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Show V.V."" ltj iF l j r j i j - l i - . i i . r -;-y-'v'-: . t h'-JV VrV.' r" - r 4 - . We Said It LJIBLJJ1LI jaaL.-IL L J I . x r i j r j . . n i . i i l . i r i . i r r i i r n i l i i r i m r n i - Local law enforcement officers deserve hurrahs With a score of drug deals, bomb threats, drive-by shootings and armed robberies happening in the last two weeks, local law enforcement enforce-ment officers have been busy. But as the number of recent arrests indicates, in-dicates, it also has been a productive produc-tive two weeks. On The Mark reasonable explanation would be the crimes are a reflection of societal ills rather than a measure of police officers' job performance. No one feels the heat of public disdain and displeasure faster than police when the perception is they have failed to perform their duties in a satisfactory fashion. Sometimes that criticism is constructive and well -deserved. And other times it is neither. Criticism, no matter how well-intentioned, well-intentioned, is never in short supply. supp-ly. But all too often officers get little or no positive feedback for spending countless hours working on a case to make the big arrest and ensure the job is done right. Some might reason the police are only doing the job they are paid to do, as if monetary compensation is a reliable guarantee of job effectiveness. effec-tiveness. One glance at the lackluster performance of some schoolteachers, public officials, corporate CEOs or members of Congress will show the fallacy of such an assumption. If there is ever a time local officers offi-cers deserved a pat on the back or O some warm fuzzy-style compliments, com-pliments, it would be now. A quick review of stories from the police beat in recent editions of the Clipper would show why. Investigators with the Davis County Sheriff's Office and Bountiful Boun-tiful and Woods Cross police departments, for example, recently arrested three Woods Cross High School students for unleashing a barrage of bullets from a 22 caliber semiautomatic rifle at six homes and two vehicles. The drive-by shootings, one of if not the first in south Davis County, had many parents and students fearing for their safety. Police arrested the trio within a week of the incidents. Centcrville police Sgt Russell Furse did his best Daniel Boone imitation earlier this week in apprehending ap-prehending three Salt Lake gang members responsible for the armed robbery of RB's One Stop convenience conve-nience store and burglarizing five automobiles. Boonc.oops, I mean Furse (they really don't look anything alike, trust me), noticed an unusual set of footprints leading from one of the vehicles to a nearby trailer park. He and the car owner dutifully followed the telltale tracks to a mobile home where he was able to learn the identity and whereabouts of the suspects. They were arrested that same day. Davis County Metro Narcotics agents combined patience with stealth and video surveillance in breaking up a major drug distribution distribu-tion ring operating out of a Layton auto repair shop. The officers maintained main-tained almost around-the-clock vigilance vig-ilance for weeks to obtain the necessary evidence to make the arrests. ar-rests. When it was all over, officers collared nine suspects and confiscated con-fiscated almost $100,000 worth of marijuana and cocaine. Sources close to the investigation of last week's slew of bomb threats called in to local schools, say Bountiful Boun-tiful and Woods Cross detectives will shortly arrest suspects responsible respon-sible for at least some of them. I could go on, and in stopping I have no doubt have neglected some. Nevertheless, I think those I have mentioned serve to illustrate p -how productive local police age cies have been. . r I'm sure not all of the craws committed recently have been solved. solv-ed. I'm equally sure that not au criminal acts ever will be. But th is not a valid excuse for not giving the police their due; espeoaUy when one takes into account tne deterrence de-terrence factor associated wJ having police patrol city streets au neighborhoods. No one can accurately assess the armed robberies, petty vandalism vehicle burglaries, drive-by shootings and other criminal acu that never happen because poUj are on the job. Perhaps it is w crimes that don't happen that sp the loudest in support of police, no matter how faint onwj might regard that praise to be. w it's up to each citizen, along w" officials, to make sure that isa t tne only praise they receive and c mend them for a job well done Police officeis working for the county, Wood Cross, Bountiful, Centcrville and the Metro Narcotics Strike Force have all made big arrests ar-rests leading to the apprehension of suspects responsible for what locally local-ly could be construed as something of a crime wave. Some would undoubtedly argue the rash of criminal acts is ample evidence that local police agencies are not doing their job. A more |