A deputy sheriff read Brand of Justice and was very disturbed by the story. I got the feeling, though he didn't say it, that he did not like how the police officers were portrayed. I was involved in law enforcement for 30+ years and can assure you. The Reader. That I stand by every word in the story. Nobodies perfect. Cops are somebody. Thus, no cop is perfect. If you find that upsetting, so be it. Brand of Justice will make you think. Brand of Justice should open up avenues for communication with your kids. They need to know. This stuff can and does happen. The following is from a Captain who tackled Brand of Justice. I used stars only to block out spoilers.
Man you ask a lot of question that have lots of
answers. Some RIGHT AND SOME LEFT.
Was Rogers a bad
fellow? Yes & No. In a small town beating of a woman can be a very bad
thing in Public Opinion, but in the big city on a Saturday night, in
the ghetto, that is going on all the time and it does not even make it to the
blotter.
Did *** kill him or
was it more of an accident? If he did not mean to kill then I guess you overlook
the wording prior to the event. Was he only going to scare him? No way can you
scare a drunk. 99% of the time a real drunk, one that has been at it for many
years will strike out or back. How in the world could it be an
accident? I believe the intent to bodily harm was present. Holding a knife to
the throat is no accident. Most juries would convict on this point.
Could he have called
911? Sure, but as I have read in many news stories that does not happen,
because he knew he was guilty. Don't give me that bullshit he was still in
shock over the event that it never occurred to him to call for help. Anyone
that had hunting experience KNOWS when an animal is dead and beyond saving.
Were the cops 'bad'
guys or did they just goof up a little? Bad apples in every bunch and one's
that see advantages in all thing around them. I have been in many
positions where I was assigned a job and had no training or all I got was OJT
or AOJ and learned that is the WAY WE ALWAYS DO THINGS. Or I have heard remarks
from investigators "SLAM, DUNK and lets head for the barn." They
never even took a whole series of photos of the crime scene. "First
Impressions" was the call. The reason I helped form Fire
Investigation Team in the Fire Department to work on fires taking that involvement
away from the PD.
It's so cool how you are able to reach out to so many readers. How do you do it?
ReplyDeleteI guess it's a mix of the social media deal and good old face time. I really care about my readers. I want them to get something out of my writing. After putting together a police career like I had, I wanna be a part of the solution to what ails our everydays. Gun violence. Nasty headlines. That sort of thing. Claire Davis haunts me.
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