The fact that Trucker Morales has achieved heroic status by what appears to be a large segment of our community is the most devastating indictment against the West Wendover Police Department.
Arresting the young man for the crime of “yelling” can be written off to an arrogant display of bully boy ism. Really nothing wrong with that if one wants to keep the peace through intimidation and fear.
While not the nicest way of ensuring a peaceful public especially for a democracy, intimidation does work even when it doesn’t. Give enough tickets or hassle somebody enough even if the charges don’t stick they will eventually get the message.
The only thing one cannot do when bullying is to look incompetent.
And with Trucker Morales our police looked incompetent, again.
The fact that Mr. Morales remains free may have less to do with his evil genius than it has to do with getting help from the community.
Think about what that means.
When given the choice between helping a criminal or helping police people chose the criminal.
In a society supposedly governed by the rule of law that cannot happen, it cannot be allowed because if it does we have degenerated into a place where might makes right.
Of course that is the unspoken rule in enforcing peace through bullying and intimidation.
Our dozen or so police officers cannot hope to control this community without the active consent and compliance of the citizenry.
The case of Mr. Morales illustrates that they have lost it.
There have been signs for the last five year they were losing it.
From botched murder investigations to unnecessary confrontation with the public.
We think however the tipping point came in the form of the free lunches they happily ate the Asian Gardens from their buddy Bosco Periera.
And as they were scarfing down their pork fried rice gratis, Bosco was calmly ripping off everyone he could rip off on both sides of the state line.
The aftermath of the Bosco affair was the adoption of the ordinance to finger print and run a background check on every new business owner.
Can’t be too careful our police chief has said.
And while law abiding citizen are being treated like criminals, criminals have turned the police into a laughing stock.
Run Trucker run, at least somebody should get some joy from this very sad situation.