looking for TNT to give me some pointers. But please everyone read.

[bortort]

I 'm not good at expressing my feelings or expressing how things are. But I want to write my local paper about how the police let things slide in my area.
Here is what happened. I work at my wifes parents bar. As I was watching to make sure some ladies made it to there car ok, I saw a guy beating a local stores front window out. I ran up the road to get him, but he ran farther down the street. His girlfriend ran towards me to stop me from getting him. I talked with her for awhile, then the police showed up. She had convinced me not to rat on him and to let her deal with him. The police asked me what had happened, I said that the guy and his girlfriend were just having a misunderstanding, and never brought up the window. But as I was telling the police this, the guy was laughing and giving me some smug looks. I didn't like the fact that he was laughing and thinking he was getting away with it, instead of thanking me for letting him go. So I busted him. Told the police he was throwing punches and trying to hit his women ( and he was ) and that he broke out the front window of the store. Gave them my name, addy, and phone number. They told me that it came across the radio that another bouncer from the bar across the street gave the same story I did. Less then five min. later, the guy is let go and walking down the street free as a bird !!!!! excuse me, but what the hell ?????????

So........I want to write my local paper. Although it wont do any good, but I would like to let the public know how things are. If I were to do property damage to a personal home, I would me busted hard. But If I'm drunk and do it to a company, then I'm free ??????

The problem lies as, my letter will only do good if I can write a good artical. If I write as I do here, then it will never be looked at twice. I really wish I had the art of writing great articals like TNT does. I know I'm not a great speller, and the first thing is to make sure I spell everything right. But to have the smarts and the gift that TNT does to write. I can only hope for.

Any help on this for me will be taken and will be used to help my point. Thanks guys. I really want to do this and make a point in my town.

Thanks for any help you guys can give me.

Bortort

[Billy Boy]

I personally think it make very little difference the law seems to work in very strange ways and as you clearly pointed out if it was you or I we would be fined.

Saying that why not voice your opinion its about time people just said what they thought instead of laying down and taking it.

As for the letter make it clear,concise and include facts and details.I,m not that great at writing but one thing is for sure people want to read facts nothing that represents a fairytale.Most newspapers will edit what you write and will sort out the "hard" facts and what they feel should be included.

If you want write something up in rough and I,m sure if you post it here people will read it and offer comments.

[TNT]

So here I was, reading this post and suddenly I started to get a swelled head. And a headache. In that order. Seriously, bortort, thanks for the compliments.

First, decide why you want to write the Letter to the Editor. Do you think you'll accomplish something, or do you simply want to write it for catharsis - for your satisfaction - even though it probably won't do any good or have any effect? That's not to say that catharsis isn't a good reason, it just pays to have a realistic perspective.

My suggestion is simple: Write it just as you did here, but have three other people review it for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Newspapers are alloking for clean writing above everything else and, believe it or not, when they receive a letter with typos, they will often print it as written (because they simply scan it into their computers and don't bother to edit it).

Past that point, you can write it just as you did here, but make sure you have a "moral to the story" - a specific point you want to get across so that the letter actually does some good instead of merely serving as a rant. (Bitching does no good unless you provide a solution.)

Also keep in mind, especially depending on your relationship with the police, that you don't want to make them look bad. The cops may or may not be to blame on this one; it's possible that the local D.A. didn't want to press charges, or that the offender reached an agreement with the property owner to pay for the window. You also don't know if he was released on bail or bond and had to show up in court to have the offense adjudicated at a later date. (Since there were two witnesses who reported him, chances are that he did not totally get off the hook, and he would be unlikely to admit any future consequences. Even if you were not called to testify, he may have retained an attorney and copped a plea to avoid a trial which would have resulted in heavier consequences.)

As far as the letter, compose it using a word processing program and run it through a spell checker. You should still have three other people review it, because even if you are a great writer, everyone tends to gloss over words that they have written and will not catch all of the typos (I make plenty of them, especially when I write posts directly online and when I don't spell check).

Finally, for what it's worth, I think you did the right thing. It's the old rap, "If you do the crime, then do the time." Both the offender and everyone around him will be better off because he was caught.

