No Respect From The Police

To the Editor:

On Thursday May 5, my friends and I were having band practice. As we were packing, up a police officer shows up at our door. We were practicing for a performance for the Gong Show on May 7. It’s a fundraiser for a little boy with cancer at Middle Gate.

I’m not sure of the officer’s name, but he starts off by saying, “This is baseball fellas, you got two strikes.”

This officer showed up a previous time, a year ago. He said people on Route 302 complained that our music was too loud. We were inside, and the basement door was open. My neighbor says its not too loud, and its not distracting. So I don’t know what the story is with the people on 302.

This officer was clearly on a power trip. The police in this town should be doing other things. For example, stopping kids from doing drugs and other illegal things. Or maybe actually paying attention when they’re sitting on the side of the road. I’ve seen countless cops reading a newspaper and doing God knows what in their car. Sorry if we’re not the drug smuggling teens that they want us to be so they can bust us.

I find that people having a problem with our music is insulting. Maybe the people on 302 that are complaining should close a window or something. The people in this town need to stop calling the cops about things like this.

Secondly, the cops in this town need to stop acting like they are above the law when enforcing the law. When they came the officer didn’t explain what was being done wrong, and how to solve it. Saying, its too loud turn it down isn’t good enough, it’s repetitive and does not accomplish anything. It makes us want to play louder. Maybe he could explain the law, since he is the law, he should enlighten us with his knowledge of the law that he is enforcing. Or does he even know what it is?

Seeing what this officer did, makes me dislike cops even more. They need to respect people. Just because they wear a badge does not give them the right to disrespect my friends and me, and act like they are better than us. This officer said to me, “Do you want the ticket now? Because if you want to make this an issue we can make it one and you will lose.”

Thanks for the update Chief Wiggum. We may be 17 and 18 years old, but we are not to be treated like lesser beings. The bottom line of this is that people should not be so quick to put a damper on kids trying to have fun. Since the town doesn’t offer much in the line of activities, we are making our own. Unless you want us to go out and smoke reefer all day, I think that you (the person calling the cops), should chill out and leave us alone. People in this town need to have an attitude change, and so does the law enforcement.

Jonathan Cain

18 Ridge Road, Newtown                                                    May 9, 2005