Yes, even deadbeats deserve another chance

Michael J. Murphy of Hayden is one of our favorite letter writers because, bless him, he tells it exactly the way he sees it.

No posturing. And no b.s. When Mike sounds off on matters of crime and punishment, this former Southern California cop knows what he’s talking about.

Been there.

Survived that.

And did a lot of good between.

So it’s nothing personal when we disagree with his conclusions, which reflect the conclusions of many Americans — most of whom won’t come right out and say so.

In case you missed it, Mr. Murphy criticized the use of Narcan by Post Falls Police in a July 16 letter to the editor. Murphy’s take is that the man whose life was saved by a $45 snort administered by police officers will go on to abuse again, commit crimes to sustain his addiction, and end up a personal and public liability.

Mike might be right. But that doesn’t mean we’re wrong believing law enforcers are like every other first responder in that they have no higher calling than to save a life. Yes, even if it’s a deadbeat’s. Even if it’s a drug addict who today is a parasite feeding off society’s blood.

We don’t have Mr. Murphy’s experience dealing with the worst humanity has to dish out, day after day, night after night. (Although covering politics comes close.) If we did, maybe we’d see things through a similar lens.

But it’s because of law enforcers like Scot Haug of Post Falls and Ben Wolfinger of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office that there’s another option.

They choose life.

They choose to believe that tomorrow can be better than today.