READER’S EDITORIAL: CAN THERE BE JUSTICE FOR SLAIN PEACE OFFICER?

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By David Rosenberg
http://www.justice4ken.com

On February 28, 2010, Deputy Ken Collier made the ultimate sacrifice when he attempted to stop a drunk, illegal alien who was driving the wrong way on State Route 52. On October 27th Jose Jasso-Lopez pleaded guilty to felony gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. He will be sentenced on January 7th. Jasso-Lopez’s blood alcohol content was almost twice the legal limit and he tested positive for marijuana.
 

This seems straight forward, but is it?

 

Guidelines give the Judge discretion to sentence Jasso-Lopez to four, six, or 10 years. With the state of California’s budget and prison overcrowding the actual time served would be half of that sentenced. In other words, the maximum amount of time that Jasso-Lopez could spend in prison is fiveyears and he could spend as little as two years behind bars for causing the death of a cop.
 

The loss of any peace officer while in the line of duty is a grievous blow to society. But for the men and women who choose to stand up and enforce the laws of our society we would live in anarchy. The entire criminal justice system would be moot without someone to actively stop and apprehend those who seek to disregard the norms of civilization. Every day that Deputy Collier put on his uniform, he drew a line in the sand and said “No Farther”. He and his fellow peace officers allow all of us to drive to work without fear of being accosted in some fashion. The fact that our laws only permit a Judge to sentence anyone who has caused the death of a peace officer to 11 years is outrageous.
 

The wild card is the Judge, the Honorable Laura W. Halgren. She has complete discretion and will take into account the severity of the offense as well as Jasso-Lopez’s past criminal history. The problem is, since Jasso-Lopez is here illegally, we do not know his criminal history. What we do know is he has contempt for our laws.
 

A simple perusal of the facts in this case alone will show you his blatant disrespect for our laws.

 

First, he is here illegally. Thousands of potential immigrants wait years before getting a Visa, but Jasso-Lopez decided that his personal need to be in the United States outweighed our right to determine who is allowed to immigrate here and he stole across the border.

 

Secondly, he decided to smoke marijuana. Some may say this is a harmless vice. Tell that to Ken’s fiancée or his brother, sister or his nephews who will never talk to him again or play ball with him, or his countless friends or the citizens of this county who counted on Ken to protect them.

 

Thirdly, after being stoned and drunk he decided to get behind the wheel of a car and ended up driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of SR-52, putting countless people’s lives at risk! With the constant media attention on the potential harm caused by drinking and driving there is no excuse for this.

 

If this were the only fact, it alone would show insensitivity that we, as a civilized society, could not let go unpunished. However, the true depth of his callousness was revealed after he was arrested.

 

While in jail, he made a weapon and attempted to take the life of another Deputy! He pled guilty to this crime as well. California law will require him to serve another six months.

 

The totality of these facts paint a picture of someone who is not concerned with anyone other than himself, someone with total disdain for our laws and the safety of our citizens.
 

Whereas the maximum sentence Judge Halgren can hand out is set by law, she must, in the interest of justice, not sentence Jasso-Lopez to less than the statutory maximum. Please urge her to do so.
 

Go to http://www.justice4ken.com. There you will find a petition to sign as well as information on how you can contact the judge to urge her to hand out the maximum sentence for this cop killer.

David Rosenberg and his wife were friends of Deputy Collier and Collier’s fiancé. The opinions expressed in this editorial reflect the views of its author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. To submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.
 


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