PAGE ONE COMMENTARY: The Purpose of Any Law in Key West Is to Be Selectively Enforced

THE CHIEF OF POLICE CALLS IT
“DISCRETION”

WHY DON’T THE COPS ENFORCE
BICYCLE TRAFFIC LAWS? WHAT IS
THE REAL “PUBLIC PURPOSE” OF
THE OPEN CONTAINER LAW?

by Dennis Reeves Cooper

The recent announcement
that law enforcement officers
can now, as of June 30, pull
drivers over and ticket them
for simply not wearing their
seat belts should remind us all
of a basic truth: THE PURPOSE
OF ANY LAW IN KEY WEST
IS TO BE SELECTIVELY ENFORCED.

You may have noticed
that the various law-making
bodies at every level— city,
county, state and federal— keep
enacting new laws. Relentlessly.
Week after week, year after year,
additional laws go on the books.
Very few are ever removed. If
there is an apparent problem,
no matter how minor, the lawmakers
throw a new law at it.

But— maybe with few
exceptions— there is no law
that makes it mandatory for
police officers to enforce any
of these laws. Cops are allowed
to enforce laws or not enforce
laws, depending on how they
feel at a particular moment. It
depends on how busy they are
talking on their cell phones, or
how hungover they are, or if it’s
hot outside, or if it’s raining, or
if the person allegedly breaking
the law is a pretty girl or a
homeless man, or if the person
allegedly breaking the law is
a cop or related to a cop, or if
the person allegedly breaking
the law is an elected official or
related to an elected official.

In Key West, Police Chief
Donie Lee calls a cop’s option
to enforce or not enforce a law
“discretion.” Cops have “broad
discretion” as to whether they
want to enforce a law or not.
As a result, almost any law
on the books, if it is enforced at all, is selectively enforced.
And that can often seem terribly
unfair to those who are
singled out to get a ticket or
get arrested.

Former Candidate for Sheriff Now a Consultant in Iraq

KWTN Team Report

It is not unusual for those
who retire from high-level
government jobs, to then hire
themselves out as consultants.
But when you think of a “consultant,”
the image is probably
of a distinguished-looking guy
in a three-piece suit meeting
in a fancy office with other
distinguished-looking guys in
three-piece suits.

Ken Davis retired last year
as head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Agency (DEA) operation
in the Florida Keys. After that,
he ran for sheriff, losing after a
hard-fought race.

Then, he decided to take a
break. He’s now in Iraq, working
as an adviser to an agency being
developed to emulate the FBI/
DEA, with a focus on terrorism.
In the photo, right, he is wearing
his business clothes.

The weapons and protective
garb are necessary because
he and others have to travel
through the “red zone” to attend
the meetings.

He said the flight suit is
fire-resistant— “because the
greatest threat to us when we’re
traveling are roadside bombs
with an incendiary effect.”
Davis writes an everyother-
week column for Key
West The Newspaper. See this
week’s column further down the page.

Cops Will be Out in Force Friday

The Key West Police Department will be conducting
a STAR night Friday to ensure a safe holiday weekend
on the roads. STAR— Strategic Traffic Accident Reduction—
enforcement means that added patrols will be
deployed throughout the city in order to reduce reckless
driving or driving under the influence. Motorcycle units,
extra road patrols, and possibly equestrian units will be
on hand from 5Ppm until midnight.

With the 4th of July weekend beginning on a Friday,
the KWPD will have additional officers on duty Friday
night, not only for traffic enforcement, but for downtown
crowd control. Key West, like many communities across the nation, relies on STAR efforts to deter unsafe driving.

While there is added law enforcement on the road, this is
a good weekend to remember to fasten your seatbelt. Though
they’ve been required for years, the Florida Legislature this year
made driving without a seatbelt a primary offense. That means if
an officer sees you driving without a seatbelt, he can pull you over.
In the past, law enforcement could only ticket for an unfastened
belt if they pulled you over first for another offense.

Now, as of June 30, a traffic stop can result from an unfastened
belt and the driver can face a fine of up to $114.

Key West Police Chief Donie Lee says that the increased
visibility of law enforcement officers during a STAR night helps
remind motorists to drive safely.

Ken Davis: Letter From Baghdad

Bubbles, Burkhas and Books

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ken
Davis’ Letters From Baghdad
are scheduled for publication
every-other-week. They are
excerpts from his book-inprogress
“Road To Baghdad." Davis is the former head of the
U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
here in the Keys and was a candidate
for sheriff in last year’s
county elections. “The Road To
Baghdad” chronicles the tales
and stories of the women and
men in Iraq, written as seen
through Davis’ eyes. The story
is based on solid truth and written
with a humorous license.
The names are changed to
protect the guilty and confuse
the innocent.

by Ken Davis

DAY 110— The women
surrounded me. Getting closer,
touching me, grabbing onto
me. I backed up and pushed
them back gently at first trying
to keep them at arm’s length.
There were over a dozen and
the numbers were increasing
by the minute. As they reached
out they touched my face and
arms, still pleading. Suddenly,
I had become the most popular
man in Baghdad . . . Finally!

