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REGINA BRETT
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Officer Simone column touches a nerve
by Regina Brett
Thursday July 17, 2008, 10:11 PM
Jim Simone
Previous column:
How to define a supercop
Check out the original story:
Cleveland cop shoots and kills man suspected of robbing bank
And the opposing view from columnist Phillip Morris:
Officer Simone and his gun are making Cleveland safer
What will it be: cops or thugs? Officer Simone wins, hands down
I stopped counting at 500.
About two-thirds of you disagreed with my Wednesday column on officer Jim Simone.
Simone has killed five suspects in his career as a Cleveland police officer. Experts say it could be a record in the country.
I called for an outside investigation of Simone. He was off duty last week when he hopped in a civilian's car, chased down an unarmed bank robber and shot him dead.
Of the dozens of readers who said they know Simone, half said he's the world's hardest-working cop; the other half said he is a brute and a bully.
Many readers thanked me for the column. Blacks, in particular, said they are too familiar with cops who abuse their power.
Even Cleveland police officers are mixed on Simone.
Some defended him and want 100 more like him on the force. Others thanked me and said Simone is a loose cannon they don't want to work with. They agreed with me that true supercops are the ones who don't fire a gun even when they can.
"I had the chance to kill five people," said one caller who identified himself as a Cleveland police veteran. "I never killed one of them."
The Cleveland police are investigating Simone's recent shooting. So is the mayor's citizen review board. Both are standard procedure in cases where officers use deadly force.
No one knows what it is like to be a cop except another cop. In my 22 years as a journalist, I have followed police officers through police academy, ridden with them on shifts, sat in on roll calls, seen one get disabled for life in the line of duty, talked to them when they have taken lives and when they tried and couldn't save lives.
Every officer I interviewed became a cop because he or she wanted to help people.
In the pages of this paper, I have been a constant defender of police when they have had to use deadly force to protect themselves and others.
No one wants to live in the Wild West where shootings in the streets by cops or criminals become routine.
Too often police shootings divide us into two camps: conservatives and liberals, right and wrong, black and white.
But there is a middle. And it isn't gray. It is blue.
We are burying an officer today in Twinsburg, a fine husband, father, brother and son.
Patrolman Joshua Miktarian was shot and killed during a traffic stop.
Hundreds will show up today to mourn. Then the men and women in blue will climb back into their squad cars and disperse into the most dangerous corners of our cities. They have work to do.
So do the rest of us.
We need to teach our kids to respect and obey police officers, not to fear or resent them.
We need to report what we see and hear to help solve crimes.
And we need to give our police officers the paychecks they deserve, the protection they require and the equipment and training they need to protect themselves.
Only then will they be able to protect us.
Join Regina Brett at 9 a.m. every Friday on WCPN FM/90.3, where she hosts "The Sound of Ideas." Visit cleveland.com/brett for past Regina Brett columns.
I just wonder is Simone ever considered moving up the ranks with CPD, or if walking the beat is his true calling.
Outside investigations are never a bad idea.
I wished Jim Simone patrolled my Cleveland neighborhood.
I would feel a lot safer if he did.
This man is a true hero. You should have listened to him on Bob Frantz. We must support our police and our troops no matter what they do.
I disagree that we must support our police and our troops no matter what they do.
However, what Jim Simone did is justifiable-- even though it seems that statistics are being used to cast doubt about his professional reputation.
The problem with the law of probability argument is just like throwing dice in a game of casino craps, you can expect both long and short rolls; that is, sometimes the 7 comes on the first roll, but sometimes the 7 will come on the 54th roll or later.
However, the probability of rolling a 7 is 6 out of 36 possible outcomes of the dice, or every 6th roll.
Does this mean that a casino should suspect that a craps player is cheating if he or she has a roll of more than 6 throws?
Of course not-- just like it is wrong to assume that Jim Simone must be a bad cop because he has been involved in more shootings than the average police officer.
It seems that Jim Simone is being hammered because he did not allow the suspected bank robber to get away.
However, if Jim Simone did, who knows if the fleeing bank robber would have ran over another innocent pedestrian, like what happened last summer in Public Square.
If Jim Simone had decided to look the other way as the criminal suspect ran away, does anyone really believe that he would not have tried to rob another bank or someone else later?
Although some are accusing Jim Simone of being a brutal cop, I strongly believe that the only people who should fear Jim Simone are the thugs on Jim Simone's beat, who want to victimize others.
There is nothing wrong with an independent review of this case, especially given Officer Simone's record. He sounds like a straight shooter who will be vindicated. Why should anyone be touchy about that?
Our country rose to be the best by letting the truth shine through (at least more often than other countries). In this way our country rose more on merit than others. We cannot afford a future where we blindly say we support someone "...no matter what they do."
You would have to be naive to say there won't be exceptions, but we should never encourage anything to be swept under the carpet. It weakens us as a society and makes us like a third world country, and I use that term in its derogatory sense with all the connotations of corruption that go with it.
i want to know more about the civilian and their car he jumped in. i for one probably wouldn't have volunteered my car to a cop to chase a bank robber. i'm on th fence with this guy especially since regina says other cops have called him a loose cannon and a bully. and as i go back and read the robber was unarmed? something's fishy here
Don't think your column was provacative, insightful or enlightened. You are a left wing, liberal who just wishes that everything and everyone in this world was like the dope smoking professors told you it should be back at Kent State. Just once, why not write a column about the VICTIMS. Without qualification. There is evil in this world and in this city and WE are not responsible for it. WE are not responsible for a whole generation of people who do not raise their kids, do not attempt to keep their family together or support them but instead live off the guilt, largess and sympathies of our government supported by people like you. I am not talkig about people truly in need either. I am talking about a large core of people in this city who are beyond control and amoral. Total lawlessness. And if you got out of the PD offices and your suburban home and tried to run a business, raise kids or patrol the streets in this city you might think otherwise. But that will never happen. You will just talk and write and look down on the people who are victimized byt the society you seek to create. And you will feel good about yourselves when you talk to your fellow NPR types.
