Editor:
With another rash of break-ins hitting our town, I feel the need to share our family’s experience with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. I question not only its commitment to protecting our community, but the training and judgment of men and women who have the authority to kill us.
In another letter to the editor, I shared my felony assault with a deadly weapon arrest. I was forced to react to a 6-foot, 3-inch, 320-pound, 36-year-old violent felon who was threatening my daughter and refused to leave my home.
As I had stated, I am 65 with two seriously compromised arms. In an effort to protect my family, I was facing three years in prison.
Last Christmas, we bought gift cards for our grandkids at Walmart. Some of the cards had been hacked and the money spent. We called Walmart and was told one of the cards had been used for an online purchase that was delivered to Hemet. Thinking this would be an easily solved crime perpetrated by an idiot I, my girlfriend and my daughter drove to Hemet and went through the process of filing a complaint thinking they would follow up and we would get our money back. The thief would be held accountable.
The police did nothing. They not only refused to follow up on the illegal purchase but didn’t have the common courtesy to call us to let us know where things stood.
Six months ago, my niece neglected to lock her car and her purse was taken early in the morning. She called the bank and was told the ATM card was used first at the Circle K in Anza. and then at Target and Walmart in Temecula. All three have a heavy security presence with cameras everywhere.
Because the exact time of the purchases was on the receipts, it would have been a simple process to see the thieves and the car they were driving. Again, the sheriff’s deputies did nothing. When we called we were told they had no way to pursue this because they needed to know when the purchases were made. Unbelievable.
The problem I have with these cops is they aren’t held accountable for anything. They protect themselves. There is no mechanism in place to question, discipline or remove incompetent cops. If there was, these break-ins might very well have been avoided.
Joe Actner
Idyllwild
