ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, February 27, 1996 TAG: 9602270065
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTERS
YOUR FEB. 11 commentary, ``How Washington subverts your local police,'' by Edwin Meese III and Rhett Dehart, is an interesting attack on federal laws and law enforcement in general, and on such protective measures as the assault-weapons ban and the exclusionary rule in particular.
The authors refer to the Branch Davidian tragedy at Waco, Texas, in 1993 and the killings at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in 1992 as ``arguably some of the darkest days in the history of federal law enforcement.'' You and your readers need to consider the source of these attacks.
Meese was the U.S. attorney general who went to the executive office building, at the direction of the president, ostensibly to investigate Oliver North's role in the Iran-Contra affair. He stood by in an adjoining room while North shredded all the evidence. To me, that day was one of the darkest days in the history of federal law enforcement.
That Meese now sits in an ivory tower in Washington criticizing federal laws and law enforcement in The Journal of American Citizenship boggles my mind.
JAMES T. MICKLEWRIGHT
HUDDLESTON
Don't put buildings before programs
FOR YEARS, Roanoke County residents have been told what a wonderful school system they have - one of the best in the state. The manner in which the school system has been portrayed by school administrators and School Board members has helped to conceal some school programs that have become woefully inadequate.
A 1995 report by the U.S. Department of Education presented to the Roanoke County School Board documented numerous serious deficiencies in the county's special-education programs. All of the program deficiencies were explained away by school administrators, who stated that the federal investigative team misunderstood the county's programs. These same administrators did much research to justify their deficient programs, reporting that four or five other school divisions within the state are also violating federal laws governing education.
On Jan. 15, The Roanoke Times printed an article (``Teachers help pre-empt kids' battle of the bulge'') regarding physical-education programs across the valley. This article provided readers with the percentages of students who passed the 1994 State Physical Fitness Test. These statistics demonstrate yet another area of concern. Students in the counties of Bedford, Floyd, Franklin, Giles and Montgomery and Roanoke city all outperformed Roanoke County students in physical-fitness tests.
The current discussion of educational needs in Roanoke County revolves around building needs. Having adequate space in which to educate students is important. Let's all take a moment to reassess our school system. We should never lose sight of the need to offer high-quality programming to children. Even "the best" have room for improvement.
DENISE J. SWANSON
ROANOKE
Charges of brutality don't ring true
IN REGARDS to charges of alleged police brutality against a Roanoke police officer and a Virginia state trooper (Feb. 16 article, ``Chief denies alleged brutality''):
What kind of a society do we live in when an officer who makes a stop or an arrest has to defend his actions doing the job he's sworn to do? These people put their lives on the line every time they report for duty. They're proud to serve and protect our citizens. It's an oath and a sworn duty - not an obligation - they take upon themselves because they want to.
If Steven Leftwich and William Hayden III had acted in a positive manner and not become hostile, all this could have been prevented. It was only a routine traffic stop.
I've known Trooper R. J. Carpentieri for 15 years - half of this time as a Roanoke police officer and the rest as a trooper. Brutality isn't one of his traits. He's a fine police officer and proud of his profession.
Why did Mayor David Bowers call for an investigation of him? The mayor needs to leave politics out of this one. It's easy to second-guess. No one was there except those involved.
I, for one, thank God for all our law-enforcement people. The world we live in is bad enough. What would our society be without them? If people don't want to be bothered by law enforcement, don't break the law. It's very simple.
RANDOLPH F. JONES JR.
ROANOKE
Begin prevention before adolescence
YOUR JAN. 21 editorial (``Preventing youth crime - but how?'') addresses the recent Carnegie Report and its recommendations for ``prevention'' via the young adolescent. It concludes that ``responsible adult guidance and a sense of worth'' are the main factors. Haven't we heard this before?
Children, aside from those few adversely affected by hereditary factors, are born with innate curiosity and intelligence. The views of learned Carnegie people and editorialists aside, I submit that dealing with the young adolescent can be useful - at a great cost - but is not real ``prevention.'' Better, and much less costly, is dealing with the child before his inborn curiosity and intelligence is dissipated or turned in wrong directions.
Grandmother volunteers, reading programs, Head Start and ethically based group activity will and has worked in school settings as the child begins his ``mental journey.'' Incompatible environmental influences will take second place (unless severe). Of course, parental involvement is a real plus, a bonus, if compatible.
So many harried parents today rely on baby sitters and the television while they struggle to survive. An early structured school setting can overcome this. I'm not advocating ``Skinner bubbles'' here, but common sense! It works, and it saves thousands of kids and millions of dollars. Try it.
JACK E. BYRD
HARDY
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