Boy, I sure don't count as many people who agree with here views as she does!! I count them almost overwhelmingly in disagreement. Methinks there is a little denial going on here. Or shall we say spin.
Not too sure about this guy, I guess you would have to know exactly what happened at each situation to make an educated opinion. I know that its not right to just go around shooting people. There are good cops and bad cops. I feel sorry for the cops that have the attitude, maybe they cann't get the girl they want, or are smaller in the genital area.. not sure. But they are out there to do a job, not have an attitude or abuse thier authority, this is a huge issue because this is where the hatred of police officers stems. Those type of officers are not respected and are laughed at. The Police need to remember that they work for us, so put a smile on your face and do your job. Oh and btw.. they say simone doesnt let anyone out of tickets. That is not true, he let me go once on w25 not sure why, but i guess hes not that bad after all. :)
You are the worst. Just like your columns on abortion -- I am against it but I am OK if others want to have them. What a coward.
Why don't you mention that the BANK ROBBER was charged with 9 felonies in his illustrious career. You fail to mention the resume of this scumbag while you detail what you view as the bad behaviour of SImone. This was no altar boy and frankly, he made a life ending decision and put himself in a sitaution that caused his demise, not officer Simone.
The BANK ROBBER, threatened the life of the teller at the bank and said he was armed. Should SImone interview him to make sure he was serious. SO you are for the cops when they get shot -- and rollout all your symathies -- but against them when they take action to protect themselves.
And by the way -- in case you haven;t noticerd -- we DO live in the Wild West. And I want the3 cops to win. SO you qualify your PR staged "ride alongs" as some type of street cred? You are an complete idiot.
I agree with her totally I know others that do, folks don't speak up because that don't want to be degraded by right wing faction that thinks it runs the world and acuse people that disagree with them on any issue of being Unamerican or not supportive of law enforcement.
"No one wants to live in the Wild West where shootings in the streets by cops or criminals become routine"
Hey Regina, have you walked the streets of Cleveland lately? This is already the case.
As I stated in my letter to Regina, having an officer like Simone shooting at criminals in public when necessary, using his good judgement that he has been trained on and developed over the years, works to the benefit and safety of all in the long run. It is true that respect for those in authority comes from upbringing and good parenting, but that can only change with the children.....and that's a big if. So far society hasn't shown us that this is the trend. In fact, today's young ones are actually going in the opposite direction. For some proof, just step foot in any public school classroom in Cuyahoga County and see what attitudes todayt's youth demonstrate.
So what do we do to cope with the adult criminals of today? We need officers like Simone to bridge the gap and re-instate the respect and command the police force once got from all common citizens. It's great to wish for a society in which using force isn't necessary, and I'm sure Brett wishes for this with her liberal, democratic, utopian dreams. But in reality, we need more skillful and trained officers like Simone to bring back law and order to the crime-riddled streets of Cleveland.
I disagreed with Ms. Brett's column, and I wrote her and told her so. But now that I see rushisking and Bob Frantz also disagree with her, I am starting to think I was wrong.
As I have said before the bottom line boils down to this: if you play by the rules, don't commit crime(s) then you won't have a police officer pointing a gun at you and we wouldn't be debating this editoral. It can't be any simpler than that folks!!!!! Quit over-analyzing this.
America needs to wake up and make up its mind on which way we want to live, a culture free of crime due to strong security forces who criminals fear or streets where TERRORISTS run amock like Gotham City in a Batman movie. It is black and white right in front of us to choose.
I know what my choice is, welcome to the team Officer Simone!
Their really is no problem here... this is a case of a very small group of morons who believe that the criminals should have some kind of gentle approach to them when they committ crimes. These moronic, left winged tree hugging, global warming alarmists belive that everything is corrupt, and everyone is evil that has authority. Well too bad for them and how pathetic they come off. I am surprised that Pres. Bush hasnt been blamed for Officer Simones actions yet.
Why dont you opportunists have your vigil, pray for peace, chant lovely tribal type songs and go your way? No really cares what fragmented thoughts you have on the ills of our society.
The free thinkers have known for quite sometime what ills this country... you.
simple concept here folks...if you are a law abiding citizen then why are you so hung up on Simone's quick trigger finger? It is us who he is protecting!!!!
I have worked with Jim Simone years ago when I worked for the court. He was arrogant then as I'm sure he is now. Many Cleveland cops I know do not want to work with him since he puts himself, and them in danger. How could a guy just happen to be at 3 different bank robberies. A friend of mine killed a suspect in the line of duty. It is very unusual. It affected him deeply. Simone has offed 5.
A couple years ago he followed a judicial candidate home from a fundraiser in Cleveland. He pulled her over in his personal car in Westlake, charging her with DUI. Turns out she was running against a judge friend of his.
I think a super cop is one that uses deadly force as a last resort, not as a preferred option.
Ms. Britt STILL has not offered a single FACT that would suggest that Officer Simone ever did anything wrong during any of these shooting. Not one single FACT.
"As I have said before the bottom line boils down to this: if you play by the rules, don't commit crime(s) then you won't have a police officer pointing a gun at you" - mlnem4s
That is a pretty naive statement. Even if you don't believe police pull people over for DWB and no cop is ever on a power trip there are plenty of times when a cop points of gun at an innocent person.
Every time a cop gets called into a situation were the victim and the perpetrator are still on the scene they treat everyone as a threat until they sort things out. And sometimes they get it wrong.
