A choice: Speeding fines or making everything fine

Published 3:42 pm Friday, November 21, 2008

On Highway 84, it seems like the State Patrol, County Sheriff’s Department, or Climax or Bainbridge Police always have pulled someone over.

This is excessive because when you drive down Curry Hill to Bainbridge, your car will naturally speed up.

We want safe highways, but is continual harassment what this county really needs?

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Of course Bainbridge cops have often done a great job, except they have also wasted too much time writing speeding tickets, and city government has made them do it.

We already pay taxes on city, county, state and national levels, taxes on sales, income, cars and fuel, even insurance, toll parking, and car tags.

Now, cops over-use speeding fines while real crime runs wild.

In Bainbridge, there are drugs, domestic fights, loud arguments, “petty” theft, armed robbery, gang wars, murder, rape, abuse and child molestation. Bainbridge cops have obviously shown more concern for harassing law-abiding citizens because that’s what’s easy. Of course they’re right to be concerned with driving safety, except clearly, it’s all of those other crimes that are true threats.

When Bainbridge Police and city government use greater effort against real crimes, the county will greatly improve. Busy people’s excessive anxiety will evaporate. Lower-wage earners will better feed their families. There will be more time for family and friends. Both citizens and police officers will be more independent. After they perform greater public services, cops’ self-pride will increase. The police and city government will be more influential because of their increased real-crime dedication.

We look forward to vastly improved decision-making from both cops and city government.

Kerry and Josh Dean