Tucson’s police force could use a few tips from the Tahoe Sheriff’s Department
The Tahoe Daily Tribune has written a story about the cyclist who was shot with a slingshot by an 18 year old assailant. The assailant was a passenger in a car that pulled up next to the rider; the rider was shot at point-blank range with a wrist-rocket.
The article mentions that S. Lake Tahoe is a League of American Bicyclists “bike friendly community,” just like Tucson. The police there seem to take their obligations toward cyclists more seriously than ours do, though–they immediately issued a “be on the lookout” advisory for the car and quickly caught the driver and his passenger, who confessed.
Here in Tucson, as readers of this blog know, a man was assaulted with a baseball bat by a passenger in a car and the police didn’t even follow up at all, even though the victim got a description of the car and the full license plate. The driver of the car (we know who he is and where he lives) has to this day never been contacted or visited by the police. The Tucson Police Department has repeatedly told me there was nothing more they could do, and our own Bicycle Advisory Council has not (at least so far) admonished them about this.
Anyway, thumbs up to the Tahoe Sheriff’s Department officers who responded quickly to this incident, found the assailant, talked him into confessing, and charged him with aggravated assault.
They should come down here and show Tucson’s force how it’s done sometime.
–Erik Ryberg