I am a pretty conservative person, but Brett is right. There should be an outside investigation. Not a witch hunt but an investigation.
Ms. Brett,
You still don't get it.
And- no slight backpeddling to defend your position as you already know that it is standard procedure for the Department and the City to review the incident. What you were asking for was an additional review outside the realm of the City influence.
In other words - from people who are not in touch with what problems Cleveland really has- an impromptu Liberal lynching party for Jim Simone.
Police are a diverse group - they are like a slice and reflection of our society. Some are nice to a fault - others indifferent or plain simply lazy, gossipy and jealous, or totally dedicated and giving 100% of the time.
We don't need only Jim Simone's on the Force - but we do need some to allow for balance.
You mentioned we need our children to be able to respect and not be afraid of the Police. You are leading your readers down the wrong path. Police work is not a game - it is deadly serious- the police cannot always be "nice guys". Nice guys in this game finish "dead last" quite literally. By the way- since you are keeping count - how many children has Simone gunned down? How about priests, housewives, people in wheelchairs? Have you really looked at Jim outside the job? He has faith - he is a devout Catholic (and not like you -a Catholic in name only who takes stands outside tenants and teachings of the church)
Believe it or not he likes kids- and they like him. The bad guys hate and fear Jim. Please explain why that is wrong.
The perfect world you want is like Rodney Dangerfield said: "Fantasy Land".
Your most recent column is rift with contradictions. You want the best of both worlds, but, lady - you ain't gonna get it.
A police officer can be both nice and - also a criminal's worst nightmare. It is a balance.
As for me- I didn't want a partner who waffles on deciding to use deadly force- especially if they have doubt as to what to do because they read your arcticle.
Please, please, please compile a list of all those innocent victims Jim has killed in his 30 plus years. If Jim really was a rogue cop wouldn't the streets be littered with the dead by now? I'm sure that in the past 30 or so years Jim should have knocked off an innocent bystander or two, or at least gotten one of his partners killed. Guess what- he hasn't because he does his job the way it should be done. He hasn't just lucked out over a period of more than 30 years. Nobody is that lucky if they are reckless too.
I used to think as you now do - that Jim was some hothead, and a rogue cop- but I woke up one day and realized that my Job is not a big adventure in Fantasy Land- it is the real deal. Jim knows it is not a game. But too many cops play the odds, and gamble each day by being Too lenient.
I too was like the one cop who wrote in that said he had 5 instances where he was justified in shooting someone- but didn't do it and - never ended up shooting anyone. Like me - he was PURE Lucky. But- I'm open minded about it - since I was not there with that officer I cannot second guess why he DID NOT shoot.
In at least two of my instances my decision not to shoot the suspect was just plain stupid and I should have been fired for not doing so. In both cases the outcome had a happy ending - but yet again - in both cases by not shooting, I came within a hair of being killed, Several innocent victims were also placed in a position whereby my inaction caused them to be placed in unnecessary harms way. I did not pull the trigger because I was TOO much of a nice guy. I failed in my sworn duty.
Any Officer who second guesses a fellow officer for shooting when they were not there to view the incident is a pure FOOL. Without all the facts, keep your mouths shut. The same goes for reporters who write columns before all the facts are in - you incite people into a negative view of the Police. Vigilante Journalism.
Police cannot always be the nice guy. If more of us were like Jim - there would be more of a deterrent for criminals.
Don't relate in your column that you have been to the police academy, that you have been on ride alongs, etc. It's not the same thing, not even close. It's like being a warden in a jail. Technically you are in jail just like the criminal - except you get to go home every day. A policeman, even when he goes home never really leaves the job- it stays with him for the rest of of his life. I lasted 20 years and it burned me out. A police career is a sentence - not a career- no matter what anyone says.
Why don't you try this for once. Are you demanding in a future column a complete investigation into the suspect, someone that you seem to be painting as a victim? Why don't you put him under the microscope? Then again, maybe he was nicer to children than Jim Simone ever was- and in your book - that makes the Suspect a saint whose rights were violated.
In this case Ms Brett has resorted to the same Recklessness in Journalism as she is accusing Jim Simone of doing in police work. Ms. Brett has pulled out her pen in recklessness more than Jim will ever pull the trigger.
Ms. Brett NEEDS to know that the views such as she put in print and misinforms the public with KILLS. In many cases the issue of the ramifications of deciding to use deadly force or not goes through the minds of most Officers, and in many cases overrides even their sense of self preservation. They worry about the scrutiny, and the hell it will put their family through, and the possible legal ramifications. In many cases this has caused Officers to hesitate - and that split second has caused their deaths.
I firmly believe that people such as Ms. Brett unwittingly are just as guilty of murder as if she pulled the trigger on many Officers. Her article puts doubt in their minds, and the doubt translates to inaction. The end result is fatal.
Dear Ms. Brett,
This letter is in response to your column in the July 16th, 2008 edition of the Plain Dealer Newspaper regarding Cleveland Police Officer Jim Simone.
I’m sick and tired of so called “professional journalists” nestled away in their cozy little writing nooks, never having spent even one day as a Police Officer, placing microscopic scrutiny upon the Police, and questioning their actions especially in instances when an Officer has a split second to make a life threatening decision.
Case in point is your article on Cleveland Patrolman Jim Simone. I have 20 years of service as a Police Officer and also know Jim Simone, so I believe I do have insight into what challenges Police works demands. At the same time I want to be clear that Jim and myself do not work together, and are not regular pals or buddies- I just know him through the job.
