> Alan Wisotsky, an attorney for Oxnard and the police officer who > interrogated Martinez, said the court's ruling was a victory for > persistent police work. > > "If someone had kidnapped your child, wouldn't you want police doing > everything they possibly could to get information from someone who had > it?" he asked hypothetically. >
And what if he didn't do it, and they tortured him, and permanently injured him, and meanwhile the real kidnaper got away? And this is not a hypothetical question. There is a serial rapist on the loose in Trenton, and a couple of weeks ago the police arrested and charged a man. They announced that a thorough investigation (details of which were not released) left no doubt that they had the man. Then, two days ago, DNA tests proved conclusively that he could not possibly have been the rapist, and he will be released. Meanwhile, however, he has been fired from his job, his name is absolute mud, his life is essentially ruined - and the real rapist is still on the loose. There is no substitute for painstaking, careful, honest, slow, deliberate police work - no matter how frantic the public may be, no matter how desperate they may be for a quick fix. There is no such thing, and attempts to concoct one always end up making things much worse. And pandering to people's legitimate fears, although it may serve the selfish purposes of right wing scum politicians and right wing filth talk radio bastards, only feeds the public's short term fear and complete misunderstanding of how decent, serious police work is actually done. It can't be rushed. An innocent man has had his life ruined - for nothing. The public is no safer for this having been done - indeed, the public is less safe, as the real rapist is still out there and the trail has gone colder, considering all the time and resources wasted by focusing on the wrong man. A man whom the police claimed to have no doubts was guilty - until they found out he couldn't possibly actually be guilty. You can't let the police get away with cutting corners. No matter how much they and their right wing stooge toadies may bitch and moan about how their hands our tied. They work for us - we should never let them forget that. Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org "I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last." - Dr Jerry Pournelle _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
