A job well done

Two vastly different cases unfolded Thursday, yet each involved the long arm of the law and demonstrated that cooperation among law enforcement agencies is effective in getting the job done.

First, alleged cop-killer Eric Frein, 31, was apprehended outside an abandoned airport hangar near unused Birchwood Resorts, a 280-acre site in Monroe County, after 48 days on the lam.

The capture was accomplished by officers of the U.S. Marshals Service, America's oldest law enforcement agency.

The seven-week hunt for Frein wasn't without criticism.

Many felt it was just too costly to commit 1,000 Pennsylvania State Police troopers to a single case.

Some said the $1.4-million-per-week price tag was too hefty.

Others theorized Frein had fled Pennsylvania, making the local search futile.

But in this situation, perseverance paid dividends and Frein was caught.

At exactly the same time, in a much different local case, an alleged interstate counterfeiter was captured after passing bogus bills in Rush Township.

It took less than 48 hours for local and state police, working in tandem with the U.S. Secret Service, to nab the suspect, arraign him, and lodge him in county jail.

When it comes to crime and criminals, we sometimes have more questions than answers. It's easy to become frustrated.

And a result of that frustration is to place unrealistic expectations on the police charged with protecting us.

Truth is, police routinely face obstacles. They work within constraints of time, manpower, funding, equipment and even politics.

Sometimes the odds are stacked against the men in blue.

But on Thursday, law enforcement prevailed.

Our world, today, is a little bit safer.

And we're grateful.

By DONALD R. SERFASS

dserfass@tnonline.com