To the Readers' Forum:
The death of a young man in Lakewood in my opinion should never have happened. As a past law enforcement officer, in Tennessee, we were forbidden from chasing a motorcycle, unless a felony was committed in our sight. The reason: it puts the public and law personnel in jeopardy of injury or death. 84 miles an hour is not a felony in itself.
In my experience over 13 years, it would have been better judgment to let this speeder go. He would have slowed down and there is always tomorrow. I am opening a can of worms here I'm sure. Those officers should really think about what took place and see if stopping the pursuit would have been a better choice.
Russell D. Trippy
Cassadaga