Opinions from around South Carolina: police shooting, USC basketball, moped DUIs

Police shooting

Here’s the first corrective action that must be taken: Law enforcement officers will wear body cameras. This debate is over. Our society can no longer indulge in needless speculation about what took place at a traffic stop or in any confrontation involving a police officer and a suspect. …

Buy the technology and use it. No more debate and no more delay.

Body cameras will protect innocent people involved in a police confrontation. This technology also will protect law enforcement officers from false allegations and maybe even their own impulsive actions.

Second, every law enforcement agency, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from North Charleston to Greenville, must immediately review its policies and training. Those policies need to ensure that minorities are not being targeted for routine violations such as brake lights that aren’t working or expired paper tags. The training also must be reviewed to ensure officers can appropriately handle people who aren’t as cooperative or deferential as the police would like.

Third, more understanding is needed as to why many black citizens are suspicious of police and reluctant to accept the official explanation of officer-involved shootings. The video produced in North Charleston did not reflect what the officer first reported about the shooting. The door at least has been opened for questioning what has happened in other officer-involved shootings as well.

USC winners

So close. One basket. But just because the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team didn’t win its first NCAA Final Four game doesn’t make it a loser.

Anything but.

The hard-fought contest in Tampa, Fla., Sunday was a lot more than a heart-breaking 66-65 point loss. It was a chance for viewers across the country to see the Gamecock women’s resilience, drive and skill.

It was a chance for South Carolinians to take pride in some of our own.

Moped DUIs

Moped drivers shouldn’t be able to get away with drunken driving even if their vehicles are low-powered scooters.

Because of a glitch in the law, mopeds, which are not classified in South Carolina as motorized vehicles, are not subject to DUI laws. Operators can exceed the legal limit for intoxication and still drive a moped or similar two-wheeled vehicle with impunity.

Mopeds, in fact, are infamous as the chosen mode of transportation for those who have been convicted of DUI offenses and are not allowed to drive a car as part of their sentence. …

While we appreciate the fact that these people need a way to get around and go to work, they shouldn’t be given carte blanche to drive drunk.

▪ “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.”

▪ “The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.”

This story was originally published April 11, 2015 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Opinions from around South Carolina: police shooting, USC basketball, moped DUIs."