Good morning, Netizens...

And such a fine and otherwise excellent day it is, with the exception of our beloved Spokane Police Department whose star has been inexorably sinking lower in the public opinion than ever before. They could have finessed this entire affair of Shonto Pete's version versus the officially-approved version of events, including Marshall Tucker's testimony, by simply waiting out the storm of public opinion. It isn't that I believe Tucker lied on the witness stand; for good cops don't lie and until someone steps forward and states that he is anything other than a good cop, that they can prove that beyond a reasonable question of a doubt, that he lied, he still is a good cop. Skepticism, however, can be an enlightening attribute in the face of conflict.

This morning a massive chink in the armor of the Spokane Police Department version of the Shonto Pete shooting appears in the Spokesman-Review, and like most Karen Dorn Steele articles, this one will knock the community's trust or distrust of the Spokane Police Department clear out of the ballpark here: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/mar/18/caller-disputes-911-testimony/

Police Chief Ann Kirkpatrick has, of course, informed members of the Fourth Estate that she is convening a full formal investigation of Tucker's testimony from the witness stand, but in the face of potential perjury charges, don't you think it's a little late for that? Isn't asking the Guild members to investigate one of their own a bit much?

We have these two credible witnesses, Carol A. Blackburn and Michael R. Dale, who seem to substantiate the statements made by Shonto Pete of what happened that ill-fated night, and they directly contradict the sworn statement by Tucker on the witness stand. Somebody is lying. Suddenly my semi-facetious and impulsive comment “Win One for the Gipper” seems quite rational.

As one of my trusted associates just stated to me in e-mail, “...this just keeps getting weirder and weirder.” Does this seem utterly beyond credible belief to you? Kudos to Karen Dorn Steele for digging out that reasonable doubt that lives in the most trusting of souls.

Dave

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