Dear Editor:
May I take a moment to comment about a column in the June 10 edition of The Beacon? Thomas Knapp wrote a piece entitled “Time To Stop Messing Around And Strike At The Root of Police Violence.”
Mr. Knapp proposes three steps to solve the problem.
First, he would abolish “qualified immunity” of law officers. That would be a mistake. A majority of lawbreakers would probably love to delay their own case until a suit against the law officer was settled. In the meantime the officer might go broke from attorney fees.
Second, Mr. Knapp would stand down police departments entirely in favor of unpaid volunteers. If a burglar is breaking into my home should I telephone one or more unpaid volunteers? Who will volunteer for such duty? The town bully? I thought we had progressed from vigilante justice. Who will supervise these unpaid volunteers? Would Mr. Knapp volunteer to chase down someone who just shot the owner of a convenience store?
Third, Mr. Knapp would abolish the state itself. Abolish the state? Folks, I know our government is not perfect. I often complain about our elected officials. I know time and money are wasted on foolish arguments and actions while public needs are left unmet, but what we have is called civilization. We will not have civilization without the state. I do not want to live in a country where life resembles the East African savannah or a NatGeo television program.
I belive Mr. Knapp’s ideas are unwise. I take offense at his closing comment: “End qualified immunity or burn, baby, burn.” I wish he would spend some time with police officers and experience what their duty is like and the issues they face. Seattle just went through a period where part of the city had no police. The had unpaid volunteers roaming the area with assault rifles, but these volunteers prevented ambulances, fire fighters, and real police from responding to 911 calls. Perhaps Mr. Knapp could interview some of the people who made those 911 calls and ask them how they feel about his ideas.
C.W. Schmidt LaRue, Texas