In reading Tom Hannah’s letter to the editor in Lookout that we as Americans should not expect our elected officials to pick and choose which laws we expect to be enforced, I was struck by the correctness and straight-forwardness of his letter.

While well written, he missed some very important points. That is, we expect our policing agencies to enforce not only our laws regardless of a person’s social status, etc., but also to abide by every article of the Constitution of the United States.

We also expect our policing agencies to tell the truth, regardless of whether that makes them look good or bad. If there is a negative outcome, we expect a timely and transparent investigation with a grand jury considering the case. We expect them to treat all people with respect and kindness, and consider them to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, before a judge.

We expect to be able to contact our families and lawyers in a timely fashion. After all, our policing agencies are not empowered to be judge, jury and executioner. This is not happening with regards to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI or the Department of Justice. These agencies appear to feel that they are above the Constitution and our written laws.

Steven Gard
Springfield