So, by way of background for those who may not know me too well, I'm a very law and order sort of guy. I have a concealed weapons permit and often carry a .45. Starting somewhere around the late 1980s I was frequently found accompanying law enforcement or volunteering in different capacities. I've enjoyed riding along with state, local, and federal Law Enforcement from the Canadian border to the Willamette Valley. 125 mph with lights and siren hardly makes me bat a proverbial eye. For the first half of the 1990s, or so, I probably made about two dozen citizen arrests between the companies for which I worked in western Washington State. I have had the "pleasure" of tackling shoplifters for Nordstroms in downtown Portland and arresting a burglar and car thief for a private university in the Seattle area. (I shouldn't have to give the personal details, because it shouldn't really matter, but there you go.)
That said, there is both a written (law) and unwritten rule concerning the treatment of prisoners. I don't care who you are; if you abuse a person in your custody, you're trash. It goes against the ethics of citizenship and wearing that badge. Since this was all kind of news to me today, here's one account of what the prisoners under this Sheriff experienced.
During the sweltering summer, the temperature could reach 115 or 120 degrees. I was in the tents when we hit 120. It was impossible to stay cool in the oppressive heat. Everyone would strip down to their underwear. There was no cold water, only water from vending machines; and eventually, the machines would run out. People would faint; some had heatstroke. That summer, ambulances came about three times. One man died in his bed.
But the winter was even worse. During the winter, there were no heaters. Most jackets and heavily insulated pants weren't allowed; they don't want you to be comfortable.
This guy sounds pretty obscene. If 50% of it is true, then that should be enough to make this sheriff into something altogether quite unpleasant. To make a joke about Stalinist Concentration Camps, only adds icing to the cake. The prisoner's account actually is reminiscent of the accounts of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, an author who did indeed write about real concentration camps. We're better than this.
That said, there is both a written (law) and unwritten rule concerning the treatment of prisoners. I don't care who you are; if you abuse a person in your custody, you're trash. It goes against the ethics of citizenship and wearing that badge. Since this was all kind of news to me today, here's one account of what the prisoners under this Sheriff experienced.
During the sweltering summer, the temperature could reach 115 or 120 degrees. I was in the tents when we hit 120. It was impossible to stay cool in the oppressive heat. Everyone would strip down to their underwear. There was no cold water, only water from vending machines; and eventually, the machines would run out. People would faint; some had heatstroke. That summer, ambulances came about three times. One man died in his bed.
But the winter was even worse. During the winter, there were no heaters. Most jackets and heavily insulated pants weren't allowed; they don't want you to be comfortable.
This guy sounds pretty obscene. If 50% of it is true, then that should be enough to make this sheriff into something altogether quite unpleasant. To make a joke about Stalinist Concentration Camps, only adds icing to the cake. The prisoner's account actually is reminiscent of the accounts of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, an author who did indeed write about real concentration camps. We're better than this.
