Chief fighting uphill battle

Wed., Dec. 30, 2009

The Spokesman-Review

Yet again, police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick holds one of her wayward officers accountable for his disgraceful actions, and now the city is being sued.

Chief K went so far as giving Officer Brad Thoma options other than termination, but obviously he’s above the law. Thoma of all people has seen firsthand the destruction caused from drinking and driving, and he also had access to the tools necessary to deal with his alcoholism, although I would bet prior to his hit-and-run he didn’t consider himself an alcoholic.

His attorney compared his alcoholism to cancer. I wonder if the victims of drunken drivers would see it in the same light. Alcoholics have opportunities that cancer patients don’t.

Will our officers ever accept responsibility for their public mistakes or always blame someone else? We will miss you, Chief Kirkpatrick.

Kelly Glenn

Spokane

Letters policy

The Spokesman-Review invites original letters on local topics of public interest. Your letter must adhere to the following rules:

No more than 250 words
We reserve the right to reject letters that are not factually correct, racist or are written with malice.
We cannot accept more than one letter a month from the same writer.
With each letter, include your daytime phone number and street address.
The Spokesman-Review retains the nonexclusive right to archive and re-publish any material submitted for publication.

Unfortunately, we don’t have space to publish all letters received, nor are we able to acknowledge their receipt. (Learn more.)

Submit letters using any of the following:

Our online form: Submit your letter here
Mail: Letters to the Editor
The Spokesman-Review
999 W. Riverside Ave.
Spokane, WA 99201
Email: editor@spokesman.com
Fax: (509) 459-3815
Phone: (509) 459-5430