The May 1 letter from the gentleman in South Portland (Irving Williams) complaining about the arrest and photo of the suspect in the murder of the Somerset County deputy misses the point. This suspect is accused of shooting a police officer in the head in the middle of the night, possibly after sneaking up on him. Granted, that does not give the police license to abuse the suspect, and they did not.
When someone is told, “You are under arrest,” it is not a request or a suggestion. When someone is told that, they have two options – comply or don’t comply – and the first option is always the best.
If one chooses the second option, they will be made to comply, and the police can use whatever reasonable force is needed to force that compliance. Considering what this case involved, a black eye and a forced photo are more than reasonable.
The gentleman who wrote that letter, and many other people, need to remember there would be no police shootings or need to force compliance with arrest if people would do two simple things – obey the law and comply with police instructions.
Considering all that occurred in this case, it would seem to me that this suspect was treated much better than the way he treated Cpl. Eugene Cole.
Gary Phillips
Wells
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