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Show iBallle Creek: Breeze by K.B. State papers described recently the wild seventy mile per hour chase through Salt Lake streets led by two off-duty policemen of Utah's capitol city. It seems that the fugitive "coppers" "cop-pers" were being chased by a couple of on-duty officers, who were trying to arrest them for fast driving. Later developments reveal that if . f I the two culprits were suspended from active duty du-ty for 10 and 15 days respectively respective-ly and fined some $55 each. This is just one more example ex-ample of Utah's "slap on the wrist" method of dealing with traffic violat- ors. W hy in the name of common sense, should police officers convicted con-victed of such utter disrespect for law, be given anything less than a dishonorable discharge topped off with a stiff jail sentence? The "milk-sop" penalties meted out to drivers convicted of drunken drunk-en driving here in the Bee Hive State is a disgrace and an abomination. abom-ination. In fact a State Patrolman told me the other day that convictions con-victions under our loop-hole drunken driving statutes is well nigh impossible. Traffic fatalities for 1953 are building up, and bid fair to exceed the terrific record of last year. What is the present legislature doing do-ing about it? A review of the bills recently introduced reveals that the lawmakers law-makers have time to consider such trivia as a bill "to allow banks to close on Saturday"; but apparently appar-ently have little time nor inclination incli-nation to revamp Utah's Model-T traffic laws. It's about time that we put first things first. If more drastic penalties pen-alties and more effective enforcement enforce-ment would save the life of one human, or prevent one crippling accident, the time and energy of our legislators would be very well spent. |
