Don’t coddle criminal element

Don’t coddle criminal element

The headline read, “37-year YPD officer retires after probe into force used on inmate,” Vindicator, March 18. I’m outraged, outraged, outraged, that a city police officer is forced to retire because the chief of police remarks that he, the patrolman, “went too far.”

That inmate did not just spit on Patrolman Lewis, he spat on the entire uniformed policemen in the city of Youngstown, and the chief of police to boot. That inmate was being taken from a city courtroom for being disruptive. The inmate was belittling the entire city of Youngstown with his behavior.

The mayor should be looking for a new chief of police. You do not gain respect by kowtowing to incorrigibles. They will run roughshod over you. This is evident in what has been happening in the courtroom in the past, and will continue.

You want to reduce crime in the city, the first thing is to let the criminals know that you are in charge. Then you will get the respect that you deserve, and the city will be a better place to live.

Leonard J. Sainato, Warren