Blue"]Read this in the paper this am....[/[/B]COLOR]
Poor communication could have let suspect boat escape
Editor:
I guess I watch too many cop shows, becasue I was under the impression that law enforcement would act immedicately if a citizen called 911 to report the sighting of a person wanted for hit and run from a fatal accident.
I heard radio announcements asking for information on the Fountain boat with red and black checkering being looked for in regard to a boating incident last week on the lake was asked to call 911. On Friday, I was driving North through LHC on the highway when I passed a Fountain boat heading South, the paint was sanded off on both sides. It made sense that the owner might try to remove the pattern to make identification less likely.
So I called 911 to report it. The 911 operator was in Barstow, and said LHC wasn't in their jurisdiction; I would have to call the local police. I called LHC Police and was told to call San Bernardino Sheriffs because they had jurisdiction in that case.
By the time I called them, I'm sure the boat was long gone and I had been unable to get the license number. Regardless of who has jurisdiction, why would the LHC police not bother going after a person possibly involved in a fatal accident on our lake-person driving right through our city? Why didn't 911 relay the call to the proper jurisdiction instead of telling the caller to?
Why didn't LHC police stop the boat, and then call in whoever has jurisdiction? If the boat and driver are never located, our police department will have to live with the fact they may have allowed them to slip through their fingers becase of their inaction.
David Stone
LHC
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I have to ask if he was able to see both sides of the boat WHY could he not get a license #???