
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 30, 1994                    TAG: 9406300015 
SECTION: FRONT                     PAGE: A14    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: Short 
DATELINE: 940630                                 LENGTH:

NOT A POLICE MATTER?

{LEAD} The quoted comments of Mike Simpkins in the article ``Battered women say system holds them hostage'' (news, June 25) were unbelievable.

Mr. Simpkins implied that if a wife were cheating on her husband, it gave him the right to beat her and it wasn't a situation for the police to get involved in.

{REST} To say that the Suffolk police ``don't see domestic violence as a police matter'' is amazing.

To imply that a crime hasn't been committed if the police haven't seen it happen is scary, to say the least. Battery for any reason or from any source is a crime.

Domestic violence is a crime and should be treated as such by the police. If Mr. Simpkins' views are actually the views of the Suffolk Police Department, I truly feel sorry for the residents of Suffolk.

CYNTHIA S. WOLFE

Virginia Beach, June 29, 1994 by CNB