Sheriff proves himself a true professional
To the editor:
Sheriff Doug Gillespie had big shoes to fill when he took office. Wednesday afternoon he filled them.
After some of his officers and the general public jumped to conclusions regarding fault in a fatal traffic accident, and a first-rate officer was honored and buried, the sheriff had a decision to make. He could slow the investigating process, hide the facts, blow smoke, wait for it to clear and go on. Instead, he did what might be the toughest duty of his career so far. He came to the public with the truth -- all of it.
In doing so, he had to fault a good officer and let a potential scapegoat rightly walk. He did his job with a businesslike thoroughness and hid the knot in his stomach. He admitted the facts of his officer's mistakes of judgment, yet preserved every ounce of the man's dignity.
Everything anyone needs to know about Doug Gillespie was on display at that podium Wednesday afternoon. A terrible situation, handled in a totally professional yet highly sensitive manner.
As the troops have known for some time, Metro is in good hands. Now, the portion of the public paying attention knows it also.
Don Merz
LAS VEGAS
Pick seniors
To the editor:
In response to the debate over the minimum wage and seniors competing with teens for jobs:
You know why employers would rather hire senior citizens than teens or workers in their 20s? Teens can't go five minutes without calling or texting on their cell phones. They slump around like hunchbacks staring blankly into their cell phones clutched tightly in their hands. I'm sure they even sleep with the thing.
Social skills? They can't carry on a decent conversation because their language skills consist of a few text messages. And what employer wants a worker who is irresponsible, late and dresses like a homeless person?
A senior has experience, will show up on time, speaks intelligently and will actually work without whining about everything. Doesn't seem like such a hard choice at all.
K. WILLIAMS
LAS VEGAS
