Re: “Stephen Reid reflects on life of crime and punishment,” Feb. 23.
So Stephen Reid says: “Don’t look for me anymore.” It might come as a surprise to him and the editors of the Times Colonist that not all that many people were interested in him in the first place. One can only hope that this is the last time that we will hear from him.
I don’t care if he is a successful writer. If people are interested in reading of his exploits they can go and buy his book. I just wish the Times Colonist would stop treating him as if he is someone of great community interest.
He is a person with a long criminal past, a former drug user and someone who put many people’s lives, particularly police officers’ lives, at risk when he went on his shooting rampage.
I think the people who should be recognized are those who have had to deal with all of the problems that come along with dealing with someone like Reid, his criminal acts, his drug addiction, the costs of keeping him incarcerated and the effects that day will have on the police involved for the rest of their lives.
Perhaps the paper could do an article every month on someone who is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because of people like Reid.
Perhaps it would help our community to recognize that the really important people in the Stephen Reid saga are the officers who put their lives on the line to protect the community from him.
Lynn West
Sooke
