Supt. Crisaleo Tolentino, chief of police of Dumaguete City, is urging the public to file complaints against police personnel for lapses in their duties, especially in checkpoints.
Tolentino was reacting to reports that policemen chased motorists who evaded checkpoints, and pointed their guns at the drivers.
A recent incident involved a male teenager who turned around and drove off after seeing the checkpoint at a Dumaguete boundary. He admitted he was driving without a license, and claimed that the two policemen, who caught up with him on a motorcycle, cocked their guns while scolding him for fleeing.
The teenager was reportedly traumatized by the incident but neither he nor his family filed a complaint although there were witnesses who can identify the policemen.
Tolentino said cops assigned to the City Quick Response Team usually chase drivers who evade checkpoints. The act of fleeing can be interpreted as being guilty of an offense, whether related to traffic or to other crimes like illegal drugs and gambling, he added.
He said CQRT personnel are trained to carry their weapons, usually long firearms at “low ready” by the backrider, while the driver may have a side short arm.
Low ready means the firearm, usually an M-16 armalite rifle, has been cocked and pointed halfway up, but not directly, at a person, Tolentino said. This is to ensure that policemen will not be at the disadvantage when responding to a call out, or during checkpoints, he added.
He said checkpoints are not set up only for traffic violators but also to curb criminal elements so there is need to deploy personnel on motorcycles.*JFP
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