As some readers may recall, in my ćyoungerä days, I spent several years as a ćpoliceä reporter in an average town in Tennessee. Now, this was no heaven. The county in which I lived and wrote was ćdryä÷ as was most of the state ÷ meaning youād see all your neighbours trekking to Virginia for their weekend supplies of the suds.

And, frankly, there were times I felt safer with the bootleggers than I did with the police. I wonāt bore you again with the details of the detective who pulled a gun on me owing to my lack of interest in his proposition and the subsequent silence that followed ÷ the nine officers who saw it swore it never happened.

So, I thought perhaps, since that was 30 years ago, things might be different now. Perhaps thereās such a thing as a ćcode of honour.ä In fact, I watch all the Law and Order episodes I can find, so I have been pretty sure that things are now on the up and up. And certainly, I donāt live in rural Tennessee anymore·

Until I read the newspaper on January 31. Now, personally, Iāve found it odd that accused murderers seem to be found innocent a lot Īround these parts, and Iāve found it confusing that it takes many years for ćinvestigationsä of government agencies (BHC, for example) to come to fruition. I mean, thereās only 60,000 of us when everybodyās home. How hard could it be?

But Fridayās paper floored me when I learned that a murder suspect had revealed ÷ not last week, nor last year ÷ but in 2001 ÷ that he was tight with the Bermuda Police serviceās Narcotics Department· and, not only that, but four police officers (who weāll call A,B,C, and D, since that is what Puisne Justice Norma Wade Miller insists we call them) were heavily involved in narcotics trafficking.

Anyway, Iām confused. Should Bermudians, who if they get parking tickets risk being named in the paper, not have the right to know who the accused police are? Is this really an internal matter? Or is this a grossly illegal narcotics matter that involves far more than an ćinternalä investigation?

Bermudians, my guess is now that the seat belt law is back in effect, if we donāt behave, you and Iāll both be listed as offenders ÷ forget the kid dangling off mom or dadās cycle· I donāt think anyone would have said, ćDonāt publish their names until they are tried and convicted.ä I think you and Iād have had our just desserts÷whatever those might be!

So, we know itās not appropriate for the less senior police officers to make a report to the community. But we do know that such a report should have been (and Iād bet likely was) made to police administration. And, meanwhile, what about officers A through D·are they on vacation, paid or unpaid, or still at work?

Surely, after two-and-a-half years, this whole issue didnāt catch a whole lot of people by surprise? (Only me; I live in my office!) Hopefully someone will join me as I watch Law and Order, which suggests itās quite okay to name the accused. Donāt Bermudians have a right to know who is protecting whom? I think so.