When I first heard of and later met Jim, I initially looked upon him as one of those Cops who lived only for the job and was always hyper aggressive in his duty, and to some degree I held some inner contempt and distain for him. I heard all of the talk including the fact he would ticket his own mother if he found her in the wrong, but as I came to have more time on the job, with more experience and more training, I became quite a bit more realistic in my view of what the job requires of an Police Officer. What I realized is that we need Officers like Jim Simone.
What people need to realize is that a Police Officer is a human being like everyone else. No two are alike, with different beliefs, emotions, and reactions. Yes, many Officers during their careers never fire a shot. Sometimes it is a greatly honed sense of people skills and the ability to read a person that brings the confrontation to a peaceful conclusion. Other times it’s just plain luck that you didn’t get your head blown off, even after the rest of us Super Cop types call upon all of our so called “great people skills and superpowers” to do our jobs.
During my career I have known of many Officers that you place in the “Super Cop anonymity” range whom, even with all their super powers were murdered on the job. They are often eulogized with the same words:
“A veteran of 12 years, he was a great guy , a family man, never said an unkind word about anyone in his life, he took all sorts of precautions on the job, evenhanded, will be missed by all, a devoted husband and father of two, took pride in his job and community which he served, a candlelight vigil is planned in his honor” and on, and on.
Yes, most Police go about their difficult jobs day in and day out without ever being written about in the papers, or receiving loads of commendations during their careers. But, we are a diverse breed, and we all have different ways in which we do our jobs, and how diligently and intensely we devote our energies to that end.
With some of us including myself it is a mix of street smarts, either inherent or learned over a period of time, proper training, being in the right place at the right time, or just plain sheer luck. As I look back over my career there were several times where by the grace of god only, I came home- either by relying on quick instinct, by chance doing the right thing at the right time, or in several instances I made a really bad judgment call and by pure luck alone I was not get injured or killed, nor anyone else for that matter. Over the years my outlook changed from one of a new and exciting job for a young Officer to a more hardened view of what I had to do to survive each day and not become a statistic.
We always think the other guy is going to get it, it is not going to happen to me today, a little bit more time and I’ll make it to retirement.
Several times in my career I handled serious calls where a gun or other weapon was involved, and other Officers including myself had to make some quick decisions. Afterward we patted ourselves on the back for doing such a great job where no one was hurt. Later, after we reran the events over in our heads we realized that we made some huge errors in judgment, and we simply lucked out that day. These events were wakeup calls that chilled us to the bone.
We should have reacted as Jim Simone has had to do so many times , but we chose a different solution, a gamble and lucked out big time. All too often Officers hesitate because in the back of our mind we are thinking what a real mess we will be in if we decide to use lethal force. As a result many Officers names are written upon Police Memorial Walls. Jim has not always chosen the more serious or lethal route, and he has not always been as lucky as the rest of us. He has hesitated like anybody else would and he has been both shot at and been shot as a result. Jim has been only a hairs breath away from being on that wall several times.
Many, many Officers like myself just happen to luck out our entire careers. We are the Cops that everyone loves.
“What a great guy, avoids confrontation when he has to, he warned me instead of giving me a ticket, he could have shot that guy, but instead he wrestled the suspect to the ground and disarmed him”. Sometimes it just comes down to taking a day off the day all hell breaks loose.
The end of your story could have had a different ending if Jim Simone had chosen another route in dealing with the suspect.
“Officer Jim Simone pursued the suspect, as the suspect reached a getaway car and reached inside the driver compartment. Officer Simone ordered the suspect to freeze. Instead the suspect pulled a sawed off shotgun out from behind the driver seat, turned quickly and fired upon Officer Simone. Being one of those anonymous Super Cops that treats everyone fairly, including allowing all suspects to draw first in a shootout, Officer Simone now lay dead in the street with a shotgun blast to the abdomen. The suspect then sped off leading Police on an hour long high speed chase through some of the most heavily populated side streets in the City. The chase ended only after the suspect barricaded himself in a private residence and took a 10 year old girl hostage. After repeated demands by the police to give up the suspect refused, later killing the hostage.
A short time later the suspect was apprehended as the Police stormed the house.
The Suspect was arraigned in court and charged with bank robbery, and two counts of first degree murder. His attorney entered a plea of not guilty stating that his client had been under a lot of stress caused by global warming, bank closings, the fuel shortage, and mostly from reading the Plain Dealer’s endless drivel that they churn out and defend as being created with Journalistic Integrity. His client also states that he shot in self defense since he knew Officer Simone was a cold blooded killer first, and Police Officer second.
After a lengthy trial costing the Citizens of Ohio many hundreds of thousands of dollars the suspect was later cleared of all charges by a Jury made up mostly of writers from the Plain Dealer. The suspect then sued the City of Cleveland and won a large undisclosed sum of money in an out of court settlement. He is now enjoying a fine early retirement in Cozumel where he owns a gas guzzling and greenhouse gas emitting Hummer, started an online banking company that fleeces victims out of their life savings, and most of all enjoys his new subscription to “The New Yorker” which just recently parodied the now deceased Officer Simone on the front cover showing him in hell being forced to watch an endless loop of Dirty Harry movies as punishment for his dirty deeds”
Sadly, the days of the Andy Griffith style of policing are fading fast. The reality is that it is not a game out there - for the Police it is a war. If anyone thinks differently they really need a reality check. A war where the bad guy is hard to distinguish from the good guy. The bad guy does not wear a uniform or signal his intentions. The streets are not so very different from a street you would find in Iraq. In fact for a local Police Officer it is more dangerous. We wear dress clothes and have to be courteous to all, we have to give the benefit of the doubt to the citizen at all times, and statistically the bad guy gets the drop on us in the majority of confrontations - and statistics show that the bad guy usually wins.
