CHEERS to the New York State Police and all law-enforcement agencies, which obviously have a magnificent network of dedicated officers that makes crime very risky business indeed. Last Sunday, two people were found shot to death in a residence at Chazy Lake. The State Police set out to find the primary suspect, Anthony Pavone, in the wilds around the lake and beyond. It kindled images of past North Country manhunts, such as the one for police killer James Call in the mid-1950s and multiple murderer Robert Garrow in the early '70s. A description of Pavone and his truck were dispatched far and wide so police well beyond the North Country could be on the lookout. That network was the factor that led to Pavone's capture near Binghamton very early Friday morning. A sheriff's patrol spotted the truck parked outside a motel. Miraculously, Pavone had eluded capture for five days, but his capture was inevitable, given the alertness of law-enforcement agencies everywhere. Who would think that an officer five hours away would be keen enough to have the license plate on that truck register in his mind as the vehicle sought in Plattsburgh? Yet that's what happened. (In this case, it was Broome County Sheriff's Deputy Thomas Sienko.) At this newspaper, we hear and read criticisms of State Police all the time: sometimes, because there are too many troopers on the road; sometimes, because there are not enough; sometimes, because they don't issue enough tickets for speeding or cell-phone use; sometimes, for issuing too many. In the Pavone case, we heard criticism that troopers didn't get to the Chazy Lake residence quickly enough. Those critics probably don't realize Troop B encompasses an area about the size of the state of Connecticut, and it's sparse, with a limited number of police cars on the roads at any one time. Miles — not blocks — have to be traveled, and by all accounts this didn't appear at the time to be a call with extreme urgency attached to it. To relatives and friends of victims of brutal crimes, no amount of police work would suffice, short of heading the mayhem off in the first place. From our vantage, however, this was outstanding work throughout the terrible ordeal.
CHEERS to Peru Central School faculty and staff and an on-site state trooper for prompt, selfless response to what might have been a serious emergency two weeks ago. Popcorn was being prepared in the Elementary School, which set off the school's evacuation alarm. Immediately, children were hurried off to other buildings in that day's frigid cold. School buses were summoned. Teachers bundled up the children as best they could — some, in the teachers' own coats — and hustled them off to safety and warmth. Order was quickly restored, but parents can take comfort that the system worked well — and so did the people.
Opinion
February 7, 2010
Cheers and Jeers: Feb. 8, 2010
- Editorial
-
-
Editorial: The real reason for the holiday
Today is for creating new memories. Tomorrow, we should pause to remember. Memorial Day weekend, being the first big holiday of the sun season, is all about barbecues, picnics and outdoor activities; it is all about family and friends. After a North Country winter, even a fairly mild one like we just had, we need to relax in the sun and enjoy the outdoors.
- Editorial: Bright future, looking ahead
- Editorial: Mail cuts will be fact of life
-
Editorial: The real reason for the holiday
- Cheers and Jeers
-
-
Cheers and Jeers: May 28, 2012
JEERS to people who dump garbage at the mouth of the Saranac River, and CHEERS to cemetery caretakers.
-
Cheers and Jeers: May 28, 2012
- Letters to the Editor
- Speakout
- In My Opinion
-
-
In My Opinion: A new focus for mental well-being
The opening of Behavorial Health Services North's Center for Well-Being at 2155 State Route 22B in Morrisonville on April 23 reflects the opening of a new chapter in the story of the treatment of mental illness now under way in our country, Behavorial Health Services North CEO Harry Cook writes.
-
In My Opinion: A new focus for mental well-being
