Blame game wears thin

Friday, November 20, 2009

It’s almost an American game, or obsession, or perhaps even an addiction: Blame the police.

Sometimes we blame them for what they do, sometimes we blame them for what they don’t do. Hey, as long as we can blame them, we’re happy in a sad sort of way.

The latest example came late last month after police in Bedford and Milford broke up underage drinking parties and issued multiple summonses.

On comments posted on newspaper Web sites following reports of the arrests, more than a few people – though certainly not a majority – said police overreacted.

However, as Milford Police Chief Fred Douglas pointed out when discussing the Milford case with The Cabinet Press, police have a duty to enforce the law, as well as a clear-cut legal obligation that was spelled out in a court case stemming from a tragic accident.

The court case evolved from an accident in 1982 in which a 16-year-old girl was killed after Kingston police had stopped the car she was riding in and found unopened alcohol. They confiscated the liquor, gave the young people a warning and allowed the car to go on its way.

In a precedent-setting civil case, Weldy v. Kingston, the state Supreme Court found that the town of Kingston was responsible for Nancy Weldy’s death because the police officers failed to anticipate that the young people would acquire more alcohol and get into an accident.

Since then, courts have extended the Weldy decision to include teenage parties.

“People say that young people 18-19 should be allowed to consume alcohol because they can serve in the military” and have other responsibilities of adulthood, Douglas said. “But that’s not the issue for law enforcement.

“We have no discretion. We are bound by the law to take them into custody. It’s important that people know that we don’t have a choice as long as that law is there. People should read it,” he said.

There was no reason under the sun (or, in this case, the moon) why these kids should not have been taken into custody and summonsed. They broke the law, they did something stupid, and there must be consequences. If not, what would stop them from doing it again? Perhaps even drinking and driving?

The idea that police officers should slap them on the wrist and tell them to be more careful next time is stupid and dangerous, to say the least.

The idea that people would turn around and criticize the police for doing what they’re paid to do is almost as childish and says volumes about the critics.