Most of us are not as dedicated as Jim is, we devote more energy to family, hobbies, and interests outside the job. Because of this we are not as focused as Jim is and that places us all more at risk. But we need the Jim Simone’s, now more than ever, with our streets getting more dangerous, and our media and politicians questioning our every action. Not every Cop has the luxury of being the anonymous Super Cop. Some have had to make that decision to do the right thing, and sometimes that means being a good shot and pulling the trigger.
Jim Simone was not laying in wait that day at his local bank branch for the sole purpose of stalking a would be bank robber (who by the way announced he had a gun) and gunning him down in cold blood in the street. That day Jim was a Citizen like anyone else going about his own business and he did what was right.
In olden days back in England it was called “Hue and Cry”. At that time the law required that if the “Hue and Cry” was raised by any Citizen everyone within earshot had to rush to that person’s assistance. The tragedy here is the Jim Simone (and the lone woman that allowed Jim to use her car in the pursuit) was the ONLY one to try to apprehend the suspect.
The safety of the community should be on everyone’s shoulders, not just a few peacekeepers thinly spread out. The real tragedy in our communities is that we sit back and let the Jim Simone’s pull the trigger.
In reality there were thousands of other fingers on Jim Simone’s trigger that day. In a City of many thousands, Jim was starkly alone.
The next time the “Hue and Cry” goes out there will be none to answer the call as we will have ostracized the last of the Jim Simone’s from our ranks, and there will be no one left to do the “dirty work”.
czervik7,
I did not realize Simone was the cop involved in that little escapade. Simone should have been fired after that incident alone. That was one of the most obvious cases of abuse of authority I have ever read about. No wonder why so many cops who know him do not like him.
Not only did the guy Simone pull over beat the DUI he sued Simone and Simone's friend - not sure how the case turned out.
During the civil trial they checked Simone's cellphone records. Seemed that while Simone was doing his duty as a righteous law enforcement officer and following the guy from W25 to Westlake he called his friend - who was running against the guy Simone eventually arrested for the same judicial gig - a couple dozen times on his cellphone.
At the very least Simone is a dirty cop. Anyone who knows the facts of that case and says otherwise is a kidding themselves.
Ms. Brett
In your first column you slandered officer Simone inferring he was a serial killer on par with Kervorkian. You rely on speculation and innuendo with no factual basis in your "editorials" what so ever. Are you so daft that you are incapable of researching anything you write, offering only your left field opinion? Sure, you "know" (a caller on the phone?) cops who could have killed but didn't; they are lucky to still be alive if it's true. There are differing opinions on officer Simone, and internal investigations have been done. How about some actual information next time.
Shame on you Regina. To try and comingle the events surrounding the shooting of the 9 time felon and a murdered police officer is abhorent!
Officer Jash Miktarian deserves better than this.
Maybe you should interview his widow that is left trying to put the pieces of her life together without her husband.
Maybe you should interview the killer and figure out where it all went wrong in his life.
On the day where NE Ohio is burying a police officer who was shot in cold blood (remember the facts, Josh never pulled his gun out of his holster) in my mind it would be more appropriate for you to be writing a piece on the tragedy surrounding Josh's murder and not putting yourself in the middle of a 9 time felon's death by the hands of a police officer who was protecting innocent citizens.
It is ironic that Regina Brett probably thinks that she is protecting Cleveland residents from a brutal cop.
However, I bet that the vast majority of Cleveland residents want Jim Simone to keep protecting them.
Whether she realizes it or not, the people Regina Brett is really trying to protect are the thugs that do not want to run into Jim Simone.
I love the people that Regina cites to back her statement. Isn't it funny how a certain demographic is on TV or writing letters when the police shoot someone? Isn't it funny how people like Regina or Art McCoy or others who are "interested" or "connected" to the "community" expect the police to not shoot?
They expect police to be able to make a split second (actually make that decision in 1/10 of a second) decision as to whether the gun pointed at them is real or fake? Is that a weapon or not? Do I wait to be shot to find out? Do I wait for someone else to be shot to find out?
Isn't it funny how these people always have positive things to say about career criminals? Hell, even if this bank robber isn't a career criminal, he robbed a freakin' bank! You break the law, you run from the police, YOU create a situation in which the police have to protect themselves and/or the public and you know what happens? You lose. Most often, you'll lose.
Why do Simone and others shoot criminals? Ask Miktarian. Ask Derek Owens. Ask the thousands others who have been shot and killed trying to simply do their job.
And why doesn't Regina mentioned the fact that Simone has been on the job for like 35 years? Does she or the idiots that agree with her, realize that in 35 years you'll see more action? Get involved in more situations than most cops? Why doesn't she mention how many times Simone has been injured in the line of duty? Stabbed? Check. Shot? Check. Hit by a car? Check. Check. So its okay for him to put himself in danger like this for 35 years, but he's wrong for making the city safer?
And the cops who say they don't like Simone, have probably received tickets from him. Or their relatives have. Like him or not, one thing about this guy is that NO ONE is given a break. You break the law, he responds. Period. Put his life in danger, you better duck.
Once again the issue is diverted in the wrong direction. A criminal was shot and killed. Maybe his family deserves sympathy. Maybe not. Maybe they created this criminal. If Simone was the "supercop" that Regina Brett thinks he should be, what other violent felonies would he live to commit? Who cares about the future victims. Or the families of future victims. This criminal's life is more important.
Left or right. Liberal or conservative. That doesn't matter. A police officer went above and beyond (again) and he's getting criticized by a woman who ignores that if she were the victim of a violent crime, she needs a police officer's help and protection. Would Simone be a supercop if this criminal had a gun to Brett's head in the bank, and he didn't respond? He didn't draw his gun?
Cops who never pull or shoot their guns aren't necessarily supercops. They're the lucky cops.
