SHOOTING: Lethal force not justified

In response to the Jan. 8 article where Jeanetta Riley was shot to death by officers Michael Valenzuela and Skylar Ziegler, I stand with Jeanetta and Shane Riley…“bring it on.”

Kootenai County Prosecutor Barry McHugh’s ruling that lethal force was justified is simply not true. He is wrong and part of law enforcement problems, not solutions.

At one point, through an email, I was unable to obtain information on how many hours of CIT (Crisis Intervention Training) an officer receives. As taxpayers, we all should be made aware of this information and I challenge the Coeur d’Alene Police Department to publicly do so. NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) has proposed on many occasions to give these classes to all officers. To date, I know of only two officers that have received it.

Lethal force justified? Not in this case. In the past, I have supported our Idaho Police and proudly display their decal on my car window. Last week when they called for a donation I simply answered “NO” … not until every single officer goes through an aggressive CIT program. I would encourage all reading this to do the same.

I am glad the Rileys are seeking justice not only from the PD but from the hospital as well. Don’t hospitals have security guards that could have handled this in a more humane matter?

JoANN LOKKEN

Coeur d’Alene