Special to the SUN: Metro doesn’t deserve attack

Saturday, Sept. 28, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

THE FOLLOWING is written by David Hatch, a homicide detective with Metro Police.

THIS is in response to E.M. Gunderson's Sept. 14 column on Metro Police officers.

I don't socialize with Officer George Pease and I've never met the officers who took Gerry Waje's life. But I've been a police officer for 27 years and a homicide investigator for nearly 17 years, and I know Metro. For Mr. Gunderson to say the things he did about this agency and these two deaths without reviewing the facts is without excuse.

For Mr. Gunderson to accuse Sheriff Jerry Keller and Lt. Larry Spinosa of any type of coverup would amount to slander if we weren't all public figures.

When I first became a police officer, I was told: "When we put on a badge, we live in a fish bowl and our lives are open to the public scrutiny." We are all well aware that we are held to a higher degree of accountability and that our actions cannot violate the public trust. None of us challenge the fact that a coroner's inquest or some type of public forum is necessary to review the use of deadly force by our officers. But we do have the right to a thorough review/investigation and fair coverage by the media.

I have investigated dozens of officer-involved shootings, 17 of which were reviewed by a coroner's inquest. We take great pride in our total, thorough investigation of these shootings in this unit. There has -- and never will be -- coverups. With all the investigative journalists in the print and broadcast media, the FBI and Justice Department reviews of these cases, an investigator would be a fool to attempt to conceal misconduct by an officer.

The coroner's jury only heard half of the exculpatory evidence in the investigation into the death of Mr. Rowe, and they ruled it justifiable. They didn't hear the medical experts' testimony as to the extent and manner of injuries to Officer Pease nor did they hear about Mr. Rowe's erratic behavior.

Street people are very dangerous by nature due to the high percentage of mentally deranged individuals among them. In 1978, the majority of federal funding was stopped to mental institutions, and thousands of borderline-disturbed people were released to our streets. These people have gravitated to the Sun Belt states, and we have a disproportionate number of them on the streets. Just drive downtown and look around, and you'll see more than you care to.

Mr. Waje's family called the polcie for help because he was acting in a violent, erratic manner. The officers were confronted by a violent, deranged person with knives. When he refused to drop them and advanced toward the officers, he left them no choice. Nonlethal means are not meant for armed confrontations. Ask the coroner how many people are murdered each year with kitchen knives. Only a fool goes to a knife fight unarmed. Mr. Waje caused his own death. We are here to protect and serve, not to bleed and die.

We live in a community that is literally bursting at its seams. Population growth with escalating violent crime and murders are almost daily occurrences, so it only stands to reason that armed confrontations between police and suspects will continue to increase. Fortunately, most will end without blood being shed, but some won't. That's just a fact of life.

Lt. Spinosa did not deserve the garbage Mr. Gunderson leveled at him. The sheriff and Metro do not deserve this either.

We are not malicious cold-blooded killers, we are dedicated public servants.

These last few years have been very hard on morale, some of which has been justified. We have had a few officers conduct themselves in a manner that has caused us all embarrassment. These officers are in court and no longer on the department. WE CLEAN OUR OWN HOUSE.