Here's a copy of my letter to Ms. Brett from yesterday. I was one of the many hundreds who took time to respond to her ridiculous article. How tasteless that she stirs this pot up only days after Officer Miktarian lost his life, and then posts this article on the day of the fallen officer's funeral. Do we really need to continue to be subjected to her bush-league journalism? Is this the best the PD can do? If so, then we REALLY need another paper in this town again. And by the way, this isn't the first column of hers that I've been so dissatisfied with that I've written her a letter....
>>> "XXX" 07/17/08 10:16 >>> Dear Ms. Brett, I am taking valuable time out of my workday to respond to your article and opinion regarding Officer Simone as published in yesterday's Plain Dealer. I sincerely hope your email inbox is so full of logical responses that this one won't reach you, but on the off-chance that you do read it, I hope you take it to heart. I really would like to question why you chose to shed negative light on the actions and record of one of finest members of Cleveland law enforcement, Officer Simone. The man puts his life on the line protecting us, which is more than I can say for you or I, and does an excellent job of it in my eye. He's willing to put himself MORE in harms way in order to bring fleeing criminals to justice. His style, his choices, and his tendencies are surely contributing to the decision making of would-be criminals who have to be asking themselves if their actions are worth being shot and possibly dyeing for. I don't know of any situation where his action has put any innocent bystanders in harm's way, and this is a testament to his restraint and judgment of when it has been safe to use force and when it hasn't been safe. Again, another indicator that he is doing a superior job. What law enforcement could benefit from most is more officers who took their job duties as seriously and as professionally as he does. If more officers took on his style and decision making skills, it would go a long way in re-establishing the respect, seriousness, and slight fear that every common police officer once commanded without question from all citizens, in all neighborhoods. In Cuyahoga County, and especially on the East Side, we now have a culture of people who are not at all in fear of the short-term consequences of their actions (i.e. no respect for the police) and are certainly not at all considering the long-term consequences of their actions (they know that incarceration isn't likely, and if they are incarcerated, they know it will be a short stay at one of our country's many luxury prisons). And finally, if I could express one of my opinions directly to you, it would be that I believe a major reason why our society has so many problems with crime, guns, and general "thug" and "entitlement" behavior is that too many people who hold the same opinions and values as you do have been allowed to influence and make the important public policy decisions over the years. It is basically because these over-zealous, democratic liberals like yourself have been allowed to shape our society and culture into one where in many places people do not slightly fear or even respect any person in authority, whether it be a parent, a teacher, or a cop. And these same people certainly don't fear or even consider the fact that their actions may lead to prison, which many believe isn't that bad after all (and probably isn't for most would-be criminals). Thank you, and keep up the good work for the wonderful Plain Dealer.
Sncerely,
"xxx"
for all you xtians out there...remember one thing. the twinsburg officer is probably going to waltz through the pearly gates. officer psycho is going to roast on a spit. there is no amendment to your book that says "thou shalt not kill (unless hanging around a bank off duty and in the mood to play lethal weapon).
Robinhawk,
Thank you for the wonderful back to back comments. I bet my friend, Ofc Jason West wished he wasn't one of Regina Brett's "SuperCops". I know I would rather he be here today after shooting his killer (another "fine, law abiding citizen", Timothy Halton) instead of this animal sitting in jail, while his public defender puts his trial off again and again. Lethal injection is too easy for this POS.
I still do not accept your attempt at an apology for calling an officer a serial killer. If Miktarian had used the split second before he was shot to shoot first, would you then be writing a scathing article about how even suburban police abuse their power against black people? You know you would. And, stop making police enforcing the law a black and white issue. What about the hundreds of black officers that patrol the streets? Who are treated worse by black citizens. Narrow-minded journalism has no place in Cleveland. You aren't even helping the issues in Cleveland. You are perpetuating them.
As a person of partial-negroid descent, and a Christian, I find some of the comments, including some by Ms. Brett, suspect. As I've responded to Ms. Brett in a Letter to the Editor, I shall center my comments upon those printed above.
Why so many so-called "blacks" always choose to make everything racial is beyond me. After all, wasn't the whole idea that it's MAKING racial distinctions that's the problem? How do you make things "better" by self-segregation, paranoia, scab-picking, whining, and finger-pointing?
To the individual who is posted directly above me, the Bible says, "Thou shall not murder", in the original Hebrew, and calls for deadly force in the pursuit of justice, if needed. And no, Christ didn't "abolish" all of that...get it right, or leave it alone.
As always, the whiners all wringing their hankies over some creep who probably would slit their throats for a buck or two, and would use their wives and / or daughters as chew-toys for giggles.
Officer Simone is aces in my book; some of the rest of you need to grow up, and grow a pair.
terje:
Hanging around a bank off duty?
You mean going to the bank to cash a paycheck?
You seem to forget that the bank employees told Officer Simone that they had just been robbed.
You also forget that a dye pack exploded, which clearly marked the fleeing bank robber.
If anything, Officer Simone should get a commendation for apprehending the fleeing criminal.
It seems that you rather had Officer Simone shrug his shoulders and say, "Oh well!"
In a case like this I would rather have an over-zealous officer in protecting me. In the "give everyone respect" world we live in today that is why crooks get away with so much and when someone like this comes down with a hammer its like "how dare you!!".
hey Brett, how about you walk down the streets of Cleveland after 10pm alone all by yourself?? I am willing to bet that you will not. Why not? I'll tell you why, because Cleveland has become like the Wild West! I think Twinsburg is planning on burying one of their finest today. He was shot four times in the head. But maybe according to your logic, he should of issued a citation before getting executed VIA four gunshots to the head. I am so glad that I cancelled my subscription to your newspaper back in April!
