Do the crime, then do the time
In Alex Rubalcava’s June 16 letter, he argues that former deputy police chief Keith Foster should receive probation for his recent felony drug trafficking convictions. He contends this is appropriate because no one was harmed from Keith Foster’s drug trafficking activities, other Mr. than Foster.
How could Mr. Rubalacava possibly know how many people were directly or indirectly harmed from Mr. Foster’s illegal felonious actions? He can’t know whether the people who purchased the illegal drugs were harmed from taking the drugs, or harmed others while they were under the influence of these drugs. He can’t know if the people who purchased these drugs harmed others to get the money to buy the illegal drugs.
The reason these crimes are classified as felonies and carry significant penalties, is because they have been determined to involve the type of criminal conduct that does do serious harm to our society. Mr. Foster, as the former deputy chief of police, knows more than most, if you do the crime, you must do the time.
Jim Wilkins, Clovis
This story was originally published June 21, 2017 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Do the crime, then do the time."