A PAIN IN THE NECK BEATS AN ELBOW IN THE NECK
EVERY DAY!
(TRAVERSE CITY RECORD EAGLE/FRAZER CHRONICLE)
What in hell is going on in my old home
town, homeless people getting harassed, cops fleeing the scene of an auto
accident, cats and dogs living together, and now a Grand Traverse sheriff’s
deputy going all elbows on his girlfriend in public…..in a tavern…..where
witnesses are present. Wow could this be an episode of Payton Place, or some
reality television show.
The deputy in question, the guy with the
golden elbow looks like a nice guy
in a RECORD EAGLE photo, you could
plaster his face anywhere and he’d be a poster boy for department
recruitment programs. One thing the image of the guy does portray is testament
to the old adage, (a picture is worth a thousand words.)
Ryan Scott Salisbury looks like a
hulking, intimidating person who should never be crossed either in public, or
especially in private. Hell I don’t even live in Traverse City anymore and I’m
intimidated just looking at his picture. Where in the world do they dig this
guys up from, punks on parade?
I personally don’t like police officers,
I appreciate the jobs that they do, and I understand that cops are necessary,
and have been since almost the beginning of time…..but! I’m of the same
attitude as most people that I know, (I respect the law, but not the
instruments that carry it out, the uniformed police officers.)
Down at the end of the line, cops mostly are different then us normal
people that reside in villages, towns, cities, regions and states throughout
the country. I don’t know about you, but I don’t get up in the morning wondering
whose skull I’ll be cracking during my day. I don’t look at the average guy on
the street and wonder if he poses a threat to either me, or the people around
me.
I think police officers in general are
decent law abiding citizens that have chosen a profession that isn’t for
everybody…..being a police officer has its upside, and its downside. Sure a
truck driver or construction worker has good points as well as bad, but the bad
parts of driving a truck or nailing a board into place can’t compare with dodging
a bullet, rousting drunks from a tavern or issuing a traffic citation.
THAT
SAID:
Law enforcement personnel or officials
should be shown no preferential treatment compared to any other person who
throws elbows around, gets into automobile accidents, or uses his position to
intimidate people. Cops go through training to learn the art of taking control of a situation, and keeping that
control. I understand that control of an incident that could potentially
escalate is a necessity, but there is a place and a time for that attribute,
and it ain’t in a tavern.
I’ve heard of the blue line, or the brotherhood of cops, and I think its crap,
if a guy’s wrong, he’s wrong, and it doesn’t matter who he is, what position he
might hold, or under what circumstances he might find himself in. Police
officers have the training to do great bodily harm, usually with their hands,
feet, flashlights, or those ugly nightsticks (batons). In an altercation on off
duty hours many municipalities require their police officers to carry their
weapons, and when you mix that fact with the training, and attitude of control,
its amassing there isn’t more fatal incidents.
It’s funny that witnesses change their
statements, don’t want to testify, and victims really not being victims at all.
It reminds me of a witness in a murder trial being questioned about her
eyesight; after all she was just a whore. How in hell does a person’s
profession have anything to do with eyesight?
TO
SERVE AND PROTECT:
Okay so Ryan Scott Salisbury had a bad
day, maybe he was being jilted by his girlfriend, or maybe Scotty was just
constipated, I don’t know. However Salisbury needed to act to a higher set of
standards then the average guy on the street. He’s trained, probably carries a
fire-arm, and in a sense is a lethal weapon walking around ready to blow-up if
somebody pushes his buttons.
Lost in the incident is the fact that
Salisbury, like his brother officers has pursued a career in law enforcement,
and was awarded his position through his hard work, and probably his ability to
work with the department. It’s an accomplishment to be proud of, and surely
shouldn’t be jeopardized by a foolish bar-room attack on either his girlfriend,
or some guy texting her messages.
There seems to be a pattern connected
with Salisbury’s actions regarding (his women,) for whatever reason good old
Ryan can’t seem to keep the women in his life under control, or more to the
point, maybe he seeks to much control.
No matter the reasons, clearly Salisbury
loses control, example, in late 2011, Leelanau County assistant Prosecutor Doug
Donaldson failed to bring charges with regards to a domestic violence issue
with Salisbury’s wife, and about a year later, the elbow incident.
I’m seeing a pattern with regards to law
enforcement people in the beautiful Grand Traverse region that doesn’t bode to
well for the citizenry. The SERVE AND
PROTECT slogan might apply more for the law enforcement community then
the civilians, and like the man said, “that ain’t too good.”
A
TIME FOR ACTION:
Sheriff Tom Bensley is continuing his
review of the situation. Gee, I hope he’s better at real crime investigation
then he appears to be with the elbow incident. Let’s see, the elbow
attack happened December 6th 2012, and it’s now January 10th
damn, that’s five whole weeks. Maybe a simple (elbow print) could solve the
issue, or a lengthy interrogation of the accused body part.
Intimidation, witnesses changing their
version of the incident, a 2011 problem with Salisbury’s wife, a no contact
order issued in that case, I bet if I really, really dug, I’d come up with more
dirt on Mr. Congeniality, and it wouldn’t take me five weeks.
Do these people, these law enforcement
types, really understand how their actions or inactions look to the public, and
at least one guy that now lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin. For me, it kind of embarrassing,
I wonder what the people of Traverse City think.
Sheriff Tom, time to lower the boom on Officer Salisbury, he’s just a volatile situation waiting to happen. I hope he doesn’t read on line blogs or the RECORD EAGLE. I feel threatened and intimidated already.
