Sheriff’s comments unprofessional

Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich’s “The Threats We Face” talk was little more than a Morris Dees Southern Poverty Law Center memo used to smear a group of people he disagrees with. The obscene attempt to classify the Order, Aryan Peoples Republic, Aryan Nations and Phineas Priesthood, Kevin Harpham and Anthony Garver as “Constitutionalists” has zero credibility.

All these groups as well as Harpham were self-identified neo-Nazis, not Birchers or tea party members who support law and order. Garver was simply evil.

The guilt-by-association attack is easily deflected by asking Knezovich if deputies Brian Hirzel, Joseph Bodman, Thomas DiBartolo and officers Jeffrey Harvey and Karl F. Thompson Jr. are good examples of Spokane sheriff and police officers.

Though the Aryan Nations and majority of its followers haven’t been heard from since the 1990s, they’re Spokane’s greatest threat? Meanwhile, the Boston Marathon bombers, Charlie Hebdo shooters, Mohammed cartoon shooters and ISIS are mere footnotes? Perhaps we should have sent them pocket constitutions so Knezovich would take more notice of them.

Though I am a person who respects police officers and believes most of them to be good people doing a very difficult job, I found Knezovich’s statements not only unprofessional but personally insulting.

Steven Neill

Spokane Valley