Death of 2 in Crash With Police Car

The Christmas Day tragedy in Westminster again brings up the criticism of high-speed response of emergency vehicles. Unfortunately, because of the legitimate legal ramifications, civil departments have to limit their descriptions of events, so almost all we hear are very one-sided stories. This is especially true for police departments where the popular view is to paint them as cruel, stupid, vicious monsters.

In this case, the driver who was killed with her companion clearly broke the law in not yielding to the police vehicle with its lights and siren. I am frequently aghast at the indifference of drivers to this simple rule, and I see people making left turns directly in front of oncoming ambulances or fire trucks. I also see drivers chattering away and not paying full attention to driving, or they have radios on at a very high volume.

The Times on Dec. 28 carried a story about the widespread availability of assault rifles to the public. Little has been said about the nature of the individuals involved in the uproar to which police had been called, but I imagine any police officer wonders if he will be met by someone with such a weapon when going to a violent dispute. I think these days it would be critical to have help arrive quickly when a physical quarrel is in progress. It is too bad police don’t have the ability to see into the future to tell whether or not every second counts. After something is over, the critics all come forward. Too bad they aren’t the ones involved in facing these life-threatening situations.

L.D. TAYLOR

Huntington Beach