Pubdate: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 Source: Fairfield Minuteman (CT) Copyright: 2008 Fairfield Minuteman Contact: http://www.FairfieldMinuteman.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4801 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids) THE NATURE OF CRIME The very idea that charges are being pursued against Easton's Ronald Terebesi seems somewhat ludicrous, and news that after the accused issued a not-guilty plea a deal may be struck to have Terebesi enter a drug rehabilitation program is not comforting, when seen through the civil liberties lens. First, let's get one thing straight: Crimes are crimes and should be punished as crimes. That a law is ethically and morally valid is beside the point for law enforcement personnel. It is the job of legislatures to debate the validity of a law - the prohibition against marijuana for example - not those police personnel charged with the task of enforcement. But in the Terebesi case the drug charges leveled against the accused serve only to distract the public's eye from the real tragedy - the overwhelming and unnecessary use of force in the death of 33-year-old Gonzalo Guizan. Guizan was unarmed when he reportedly attacked the special task force members who had invaded Terebesi's home, where he was a guest. The men in uniform, who may have reacted commensurate with their training, shot him dead. Only after Guizan was killed was Terebesi charged with a crime. And what a crime! Drug paraphernalia was found in his house, as was some "resin" and a precision scale. So was Guizan's death worth the means? If, for example, a stash of heroin destined for local schoolyards county-wide was found, or some kind of drug factory, or even a few pounds of hashish then, maybe (and only "maybe"), would the force used in the raid on Terebesi's home have been justified. Guizan died for nothing more than some resin and a scale, and the hope that a den of iniquity would be destroyed. Should Terebesi accept admittance into a six-month rehab program, the actions of the special task force involved in the raid are given credence. The accused's not-guilty plea keeps the focus on the actions of the police, which resulted in a death. Terebesi's crimes, should he be found guilty by a jury of his peers, pale in comparison; at no point was he accused of taking a life. Yes, crimes are crimes and should be treated as such, whichever direction on the moral compass they point. But actions must be viewed in context, and the possession of a scale, some paraphernalia and some resin in no way justifies the force needed to take an unarmed man's life. If the law does not take such things into consideration when prosecuting what by comparison are minor crimes, it has failed to be balanced and blind. And if law enforcement personnel are not trained to use judgment and discretion when using deadly force, they have failed to bring professionalism, respect and dignity to the law enforcement profession. We wait with bated breath for the real charges - those of unnecessary force - to be brought. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom