ARFEE: Tale of two stories

I don’t know if it was intentional irony on your part or intentional sarcasm on Chief White’s part, but the dichotomy between the article “Officer takes a pay cut” and the article “Citizens to participate in use of force board” would have been hilarious if it wasn’t so important to the citizens of Coeur d’Alene who are still seeking answers in the Officer David Kelley case.

In the first article, the Chief tells the members of The Press that he will not discuss the Kelley case because — essentially — it’s none of the public’s business. In the next, the Chief bemoans the fact that, because the current Use of Force Board has no citizen members, “the composition of the current board does not provide for the level of accountability, transparency and community input that is needed for law enforcement to work effectively with our community.”

It may just be me, but it seems like there has been substantial public input. It’s just that the Chief, the department and, of course, Officer Kelley, just aren’t talking.

So much for accountability, transparency and community input.

LLOYD MASON

Coeur d’Alene