Editor:
"Police Beat" is sometimes the only thing worth reading in the Wildcat and should, therefore, continue. I see it as an ongoing account of the stupidity of humankind.
You have your drunken drivers insisting on their sobriety as they fall out of their cars. You have your petty thieves falling into traps they set for themselves. You have your hapless victims wondering why someone would steal the backpack they left unattended for an hour. And yes, you have your fourth-floor library masturbaters.
I was disappointed when the Arizona Summer Wildcat began to call the column "Campus Crime Watch". That sounded much too serious, as if we were going to take a bite out of crime by reading a few police reports. I'm glad you went back to "Police Beat".
And as to the accusation that "Police Beat" is unfair to alleged criminals, I must point out that the column is culled from police reports which are available to the public. Second, if you read "Police Beat" carefully, you will discover the bumbling antics of the UA Police Department. Thus, "Police Beat" fairly shows everyone in the cops-and-robbers spectrum is equally stupid.
Are there real victims in "Police Beat"? Yes. Are there serious criminals? Of course. But I prefer to take my bad news with a dose of humor and "Police Beat" has managed to provide that for many years.
Jim Fairchild-Parks
Research Technician
Tree-Ring Laboratory