Vigilantes With Radar Appalling

Re “Making a Point,” April 1:

I am appalled at the actions of the radar gun-toting residents of Glen Mar in Huntington Beach and the Huntington Beach Police Department.

Mr. Johnson and friends attempt to justify their actions behind the reasoning that “There will be a child killed. . . . What we want to do is prevent that first fatality.” Which admittedly is a good reason for taking action.

However, turning your neighbors into the police is a bit obtuse.

In fact, the course of action they have chosen to pursue is vigilantism, which according to Webster Ninth is defined as “a volunteer committee organized to suppress and punish crime summarily (as when the process of law appears inadequate).” Which brings me to the Huntington Beach Police Department.

The department’s Dan Johnson says police are unable to respond to all the complaints of residential speeding because “we just don’t have the time or personnel.” Therefore, instead of scheduling patrolmen to spend some time during their shifts to include enforcement of speed limits on local streets, they have instead chosen to abdicate their responsibility by arming citizens with radar guns.

What I find absurd is that the police apparently have enough time and personnel to write letters to every speeder clocked by radar gun and possibly make personal visits to repeat offenders.

Only if the problem persists will the department send officers to the location to make their own observations and issue citations.

Since the letters and personal visits have no binding legal authority (they also fail to generate revenue like citations would) they are a waste of time and personnel and would in my opinion constitute a form of harassment. This program has no value other than to turn neighbor against neighbor, promote vigilantism and provide the police with a forum to harass the citizenry.

BRUCE GRAY

Buena Park