Tradewinds,
This is an open letter to Police Commissioner Elton Lewis.
On the side of the police vehicle is written Working with you 24-7. What does this mean? Im also wondering what your statements in the Tradewinds mean when you say you need the communitys help in reporting crime. You want the communitys help? Accept it.
On Wednesday, April 5, my boyfriend and I caught a ride into town from Coral Bay with an elderly St. Johnian. As we rounded Catherineberg curve, the oncoming VITRAN bus clipped the front of the car we were in. We stopped and got out, checking the car and our bodies for damage. The bus did not stop. It continued to roar along, cutting corners and speeding.
When I got to work, I called the VIPD to report the incident. Unfortunately, when I called the police, I was met with hostility. The police woman I spoke with told me that I shouldnt have called as I wasnt the driver of the car. I was certainly one of the victims of this accident, as well as a witness. I started to tell her that I thought it was my duty to report the accident, but she rudely hung up on me.
Perhaps your initiatives to reform the police department and involve the community should start with training your police officers, so that when the community does respond to your request for support, we are listened to and treated with respect and made to feel a valuable part of keeping our community safe. The current police attitude does nothing to encourage community support or involvement.
Please listen to us.
Anne Marshall
