There was lots of friction in the Northampton County DA debate last week between incumbent Terry Houck and challenger Steve Baratta. They both agreed, however, on what should happen to bad cops.
DA Terry Houck: "If we have evidence of any kind of crime, and I've been doing this a very long time, I can tell you we have county detectives who investigate these allegations, and if the allegations are true, we will prosecute. I have prosecuted many officers in the three years I've been here, many more in the years that I've been a prosecutor.
"As recently as two weeks ago, we arrested a lifetime police officer for aggravated assault - actually it started out as a simple assault - in a domestic violence case against his wife. He was over a 20-year police officer and active. I upgraded the charges to include aggravated assault.
"I treat police the exact same way as I treat any citizen. I can tell you it is an old wives' tale that police protect police. It just doesn't happen because the good cop doesn't want a rotten cop in their ranks. And the reason that is, is that it makes them all look bad."
Challenger Steve Baratta: "What I'd do if a police officer assaulted someone? I'd arrest him. It's that simple. They have to abide by the law like anyone else."
Blogger's Note: Vincenzo Bruneo, a retired Easton police officer who now is on Lehigh University's police force, has recently been charged with aggravated assault after he allegedly broke his wife's nose in a domestic dispute.
8 comments:
Your coverage of this race is as outstanding as it is depressing to read. Houck has no standing on this issue. He surrendered any credibility in his first two weeks with his soft handling of the SBRPD case. He simply can't be trusted. Baratta is essentially a Soros stooge who would let criminals out of jail to wage mayhem on the rest of us. He's lied repeatedly in this campaign. He's also an insufferable blowhard who I envision masturbating to his own voice - a lot. He simply can't be trusted. Neither candidate can be trusted. Citizens have already lost this race.
Corruption of a cop starts with the first "good citizen" who asks a cop to fix a ticket or let something slide. Or the boss/politician who tells the cop to ignore a problem.
Bernie why is no Republican running here?
What seems to be forgotten is that a DA doesn’t make laws, but must enforce them. Yes, Houck is damaged by the drunk police chief (?), but is anyone looking at Baratta’s sentencing record? Was he soft on certain crimes? Baratta likes pointing fingers, but he certainly seems, like most judges, that he is infallible. Next week is an official debate, I believe, and I will look forward to seeing how both perform. Will Baratta be the bombastic bully he was on Tuesday? Will Houck be chained to notes? What I want to hear, for the record, is Baratta admit (as he did last Tuesday) that a sitting judge encouraged him to run for DA. Judge Morganelli should have to answer some difficult questions.
". Next week is an official debate, I believe, and I will look forward to seeing how both perform."
Actually, what I hosted was actually a classic debate, followed by an unvarnished Q&A at the end. What you will see next week will be highly choreographed, with strict time limits that do not allow for complete answers and nearly as much time given to those asking the questions as those who answer. Having said that, the public should have as many opportunities as possible to see the candidates in different settings. The exchange last week was very much an "official" debate.
I learned more from last week's forum than in the last 20 debates I watched. It was terrifying. Official debates are always packaged nonsense. I prefer last week's style with minor modifications, but not many.
Where can you watch the debate from last week?
A link to a portion of the debate is at the conclusion of my story about the debate last week.
https://www.facebook.com/100010328550530/videos/1150684182293423
https://www.facebook.com/100010328550530/videos/726612952447801
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