Here was a group of women
who could see what so many
others before them had refused
to recognize. I had what they
wanted. Women wanted me,
men wanted to be me. This must
be what it’s like to be Jose!

STOP! You’re probably
wondering how I got into this
situation. Well, no good deed
goes without a little punishment.
After four months in
Baghdad this could have been
a dream, if:

A. I were at a Hooters,

B. I was judging the Hawaiian
Tropic beauty contest,

C. The Swedish bikini
team had come to Baghdad.
D. I was sleeping.

Rhonda: La Cucaracha Diabla

by Rhonda Linseman-Saunders

Still in Michigan where the water is fresh and
doesn’t eat things the way salt water does. But if you
don’t get far enough out into one of the big lakes, the
water is a very interesting color— truck stop coffee
brown. As much as I miss the ocean and its power to
calm and soothe on sight alone, I am truly enjoying a
little bit of time away from our southernmost bugs.

If you’re a regular reader, you know that I have
developed a great tolerance, and in some cases even a
healthy respect for our bigger-than-average subtropical
house and yard critters. We all must. And it’s a
small price to pay, really.

I’ve noticed that people are reluctant to admit
that it gets buggy in the subtropics, especially if they’re
from the north where bugs in the house is synonymous
with filthy living. But bug shame really has no place
in the Keys, where to have bugs is to be human. That
sounds bad, but you get it.

O'Boyle: Laws of Supply and Demand Won’t Be Conned

by Hal O'Boyle

You would think that the destruction of capitalism would be enough
to keep our new president busy for at least a year or two.
Nationalizing the banking, finance, insurance, and automobile
industries is a pretty big bite to chew. But as they say in the ads,
there’s more. Controlling your money is not enough. There’s your health
to consider.

We can take some comfort in the fact that, since
the prez is planning to socialize the medical industry too, many of us
will very likely not live long enough to get the full effect of living
in a socialist hell hole. By the time the country collapses in
government run ruins, having our health care in the hands of the same
folks who are doing such a bang-up job with Amtrack, Social Security,
and the IRS, will spare millions of us the trouble of living long
enough to see it happen.

If you’ve ever had to renew a driver’s
license, apply for a building permit, or get on an airplane it should
be obvious to you why government supplied health care is a lousy idea.

Continue reading here.

Fourth of July Fun

HOSPICE/VISITING
NURSE ASSOCIATION
PICNIC

This is the silver anniversary
year for the big 4th of
July picnic on the beach that
raises money for Hospice and
the Visiting Nurse Association.
This has grown into the summer
event to attend to see and
be seen.

The fun starts at 5pm and
goes ‘til 9. Lots of food at the
picnic buffet, plus live entertainment
by Skipper Kripitz
and friends. There will also be
a silent auction and games for
the kids.

Tickets are $25 for adults
and $10 for children 4-12. Kids
under 4 get in free. General admission,
which does not include
a meal ticket, is only $10.
There is also a “Best Seats
on the Beach” section with
tables for 10 selling at $100 per
seat.

More info: http://www.hospicevna.com

BAR STROLL IN RED,
WHITE & BLUE

This is the inaugural year
for the 4th of July Key West
Benefit Blast— a bar stroll on
the boardwalk at the Historic
Seaport. The event benefits
Forgotten Soldier Outreach, a
national organization that send
monthly “we care” packages to
soldiers serving overseas.

A $25 donation includes
beer, cocktails, key lime pie,
watermelon, entertainment, a
t-shirt and a special celebration
at Dante’s at the end of the stroll.
There will be prizes for the best
Uncle Sam costume.

The event kicks off at 2pm
on the Sunset Pier at the Ocean
Key Resort with a U.S. Navy
honor guard and the local V-Ray
Blues Band.

More info: http://www.keywestbenefitblast.
com

Citizen’s Police Academy Starts July 14

The Key West Police Department is offering a special summer
edition of the Citizen’s Police Academy. “Police Summer
School” begins on July 14 and continues through September 1.
The class gathers once a week from 6:30 until 8:30pm, exploring
different aspects of the Police Department and getting a hands-on
experience of what it’s like to be a law enforcement officer.

Participants learn about the various units— from canine
and equestrian to boat and bike patrols. They learn about real
life CSI— crime scene investigation— as well as special ops
and recruitment. But the heart of the program is the ride-along,
which pairs participants with on-duty officers. This first-hand
experience shows the class just how complex a job it can be to
maintain the peace and public safety of this island city.

Space is limited in this special summer class, so early
registration is a good idea. For more information, or to reserve
a seat, call Officer Steve Torrence at 809-1007.

Holiday Trash Pickup

Key West residents can count on business as usual when it
comes to trash and recycle pickup over the 4th of July holiday.
Crews will be operating on a normal schedule regardless of
the federal, state and city holiday that falls this year on Friday.
Service will continue on a normal schedule countywide as well,
says Greg Sullivan of Waste Management.

Free Cats Available At Animal Shelter

The Florida Keys SPCA shelter is extending the free cat
adoption program through the month of July. All you have to
pay is the $5 license fee. Info: 294-4857.