First of all, I am not here to get into a pistol match with the newspaper. In the past, I have agreed with many of your editorials. However, I feel compelled to send a response to the editorial published Saturday, June 20, 2009 — “Officer’s training and restraints earn respect.” I am not sure who was responsible for writing this article or how much research was done ... but the article was very misleading when it comes to use-of-force.

The writer had the audacity to mislead the public that Major Bell had more restraint than Officer Brooks ... that leads me to believe that the person writing this article has very little knowledge in use-of-force, especially in a high stress confrontation. Because that person would have known ... statistics show that in a police-action shooting, officers only hit their target 2 out of 10 times, a large percentage of encounters are within 15 feet or less, and occurs in low/dim/poor lighting conditions.

You may choose not to publish my response and that will be your decision. I realize an editorial is an opinion ... based upon perception ... but I would just ask that someone contact a person or persons who has knowledge in the area you are writing about before publishing the article. Especially when it comes to issues such as use-of-force!

Thank you.

Steven D. Guthrie

Anderson