Pubdate: Wed, 08 Jan 1997
Source: Corpus Christi Caller Times (TX)
Author: Arthur R. Sobey

In recent weeks,there have been two major themes that appear over and
over again in our local media. One is the increasing gang-related
violence that is killing so many of the youth of our city and the other
is increasing traffic accidents and the deaths associated with these
accidents.

It is clear that there are not enough policemen on the streets to do
more than man radar traps and investigate accidents. It is also clear
that, while the Police Department does an admirable job of investigating
the drive-by shootings and the deaths that result from them, there are
obviously not enough police to adequately patrol our more troublesome
neighborhoods...

I am told that 30 percent of the officers in our Police Department
work "undercover" in the drug enforcement division. If this is true,I
think it is appalling. These "undercover" officers are the ones who
sleep all day and spend their nights wearing civilian clothes while they
cruise our local nightspots trying to catch folks smoking pot or to
trick otherwise law-abiding citizens into selling them small amounts of
marihuana so they can arrest them and throw them into our already
overcrowded jails and courts.

Personally,I'd rather put our policemen out on the street to catch
murderers, rapists, muggers, and car thieves...

Arthur R Sobey