Letter to the Editor

LETTERS: ST. LOUIS POLICE MUST BE ACCOUNTABLE

This article comes from our electronic archive and has not been reviewed. It may contain glitches.

To the editor:

The St. Louis Police Department can be held responsible for the South Side Rapist's being at large. I have concern about how the police department has handled the case.

The newspaper states that Dennis N. Rabbit complied with a saliva test, but later that afternoon he quit his job and fled the area. If the police department knew the results from the DNA testing would take a week to get back, the police should have taken precautions to keep an eye on the suspect. It is common sense to assume a suspect will flee the area if he is guilty.

The police know Rabbit stayed in a hotel in Springfield, Mo., and watched a Missouri Tiger football game Nov. 7, then stayed in Joplin. This is helpful information to find Rabbit now that he is missing. However, it doesn't cover up the fact that the police department messed up. The police didn't anticipate the actions of the suspect, and now Rabbit is free to commit criminal acts such as rape again.

Instead of the public feeling safe and secure, the public is worried about its well-being.

JULIE KRAEMER

Cape Girardeau