Police chief not out of line

Roger Hatcher is the chief of police in Tucumcari.

So, one day a mother brings her out-of-control daughter to the Tucumcari police station because the daughter has beaten the mother. The mother wants law enforcement to step in and deal with the daughter.

Then this out-of-control daughter decides to run from Mom and police. She is told to stop by Chief Hatcher, but she continues to run and heads into the street without looking for traffic.

Chief Hatcher makes the spit-second decision to stop this young lady by tasing her.

Myself and everyone I’ve discussed this with say, “Way to go Chief Hatcher.”

Yes, the suspect was only 14, but obviously old enough to attack her own mother. She is old enough to face the consequences of disobeying and running from law enforcement. When a police officer is yelling at you to stop, I’m pretty sure he means it. Stop.

Roger Hatcher has been a personal friend for more than 20 years. He is a good Christian man, a good husband and father.

I’m sure he never intended the Taser dart entering this girl’s brain. But what if Hatcher had not tasered this child and she’d run into the street and been hit by a truck? It’s obviously a no-win situation for the chief.

Until you walk a mile in a police officer’s shoes, or at least ride a shift in his patrol car with him, I wouldn’t be so quick to judge.

Hatcher is neither incompetent nor arrogant as Glenda Bly implied in her letter last Sunday.

I’ve discussed this with 10 to 15 people. Not one feels Chief Hatcher was out of line.