Dear editor:
I’m writing to you in response to the letter that was written by David Gillette and published in the Eagle’s March 26 edition.
I’m an immigrant who actually was born 40 years ago in a very real police state in Eastern Europe and now, as a Canadian citizen, I can enjoy the freedoms that this country has to offer. I’ve been living in Cochrane with my family since 2011.
Mr. Gillette has every right to express his opinion in public and obviously he’s not afraid to exercise that right. This is a privilege of living in a free country. He probably didn’t even realize that when he went on his rant about RCMP officers working the radar traps around our town.
Now to the point: Cochrane has a serious problem with drivers speeding thru the school zones, town’s streets and construction areas. On a daily basis I’m a witness to this phenomenon with some of the drivers being extremely aggressive and displaying very dangerous driving patterns. Just for trying to keep up with the speed limits I’ve been tailgated and even honked at. I’ve seen drivers running red lights and speeding thru the school zones. A while ago, local residents of the Riversong community took action by placing the empty baby strollers on the side of the road in the school zone located nearby as important reminder to the drivers about the risk that they are taking while speeding through this area.
Despite all that, there are still drivers out there who choose to ignore the rules and escalate the danger...and for what? Ten seconds saved on the next set of traffic lights?
It’s extremely disturbing that Mr. Gillette has a problem with the police officers trying to fight the issue, yet he elects to be quiet about the reason behind their presence on our streets. Maybe he’s part of the problem too, thus his concerns?
In response to his allegations about the misconduct of police officers from CPS involved in the recent shootings, I would like to point out that the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is still investigating these two, separate incidents. Was Mr. Gillette present there to question the circumstances on both accounts? I highly doubt it.
In conclusion, I would like to thank RCMP officers for doing their job and protecting our community and its members. Even if it means to protect them from themselves. Stay safe everyone.
Adam Banach
