Editors swallow official excuses on cops' lack of stun guns

The American Littoral Society, which is dedicated to coastal preservation, held its annual Members Day on Saturday at historic Fort Hancock in the Sandy Hook National Recreation Area.

The society's headquarters is in one of the old officers houses, in Highlands, overlooking Sandy Hook Bay. Members went on nature walks and had a lunch of fresh clams, sandwiches, salads and beer.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The Record reports New Jersey apparently was the last state to approve Tasers, a non-fatal stun gun introduced 17 years ago as an alternative to the use of deadly force by police.

And that wasn't until 2006.

Yet, the biggest police department in Bergen County, Hackensack, still doesn't have them (A-1 and A-10).

Hackensack officers killed two Hispanic suspects allegedly armed with knives since May 21, and on May 29, Lyndhurst cops killed a black man after he "assaulted officers with a knife." (A-10).

Municipal police in Bergen County also killed two other suspects, both black, armed with knives or "tools" in 2011 and 2012.

Official excuses?

Today's Page 1 story by Staff Writer Kibret Markos contains extensive quotes from Prosecutor John L. Molinelli on the slow roll-out of stun guns in Bergen County that critics might see as excuses.

But Markos doesn't bother interviewing any critics, and that may be because the reporter was assigned to cover Molinelli's office for years as part of his Bergen County Courthouse beat.

Even an editorial on cops killing three suspects in three weeks doesn't question why only 23 out of 70 local police departments in Bergen County have Tasers (O-3).

Clearly, the lives of minority men don't mean much to the white editors of the Woodland Park daily.

Hispanic names

Hispanics have lived in Bergen County for many decades, but that doesn't mean such six-figure editors as Deirdre Sykes, head of the local assignment desk, and Liz Houlton, the so-called production supervisor, have learned anything about Latino names.

On Friday, in the front-page coverage of Hackensack police shooting and killing Raymond Peralta Lantigua, 22, his sister is identified as Michelle Peralta and mother as Rosabla Peralta.

On Saturday, follow-up stories -- on the family, the police account of the shooting and how police are trained in the use of deadly force -- contain a different name for the mother, without acknowledging an error was made.

Correction

On Saturday, the mother was identified as Rosalva, not Rosabla, and her last name was given as Lantigua, not Peralta.

The man's father was identified in a Saturday A-1 photo caption as Ramon Peralta.

Traditionally, the man's mother would be named Rosalva Peralta Lantigua, Peralta being her husband's name and Lantigua her maiden name.

There also hasn't been any explanation of why the man who was killed used a hyphen between his father's and mother's names.

If you think that's insignificant and not worthy of comment, you aren't familiar with what copy editors and their supervisors are supposed to do to ensure accuracy.

Or, you've become accustomed to The Record's slipshod editing and proof-reading.

Hillary Clinton

The Record is so addicted to the conflict between the Republicans and Democrats, political Columnist Charles Stile was assigned to cover the kick-off of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign (A-1).

Of course, what Stile doesn't say is that Clinton's focus on women, minorities and the middle class in a war-weary nation virtually assures her election over Republican saber rattlers like Governor Christie. 

Maybe, Editor Martin Gottlieb believes he can sell more papers by focusing on endless political controversies rather than on reporting what's good for the country.

When will Gottlieb and other editors realize readers are bored with politics? All the evidence they need is how few people actually vote anymore.

More on Christie

Check out another in a series of critical Christie cartoons from Margulies on O-2 today.

But can readers take Columnist Mike Kelly at his word that he's just discovering the GOP bully has left "immense unfinished business" (O-1)?

Local news?

Don't look for much municipal news in Local today, especially on L-2, where you'll find two forms of filler: 

The Dean's List, and two too many photos of a tree that fell on a house in Woodcliff Lake.

Am I the only reader wondering if that grossly overweight man shown in a photo on L-3 is an active firefighter in Palisades Park?

My reservations

Chief restaurant critic Elisa Ung's Sunday column administers another tongue lashing to customers.