As far as it goes, most of you people writing in are assuming simone is a great cop. You don't know him.I grew up just blocks from the second district.I met him when he had just about a year on the job.He was just cocky then.As years went on,Simone and his then partner,David Sumskis,were known to be confrontational and brutal.They were both accused numerous times and blamed it on job stress.Do you think he was right to put the driver of the car he commandeered in harms way?What if the suspect did have a gun and turned and fired directly into that car? Would a leg wound to the suspect have been sufficient? How would you feel if it was somebody close to you,even though the crime is wrong? The truth is,Simone is a crazy old miserable horse with a deathwish not caring who he takes with him.It's time to put him out to pasture.....NOW!In regards to his old partner or brother as christian Simone put it,I hope David Sumskis is burning in hell!
Did you notice the moral equivalence in the sentence, "No one wants to live in the Wild West where shootings in the streets by COPS OR CRIMINALS become routine"? Cops, criminals, same thing, no difference, right Regina?
Regina Brett needs to learn how to add or do percentages a little better...as someone else brought up, I count way more against her views then for her views. In fact, I would wager that it's somewhere around 90% for Simone, 10% Regina Brett. Wake up, Regina and smell the coffee...and the donuts! I just watched Miktarian's funeral and it broke my heart. He was shot by a guy who really didn't have much of a record. Jim Simone shot a guy who had been arrested 9 times, all felonies. If you could do the math, Regina, I'd tell you to do the math. Obviously though, you can't.
It's obvious that Brett wrote her piece of crap article the other day to just whip up public sentiment. If she had written a piece advocating her stance after a careful review of all of the shootings Simone had been in, that is one thing. But it was clear her article was written without any research whatsoever. It was a slow day and she needed a topic to write about and decided to take an outlandish stance just to try and advocate the liberal side (criminal side) of things.
Maybe if her daughter who she wrote so elequently about a few weeks ago was the teller who was robbed by the thug Simone shot she would actually write her honest feelings on the matter.
BS like Brett's article is why the Plain Dealer will always be a 2nd class newspaper.
Hey 11son, I have an idea for you, don't break the laws and you won't have to worry about if cops are "brutal" or not! How about that idea! And I suppose the criminals are really good guys, even though Twinsburg just had to bury one of their finest because of some coward thug. Guess the apple indeed does not fall far from the tree.
Weak Regina. You need to apologize for writing that BS article.
Weak Regina. You need to apologize for writing that BS article.
I don't know the facts of this officers shootings, but what I believe that for every rogue cop, who shoots first and ask questions later, they build up a tremendous resentment towards police that becomes pervasive. Just think of how many innocent police officers have been killed by someone who was afraid to surrender their weapons or themselves to a police officer. Shortly after five cops got cleared of shooting 40 rounds into an unarmed man,in New York. there were police officers killed in other cities. Maybe the shooters were terroized by police. or angered by police, or maybe there was no link. The answer is unknown. There is a law in Physics: For every action there is an equal reaction. Think about it.
Wow, gernger, YOU think about it. You're making excuses for armed criminals who will not surrender when they're being arrested at gunpoint! That's crazy!
Hey gernger, see my post to 11son... DO NOT BREAK ANY LAWS AND YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT COPS!! It's that simple! Think about THAT!
Harley and MrCleve -
I couldn't agree with you more. The liberal, tree-hugging, nanny-state-loving, left-wing(nuts) just don't seem to get it on this one. They sympathize with the criminals only until one of their own family or friends gets shot, or worse killed, by a criminal.
And Gergner - the only people who build up resentment to assertive policemen are the ones who are committing the crimes in the first place!Don't break the law and the police force won't need to be agressive! Thugs need to realize it - you may end up dead by committing armed robbery, carjacking, or by fleeing from an officer after committing a serious crime!
Ms. Brett,
Why don't you do a column on the 5 "innocent suspects" Officer Simone has gunned down in cold blood?
Please list all the accomplishments, achievements and accolades they racked up during their illustrious lives, and their service to community.
At a time when a man sitting in his wheelchair is gunned down in his own front yard and a mother is gunned down sitting on her porch minding her own business, and you want to put shackles on the one officer who actually does his duty instead of hiding.
The only reason there are not more shootings by Police is because they are scared of defending even themselves for fear of the type of scrutiny that you are lashing out with.
A writer who is up for a possible Pulizer Prize should be "thorough" in her writing, and not distort reality.
I must be kidding myself, a writer who actually has integrity?!! You may have the mechanics of being a good writer down pat, but certainly not the polish of one.
The danger of a democratic society is that it also gives voice to the ill informed and misguided idealogues.
Regina Brett, your back-peddling is disgusting and a day late and a dollar short. Thanks for bringing race into it now-- "Blacks in particular" you wrote. Gee,since I know you get emails and phone calls, how did you know they were black? Did they identify themselves, or preface their comment by saying, "I am black"? I highly doubt it.
HEY,harley guy 442(oooh,that sounds tough)dont talk about me,you don't know me! Keep the issue at hand on the table. Everthing I stated is fact. It's public record....go read it,instead of throwing blind punches at other people.Obviously,someone only read you the first part of my comment before they had to leave.Now hop on your 883 and ride back to lakewood,parma or wherever your from.
