The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-05-29
MAYOR HARVEY
(C0ntinued from Pare One)

CONTINUED from Page 0ne)
ticle because Of the nature Of the
charges made by witnesses. TO the
incident; however Police Officer
Armando Perez states that witness
ses viii back up his report.
Text Of Mayor Harvey's letter fol.
lows:
"Mr. Stanton P. Nickerson
''2440 Sedgwick Avenue
Apartment TIL =
New York 60, New York
Dear Mr.. Nickerson:
First Of all let me apologize
for the Hardness of this reply to
your letter Of May 7. Several cir
cumstances have interviewed to
cause this delay, but in view Of
your subsequent letter to the Key
West Citizen and the letters to you
from local gentleman, it is per-
haps just as well that the delay
has been incurred because l may
thereby cover the several incidents
in the one letter. .
First, let me assure you that
I did, very soon after receipt Of
your letter, personally request and
obtain q report of the incident
from the officer who made the Or.
rest. There seem to be some dis.
crepancies between his report and
your account, and. since. l have
long since - through sad exper-
fence learned to refrain from as
Stunning the preregative Of the
Judge to whom your case would
normally have been referred,
cannot therefore rule upon the iner.
its of this particular case in the
absence Of a decision Of the court.
"Your letter obviously is written
in the vein Of conscientious, con.
structive criticism, and it has been
so accepted. Arrests made for pub.
lie drunkenness have long given
us concern, especially because OF
apparent lack Of definite proce.
dure in the apple alton of coordi-
nation tests to these 50 arrested,
although j scientifically based ex.
animation is given Id the case Of
charges Of drunken driving. As an
immediate result Of your letter, the
Chief Of Police has initiated and
instituted 4 program Of rigid id.
herancs 10 coordination tests, q
program Of courtesy in the depart.
ment and . general policy Of res.
pect for the constitutional rights
OF citizens. In the case Of intoxi.
Gated persons, the rule which pro.
hibited the use Of the telephone
for sobering-up period Of four
hours has now been changed.
Permit me now to refer to the
gentleman from Key West whose
letter to you and copy to me sought
to draw a parallel between his
case and yours. have also oh.
tanned q police report on his case
and hasten to assure you that in
my opinion, there is absolutely nc
parallel between your case and his
and / will allow you to draw your
own copclusion in that regard from
the embossed copy d a police re-
port on his arrest. t-.
The fact that this person ha.
the audacits assuming, Of course
that the abow police report is &C
curate) to drawa parallel between
these circumstancss and those s,
ably outlined in yoor letter is ex
emplary Of the continual problem,
faced in police work, and for ever,
constructive critic, such as I be
lieve you to be, there are ter
whose complaint is not 50 wei
founded.
"A policeman's job is probabl,
the most difficult and poorly pais
in all the world. He must make de
cisions in a fraction Of a SECOND
which may implement or destro,
the effect Of large expenditures Q,
funds in advertising and public re
lationS. He must have At once IN,
patience of the peacemaker ant
the aggressiveness Of i soldier :
that while being paid a salary s,
low that he must implement It b,
outside work. Although the tech
niqueS of police work ara oerar.Ii,