The Corner Table scolds people to who make reservations without "scanning the menu" and listing food allergies or "quirky eating inclinations" (BL-1).

But, really, is there any excuse for Chef Kevin Kohler of Cafe Panache, one of the best and most expensive restaurants in Bergen County, not always having live lobsters on hand for seafood lovers?

It's time for Ung to stop making excuses for restaurants, especially those enormously expensive steakhouses she loves that put profit over the health and welfare of customers by serving mystery meat and poultry.

Fat-mouth Christie keeps us guessing on immigration

Closing one lane on River Street in Hackensack, even at 1:45 in the afternoon, causes a backup that might make you think you live in a far bigger city -- such as the traffic nightmare across the Hudson River. Time for some relaxing classical music.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Governor Christie has never hesitated to speak his mind, such as telling the media someone should "take a bat" to Sen. Loretta Weinberg, the elderly Democrat from Teaneck.

But surrounded by reporters outside a Mexico City taqueria, the GOP bully with the big, fat mouth won't say a word about his position on immigration -- even though New Jersey is known for its diversity.

Gee. Do the media really have to play cat and mouse with this conservative Republican who wanted to be president before the George Washington Bridge lane closures blew up in his face (A-1)?

We know he'd just as soon as send the New Jersey National Guard to the border then actually show concern for the many Mexicans and Central Americans who have relatives in the Garden State.

Christie is supposed to visit Puebla on this so-called trade mission to Mexico, but he's never actually visited the thousands of the Poblanos who live in the city of Passaic.

Mi casa, por favor

A related story on the Local front today notes Christie met with Mexican-American business leaders from Passaic, but they had to travel to the governor's mansion in Princeton (L-1).

When Lilia Rios, an importer of Mexican pottery, told Christie one of the biggest obstacles faced by illegal immigrants is their inability to obtain a New Jersey driver's license, he basically told her to take a hike.

"He didn't respond," she recalled.

Hot-button issue

Actually, if Christie wanted to reduce illegal immigration, he'd urge reform of the legal immigration system.

That system is so expensive, slow and arbitrary many immigrants would rather enter the United States illegally, risking death and deportation.

But The Record and other media have ignored the dysfunctional legal immigration system for decades, preferring the hot-button issue of illegals they know will inflame the racists in their audience.

Sloppy editing

Today and  Thursday, Staff Writer Melissa Hayes' front-page stories on Christie in Mexico seem hastily written and poorly edited.

On Thursday, a dozen words placed awkwardly at the end of the first paragraph should have introduced the sentence.

Today, on A-3, Hayes' story seems to jump from immigration to trade to an exchange program and back again, and she never explains why he isn't shown eating a taco.

Page 1 stories

A day after The Record called a double slaying and suicide in Hasbrouck Heights "inexplicable," the editors now refer to the three deaths as "domestic violence" (A-1).

After Robin Williams and Lauren Bacall died, Columnist Bill Ervolino couldn't wait to dust off the ancient interviews he did with them, and present them to readers on the front page.

Today, with his tribute to Joan Rivers (A-1), Ervolino shows restraint, and if readers get to the continuation page, they'll find one quote that Rivers "told me" (A-10). 

Baseball or food?

A story on the first Business page notes Newark's minor league baseball team "didn't have a lot of community support" (L-7 and L-8).

That may be because residents of the Brick City put a higher priority on getting enough to eat and trying to survive drive-by shootings and other violence.

Cafe Panache

Restaurant Reviewer Elisa Ung today raves about the three-decade-old Cafe Panache in Ramsey, where the fare "keeps the elegant BYO packed" (BL-16).

At dinner, she should have added.

When I met a friend there for lunch in August, the dining room was otherwise empty, and even though my soft-shell crab entree was good, I've had better at Seafood Gourmet in Maywood for much less money.

Ung's data box continues to state the obvious.

Right after she notes entrees are priced from $28 to $39, she tells readers the restaurant would be "less appropriate for those looking for bargain fare."

Instead of treating us like dolts, she could use the data box to tell readers whether the meat and poultry served there is organic or naturally raised.