Letters to the Editor

We welcome letters on local issues. National topics may be referenced only if they have direct local impact. Letters must include the writer’s name, address, phone, and email; only the name and town will be published. Anonymous or mailed letters will not be accepted or returned. Limit: 250 words. Libelous, discriminatory, inflammatory, or threatening content will not be published. Each writer may submit two free letters per year. Political endorsement letters cost $100, must be prepaid, and will not be published within one week of an election.

To the Editor:
Earlier this year, I observed a Merrill Police Department (MPD) squad vehicle repeatedly swerving/drifting and crossing the centerline. I photographed the squad vehicle and reported what I observed to the MPD.
Chief Corey Bennett informed me in writing that the MPD does not maintain records or logs identifying which officer is assigned to or driving a particular squad vehicle. I was therefore never provided the identity of the driver.
I want to be clear about what I am — and am not — saying. I do not know why the squad vehicle I observed was swerving.

That is exactly why the department’s response concerns me.
If a citizen reports a police vehicle repeatedly crossing the centerline, how can that complaint be fully investigated if the department cannot reliably establish who was behind the wheel?
More importantly, what happens if a future incident involving a squad vehicle results in an accident or someone being injured?
Law enforcement officers deserve the same presumption of innocence and fair treatment as every other citizen. But accountability requires the ability to identify the person whose conduct is being questioned.
I believe Merrill residents deserve a straightforward answer: Does our police department have a reliable way to determine who is operating each taxpayer-owned squad vehicle at a particular time? If not, why not?
This isn’t about being anti-police. It is about expecting the same basic accountability from those entrusted with enforcing our laws that is expected from the citizens they serve.
Accountability should apply equally to everyone.

- Travis L. Drake
Merrill, Wis.