I admire Earline Byers' reporting skills because her articles generally hit right on all the Who, What, When, Where and How facts of any story or opinion.

But in a recent column in the Times/News, where she endorsed lifting of the levy lid as a matter of public safety, she missed the How factor. Is our judicial system that broken that it allows a thief to steal a car, an asset valued as high as $20,000-$60,000, with impunity?

I'm quite sure that the police know who is stealing these cars as they probably arrest them five or six prior times and are very frustrated by that fact the judicial system does absolutely nothing to stem this recidivism.

What if the local QFC or Fred Meyer were robbed and the thief got away with $20,000 in cash or other assets. Would they, if captured, get away with a slap on the wrist or would they face jail time?

If so what is the difference between stealing vehicles valued at the same amount?

Before I could support any additional funding for the police I would want assurances that the judicial system were reformed to step up with the removal of these felons from our neighborhoods and stop having the police chasing their tails rearresting the same thieves seven times.

Write an article where the local politicians and the police are pounding on the desk of a state legislative judicial committee chair or Ron Sims' desk to change this stupid policy.

To keep throwing money at a problem with no solution in sight is ridiculous.

Gary KennedyDes Moines