BY Emerson Drake
7/9/11
Recently we've watched the London police fail to enforce their laws while the media and politicians provided cover by hiding the truth. Here in Modesto we're witnessing the same kind of obfuscation. We saw the Sheriff absolve his detective from all guilt and his internal investigators lamely pretend to be digging into the killing of Rita Elias.
We watched the MPD, the local print media and the Modesto's politicians farm out an investigation of the MPD to a private attorney who specializes in representing police chiefs around the state at the expense to taxpayers of $75,000.
The announcement by Bob Aaronson was so poorly received that in a recent trial, Chief Mike Harden was forced to take the stand and attempted to rebuild the integrity of the MPD after the Craig Plante emails because lawyers on both sides knew the jury wasn't buying the party line. Did the jury believe Chief Harden? Under questioning from Carson, Chief Harden had to say that Plante was stretching the truth when he wrote the notorious emails which opened the door for the jury wonder if Plante might have done the same thing in his reports and his testimony. Court watchers suggest he was only partially able to repair the believability of the MPD.
Too many unarmed people have died in Modesto both in and out of jail for anyone to be comfortable with their safety when an armed officer is around. Spatulas exist in the real world as do cell phones and either can be used as a cause of death by the MPD.
The local print media bends over backwards in an attempt to hide the defects of our Politicians, Sheriff and Police Chief.
But like the SCAP scandal, the public isn't buying the excuses anymore.
We all want Modesto's image to improve but a coat of paint and pretending everything is hunky dory isn't the answer. We need to scrape off the rust and repair the foundation so we don't have to pretend any longer that everything is alright, but can usher in a new day.
Mayor Ridenour's inattentiveness to what is happening can't be tolerated any longer. The council's pretense of our having a quality government isn't working and all the cheer leading in the world can't make a bad team good.
Whose son, daughter, mother, father, sister or brother will be next to die on the alter of law enforcement?
Hopefully it won't be yours.
