believe me, I'm a broadcaster.  I know.  My big fear-- police, in general, have lost a lot of respect, and I don't know if they will ever get it back.

A six year old girl died in a Monroe County car crash over the weekend.  As of this writing, there is much we do now know, but here is the information we have.  The child was not properly belted.  Whether her mother put her in the booster seat that way, or if the child moved the belt herself is still under investigation.  We don't know why the driver crossed lanes of Route 209.  What if it's a case of distracted driving?  Will the district attorney and police file charges, or will they decide the mother, who lost a child, has suffered enough?  What about the injured driver of the other car?  What about justice for her?  Civil suit?  This case presents a ton of interesting issues, and we'll be keeping an eye on it.

According to our friends at the Times~Leader, there are some questions over the timing of a blood sample draw and Miranda warnings in the investigation of a deadly hit and run over the weekend.   It could affect the severity of the charges filed against the driver.  If there's a good reason for the delay, I can't wait to hear it.  I know there are procedures and the letter of the law to be followed.  That's great.  Laws are written for our protection, but there has to be a balance between speed, efficiency, and proper administration of the start of due process.