Police and Thieves in the Street, Oh Yeah.

Well, today's Metro section offers up so much for rumination.

Item 1. DC matriarch killed at home by stray bullet. It's nothing new in some sections of DC that you can killed without even trying. I know from a stint on Grand Jury duty (we did around 200 cases during our time there) that random bullets and gun violence is a daily occurrence on a few of our streets. The problem is that it seems not too many people care:

Cmdr. Joel Maupin said detectives were having trouble finding witnesses,
although a crowd was outside when each shooting occurred. He said the victim of
the earlier shooting was not cooperating with authorities.

Or maybe they don't want to be next. After all, even Carmelo Anthony knows nobody likes a snitch. Not an easy job for DC cops.

Item 2. Radar gun captures controversy in DC. Maybe people don't trust the cops because some cops don't really like the rules they enforce. Some cops think maybe they don't really apply to them. Sure, speeding is bad, but most of us do it, and when you're a high ranking police officer, just flash the lights and keep going. Just like some police do when they don't want to wait at red lights or want to make illegal left turns...while they're on their cell phones. Watching the police violate the law obviously detracts from both the citizens' view of the law and of the police. Assistant Chief Willie Dandridge should either be updating his resume around now or accepting the title Patrolman Dandridge.

Item 3. Police scramble to keep up with gas prices. Keeping up with the police theme, this article discusses how police use up tons of gasoline sitting in their idling cruisers in front of the 7-11. Actually, it's more about suburban and state cops, and our own Chief Ramsey, ever the optimist, provides a rosier picture for the Post:

Concerns about rising prices were less pronounced in the District, where police beats cover much less territory. D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey said he has not considered cutting cruiser patrols or asking officers to change their routines.

Sure the beats cover less territory (and we should actually have more beat cops, as in foot patrol, as opposed to cruiser snoozers), but has anyone compared city to highway mileage? I'm willing to bet that DC cops use plenty of gas (at least the ones who stop at stop signs and red lights and wait in traffic with the rest of us).