Limit high-speed chases to dangerous crimes
Regarding the recent police chase that ended in a fatal crash in Charlotte and other high-speed pursuits:
High-speed chases for trivial reasons should not happen.
Putting the public at risk for reasons other than dangerous felonies or life-threatening incidents should never happen. On May 21 in Salisbury, a high-speed chase took place for no reason other then the refusal of a driver to stop when signalled to. After the high-speed chase ended, the only charges the driver faced were in connection to that chase.
Putting citizens at risk for trivial reasons is not acceptable. The police had been made aware that a man was purchasing small amounts of gas at odd hours. This may have been unusual, but not illegal. The police knew the driver’s name (they searched through his car while it was parked at a motel) but still pursued the car in a high-speed chase that endangered other cars, property and the public. It seemed like the police could have confronted the man at a later date. Until the chase, the police had no reason to arrest this man. Why the guy panicked, we may never know. No stolen items or drugs were found, no reason for this dangerous chase has been disclosed.
Rules, regulations and guidelines regarding high-speed chases should be developed. The safety of citizens should be the utmost concern. Police should consider the risks before beginning a chase. Most persons could be safely arrested at a later time. Misdemeanor shoplifting or a minor traffic violation should not warrant a high-speed chase.
It’s better to be safe than sorry.
ó Beth Myers
Salisbury
Baseball coverage
I have been a subscriber of the Post quite a while now. That said, I would like to comment about the coverage of Legion Baseball. Over the years, there has been a rift between Rowan fans and South Rowan Fans. The question is: Who deserves the best coverage? I say both need to be acknowledged as our teams of Rowan. That’s why both have Rowan in the team names.
I am growing discouraged each year Salisbury Post sportswriters seem to forget that. I know too well the dissension between the two teams. I played my Legion days back in the ’70s. My fellow teammates were not able to play for our hometown team (Rowan) for whatever reason; maybe we were from South Rowan High. So for two years, we had to travel to Mooresville to play. We all know how well those years played out. We all wanted to play for the coaches for Rowan but we learned even more about teamwork and team play from the coaching staff at Mooresville.
So far this year, coverage is no different than in years past. This Sunday’s sports page had Rowan’s Legion win on two large pages, and the game wasn’t even a close game, while the other Rowan team had only a small portion and according to the score was a much closer contest. I wonder how the new coach for South, one of the best players for Rowan, will feel seeing his team take second place in the sports news. I do know that coverage doesn’t make a great team, but it does make the players feel appreciated by the fans. A job well done for Coach Lowman and his staff. We on the other side of the tracks are benind you. Please think about giving equal coverage to both Rowan teams.
ó Ricky Morris
Salisbury
More on spirit rocks Regarding the May 30 letter “Painting spirit rock in bad taste”:
I, too, agree and understand about the painting of a rival school’s spirit rock. I do question someone’s conscience when they destroy a memorial to someone’s loved one. The North Rowan community and Rowan County lost two brave firemen ó Justin Monroe and Victor Isler Sr. The North Rowan High School spirit rock was dedicated to these two men. No one, not even the class of 2009, painted over this memorial. However, a couple of weeks ago, the colors of red, white and blue destroyed the memorial. I wonder if these were the same colors on the West Rowan High School spirit rock.
ó Sylvia Williams
Spencer