| TRAGEDY - NEEDLESS ROAD DEATH?
Opinion & Comment: Charleston Gazette 8/15/2003
Did overzealous police behavior cause an unnecessary death in Greenbrier County
last Friday night? State Police officials gave this account:
A Lewisburg police car was rushing to the scene of a fight, with flashers blinking.
State troopers in two squad cars saw the passing city cruiser and sped after it to
assist "out of courtesy." However, the troopers apparently didn't know what they
were assisting, because they couldn't talk to the Lewisburg officer over their
dissimilar radios.
The city officer topped a hill, then stopped in the road to talk to some witnesses.
One following state trooper, coming abruptly to the blocked highway, was able to
stop â but the second trooper was moving too fast. He swerved left to miss the
stalled traffic and smashed head-on into an oncoming car, inflicting fatal injuries on
34-year-old Neil Parker of White Sulphur Springs.
Was this tragedy caused by "cowboy" police conduct â eagerness to "get in on the
chase"? It seems reckless for such aggressive, high-speed action to be taken for a
simple fight. Undoubtedly, the victim's family will sue and win more millions from
taxpayers â a recurring result of State Police incidents.
State Police are making an internal investigation of the crash, but perhaps an
independent inquiry is needed. An independent probe would seem more
trustworthy to the public.
Meanwhile, State Police gave greater protection to themselves than to the rest of
the public in this event. Usually, names of people involved in traffic accidents are
public records and are revealed by officers.
But police officials concealed the name of the trooper involved, saying the internal
investigation required confidentiality. Nonsense. Releasing the trooper's name
wouldn't impede any investigation.
Legislators or other state officials should make a separate inquiry into the sad
Greenbrier County event â and tell the State Police they aren't entitled to secrecy
that isn't available to other West Virginians.
Hur Herald Note: The victim was going to the State Fair to man a booth for his church
group, after being injured, calling on his cell phone to tell them he was not going to make it to the job. He told his brother, during prayer at Charleston Area Medical Center, he
forgave the policeman.
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