Regina Brett wow i see your still ignorant!!! riding in a patrol car,watching some classes,and not to mention maybe if your telling the truth about 2% of policemen who you claim that dont like officer simone theres alot of people in the workforce who dont like people and that means nothing Come ON REGINA BRETT DID YOU EVER RIDE WITH OFFICER SIMONE? SEE REGINA I HAVE FACTS AND YOU DONT YOU TALK ABOUT 4 OTHER SHOOTING THAT OFFICER SIMONE WAS IN DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE WERE 2 OTHER OFFICERS WITH SIMONE WHEN A MADMAN WALKED INTO A SCHOOL WAVING A GUN WANTING ALL THE CHILDREN SAYING IT WAS DOOMS DAY AND THE POLICE WERE THEN CALLED!!! THAT THIS MADMAN WENT INTO A CHURCH AFTER HE HIJACKED A CAR AN IN THE PROCESS OF LOOKING FOR THIS MADMAN THEY INCOUNTERED WHAT OFFICER SIMONE AND 2 FELLOW OFFICERS DIDNT EXPECT
THEY ALL 3 WERE SHOT!!!! OFFICER SIMONE FIRED HIS WEAPON AND KILLED THIS MADMAN AND HE SAVED HIS FELLOW OFFICERS AN HIMSELF HE WAS ALSO AIRED ON TOP COPS!!!!!! FOR HIS BRAVERY THAT DAY AND THAT SHOOTING WAS JUSTIFED SO REGINA THAT WAS ONE OF THE SHOOTINGS THERES 3 MORE WHY DONT YOU CHECK THOSES SHOOTINGS OUT BECAUSE THEY 2 WERE WAS JUSTIFED AND FOR THIS NEW SHOOTING YOU WERE NOT THERE TO WITNESS ANYTHING THAT DAY HACKWOOD GOT SHOT!!!! SO REGINA BRETT ITS BETTER TO GET THE FACTS FIRST BEFORE YOU SPREAD THESES LIES TO THE PUBLIC!!!! AND ONE MORE THING IT WILL BE JUSTIFIED AGAIN AND I THINK YOUR READERS WILL THINK TWICE BEFORE THEY READ ANYTHING YOU WRITE OR SHOULD I SAY BELIEVE WHAT YOU SAY ANYMORE YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO THE CLEVELAND POLICE DEPARTMENT AND TO ALL OUR MEN AND WOMAN IN BLUE ACROSS THE COUNTRY AN TO ALL OUR POLICE OFFICERS WHO HAVE DIED IN THE LINE OF DUTY!!!! AN TO OFFICER JOSHUA MIKTARIAN I DIDNT KNOW THIS MAN BUT I WATCHED HIS MOMORIAL TODAY AND I CRYED REGINA BRETT DID YOU EVEN HAVE ONE TEAR I REALLY DONT THINK YOU DID!
A society that wages war on it's police force should be prepared to make friends with its criminals.
It is the gun you don't see that kills you.
Normal people's children are not affraid of the police. Your comments perpetuate hate, to say that black people are victims of police abusing their power. The black people that I know aren't, why is that?
WOW REGINA BRETT EVERYONE SHOULD READ WHAT SHE WROTE YOU ARE SOMETHING ELSE!!!!
HERES REGINA BRETT There's a sheet of tributes taped to a red brick wall.
There's a utility pole covered in glittery balloons.
There's a pile of teddy bears resting not far from where 15-year-old Arthur Buford died on the sidewalk.
But there's no debate over concealed-carry laws.
A debate would be as unnecessary as the tributes posted to honor a teen who went looking for trouble and found it.
Damon Wells, 25, was sitting on his own porch Saturday night. It's a long, narrow gray porch with a wicker chair at the end. The house sits near Kinsman Road and East 134th Street in Cleveland.
He was minding his own when two teens tried to rob him. The plan backfired. When Wells saw one kid pull a gun, he drew his own Smith & Wesson and blasted away.
It's sad that a delinquent died on the sidewalk.
(It would have been sadder if a law-abiding homeowner had died on his porch.)
(Wells had no criminal record.)
Buford, a freshman at John F. Kennedy High School, was still on probation. Last year he committed an aggravated robbery.
Three years ago, Ohio made it legal to carry a concealed weapon. Wells had a permit to carry the gun. Back when Second Amendment advocates argued for that right, they warned people: Don't carry a gun unless you plan to use it if your life is threatened.
The Smith & Wesson could be credited for saving Wells' life, but it didn't protect his home.
After the shooting, someone smashed in his front windows. The house looks deserted now, with sheets of plywood nailed over the windows and front door.
Ever since the shooting, people have stopped at the nearby memorial to scrawl messages honoring Buford.
"God gave me a new angel man . . . Why Da Good Die Young . . . I'll see you in eternity . . . You are with the Lord and we happy for that."
One woman walked by with her toddler. She set a teddy bear in the pile of stuffed animals and scrawled a message on the sign. Her little boy pointed and squealed at the balloons dancing in the wind until she pulled him away.
Others drove by and stopped to tie more heart-shaped balloons to the pole.
Buford's cousin had grumbled to one reporter about the shooter being allowed to run free.
Wells killed the teen Saturday. City prosecutors cleared Wells on Monday, (calling the shooting justified.) Which leads me to wonder:( Why does it take so long to clear police officers when they fire in self-defense?)
At least no one can cry race this time. Both the shooter and dead teen are black.
I can't bring myself to call Buford the victim of a shooting. He was the instigator of one.
(His family should be ashamed of his actions and apologize to the man he tried to rob.)
Two weeks ago, a report came out that examined Cleveland's 389 homicides from 1998 to 2002. The conclusion?
"Homicides in Cleveland are overwhelmingly intra-racial in nature, with black offenders killing black victims."
The majority of victims were black males; the majority of killers were black males.
If there is any debate here, it shouldn't be about gun control.
(It should be about thug control.)
MAYBE YOU NEED TO READ WHAT YOU WRITE AGAIN!!!!
I THINK YOU SHOULD SAY YOUR SORRY TO THE OFFICER JUST THE WAY YOU SAID THAT ANOTHER FAMILY SHOULD FOR KILLING THAT BOY!!!
THATS RIGHT REGINA THUG!!!!! CONTROL
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