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Kanter shows flawed thinking in his criticism of police actions at party

Editor:

In response to Jamie Kanter's Thursday column ("Partygoers beware: They don't just eat donuts anymore"): FYI: The police are required to respond to each and every call they receive. That means, Jamie, that you and your friends were loud enough/ rude enough/ drunk enough for some neighbor to call and complain to the police. Murders, rapes, and a host of other crimes are always given priority, and I would guess that, because the city has so little funding for new officers, the neighbor who called them had to wait another 30 sleepless minutes or more before the police even arrived. So why the helicopter, you ask? Well, in the dark, a handful of police officers are no match for a couple dozen drunk people. The helicopter levels the playing field by allowing the officers to see what's going on around them. And trust me, the police don't want to be there any more than you want them there. They have massive amounts of paperwork, cases to follow up on, and occasionally would like to get home to their families on time. They have no desire to be sworn at or to have the back of their patrol car urinated on by some drunk, but they put up with it all the time.

I bet that if your bike was stolen, your house broken into, or if you were in an accident, you would welcome those officers back with open arms. And, if you're like most people, you would expect those officers to give 100 percent of their attention to your case, no matter how many other, more pressing cases they have. So quit your sniveling! The next time you and your friends decide to drink and play music into the wee hours without consideration for your neighbors, be men/women about it when the party is broken up. Quit blaming the police officers for your lack of common sense.

By Margaret Brantley (letter)
Arizona Daily Wildcat
April 30, 1997


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