Officer also is a victim
10/13/2012Your Oct. 5 editorial "Facts needed on shooting" insinuates that Toledo police officer Benjamin Cousino and Police Chief Derrick Diggs may not be as forthcoming with the facts in the fatal shooting of Darrell Parnell as quickly as you would like.
Officer Cousino will undergo an intensive investigation. He will have to relive and relate those few seconds in which he had to use fatal force possibly to save his own life and those of others.
This incident will live with Officer Cousino his entire life. Police officers have feelings and a conscience. I have never heard of an officer anywhere who expressed a desire to be involved in taking a life.
As for Chief Diggs, would you print again his instances of nontransparency?
Bob Dietrich
Lambertville,
Trash-pickup firm should be local
What happened to supporting the local economy? Why was an out-of-state trash company chosen to pick up Toledo residents' refuse ("City plans to absorb rise in trash pickup cost," Sept. 5)?
It seems that the "buy local" slogan is garbage.
Brian Raider
Perrysburg
Editor's note: A Republic Services spokesman said the company's offices are just over the state line in Michigan, many of its employees live in Toledo, and Republic pays taxes to the City of Toledo on employee wages and profits earned on the city contract.
Bell's pay request irresponsible
Shame on Toledo Mayor Mike Bell ("Council debates increasing executive pay levels," Oct. 3). Asking for increased pay ranges for the highest-paid city employees is not only fiscally irresponsible, but also disrespectful to city unions that have sacrificed wages and benefits to help.
Most administrators in this exempt class are not Fortune 500 executives. They take these jobs for the love of the city and not to get rich off our tax dollars.
Mayor Bell should change the "I" to "R" on the next ballot where his name appears. He clearly cares about the welfare of only the top 1 percent of his employees.
Bob Beckett
Colima Drive
A fond memory of TFD Station 3
Reading about the closing of Toledo Fire Department Station No. 3 brought back a memory ("Fire station No. 3 closed; city cites buckling floor," Sept. 15). One snowy, cold night my parents and I were on the way to see Dumbo at the Mystic Theater.
I fell crossing Erie Street. When my mother came back to get me, we both were hit by a cab. Luckily, we had only a few scrapes and bruises. We were treated at Station 3 and made it to the movie.
Glen DeGelnor
Maumee