The Coeur d’Alene PD has been “dropping the ball” in public safety. Deciding not to pursue a case or omitting facts in a report or prejudices by an officer have led to the decay of the public’s trust in the department. An academy offered to help the public understand how they function is simply a disappointing way to avoid answering for the ongoing complaints. Laziness or a lack of investigating crimes results in injustices going unpunished therefore leaving victims to feel unheard and unprotected.

The police are no longer anything other than underpaid, untrustworthy part-time watch dogs who may or may not uphold the law. The cases that do get prosecuted are then either dismissed or the charges lowered and the defendants put on probation. Laziness is the common disease running rampant in our local police departments and court systems. I believe the U.S. justice system works, but someone has to “clock in” to work it. I hope that our community will remind the police officers in our area why they became officers, to help people.

BRANDY VINCENT-SMITH

Coeur d’Alene