A Clueless Police Spokesman

On 27 May, 2006, a tragic event took place in Miami Beach, Florida. According to news reports, Edward Van Dyke, M.D. threw his two sons and then himself from a fifteenth story balcony. A usual suspect was named; there had been marital discord in the past. No doubt, other like suspects will be given credence via the news.

The doctor’s wife stated that there was no argument preceding the tragedy and the family was in Miami Beach to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary.

And, it is a fact that millions, perhaps most, of married Americans experience marital discord. Murders and suicide as a result are rare and indicative of other problems of physical and/or mental health.

The Miami Beach Police Spokesman, Bobby Hernandez, called the doctor selfish for his act relating the deaths to the discord. The spokesman trivialized the deaths and ignored real issues that are present in many crimes. I suspect that such an attitude also precludes a scientific investigation of the deaths.

I hope that a thorough autopsy is performed to determine if any physical or chemical factors contributed to the behavior of Dr. Van Dyke.

Many crimes are committed by people who have lost choice. Either by dwelling on one possible outcome or by harboring and nurturing a resentment, the person reaches a point where an ability to weigh choices is gone. The results are crimes that appear senseless. Susan Smith could have easily relinquished custody of her two children, but the concept of bad mother was more ingrained. Thinking persons can weigh the consequences of child murder against a few judgmental people making derogatory comments and put up with the comments.

Hernandez’s characterization is too common among investigations, news media, and citizens. It is also a result of the inability to observe and reason, very much like the perpetrators of many crimes.

If the point of law and order is to diminish the number of crimes, then we need to look at behaviors that exist rather than our stereotypes and prejudgment. Making more laws and building more prisons will not prevent a crime of compulsion. I’m not sure if such prevention is possible, but only by accepting that such a thing exists can we approach prevention.

Stereotypes and prejudgment will never solve a problem. Neither will clueless spokesmen.