[kreper69]

damn bro i was thinking of the same thing to write an article in my local paper about the police around here. i'm talking to an old writing teacher of mine to get help cause like you i can't come up with the right words to express my feelings in writing that well.
some mother f**ker"s broke into my house, and robbed me blind, and the police didn't do a damn thing about it. kept giving me the run around saying i had to do everything within the law wich turned out to be nothing.. if i get any good info i will share it with you bro..

[TNT]

Hmmmmmm . . .

"some mother f**ker"s broke into my house, and robbed me blind, and the police didn't do a damn thing about it. kept giving me the run around saying i had to do everything within the law wich turned out to be nothing.."

I like it. It's clean, crisp, has an individual style, there's a great hook, and it gets the point across.

I don't think the newspaper wil buy it, but it works for me.

[Sorry, kreper69. I'm just jiving you - couldn't resist. ]

[arthurb999]

Also, try reading some letter's to the editor in the paper today to get a feel how they are written.

[bortort]

Thanks everone for your input. I knew I could count on you

I'm cooled off about it now, but I still would like to write this letter to the paper. I want to write a letter to inform people what happens in our town. As I said , I help out my father in law with his bar when they need a extra hand. So being down town late at night, and having a lot of bars close together, I see more then my share of crime that happens. I figure If I write the paper on this issue, not much will come of it. But If I write them on a collection of issues, then maybe it will get others a bit upset too.

My intent isn't to make the police look bad, but maybe give them a little kick in the butt. They did a great job on getting there. As a matter of fact, I don't even know how they were informed. Maybe a silent alarm on the store, or someone in the bar might have called. But my question is why didn't they finish the job ? They talked to him for no more then two or three min. then he walked up the road. He had told the police that he didn't do it, that he was punching the wall not the window. (Well of course he is going to say that, everyone in jail never did anything wrong either.)

So instead of writing the paper right away with just one incedent, I'm going to collect a few. It won't take long to do. I'm going to inform people that I understand we have alot of crime downtown, and the police work hard on many problems. But letting the little crimes go won't help on getting the larger crimes to stop. If you let someone go on a small crime, then he might feel free to do something worse later on.
I want talk good about the police and not put them to far down, becouse it's the police that I want on my side. And they are the only ones that can fix the problems. I'm not looking for to much to come out of this. I'm not looking to be a local hero. I'm sure most people will read it, say to themselfs " yea, thats not right to let them go" then will go on to the next artical. But if they do read it, and agree. Then I have at least planted a seed in there mind, and if things continue to happen in the future, then they will recall this too.

Billy Boy.....Thanks for the advice, your right, the law does work in strange ways. You never know when someone is going to get fined for walking against a no walking sign. or if someone is going to get let off the hook for breaking windows

TNT...I'm sorry about giving you a headache , I'm just jealous on the way you are able to express what your thinking with typed words. I know what I want to say, but it never really sounds right after I write it out.

kreper......Sorry to hear about your house. I know it makes ya just so pissed off when you loose personal things. My wife was mugged and her purse stolen last summer. All I wanted to do was find the guy and beat him.

[bortort]

Originally posted by arthurb999
Also, try reading some letter's to the editor in the paper today to get a feel how they are written.

Good idea, I'll read some to see. Thanks Arthurb

[Billy Boy]

Bro if I remember there are loads of websites that offer info on how to write letters and even give you templates.Might be worth a look

[Butch]

Bortort, I think it is a great idea on what you are doing. However, I have one suggestions (or maybe two). Instead of exposing the police maybe you should expose the actual crimes that go on. Let the public know what happens when the bars close. Show them what is going on in there town after they go to bed. maybe offer some solutions to these problems. You know, ways for the public to help the police out. I would even go as far as to ask the police what you and the public can do to help.

Sometimes the police don't want the public to get in the way. Ask what you can do and yet still stay out of the way. We all know that being in law enforcement is a hard and stressful job. I know that in my town (L.A.) the police are way out numbered. So every little effort they can get from the public will help.

I hope this helps out bro. It's good to see someone trying to make a difference in their town. Good luck!