Lieutenant Ben Kim is asking U.S. Federal Judge James Mahan to let him off parole

Former Las Vegas Police Lieutenant Ben Kim now convicted felon

Former Las Vegas Police Captain Frank Sutton, now a convicted felon.

There are two issues that I would like to address this week, but I don’t know if I have enough space since my editor has reduced my word count, so I’ll get right to the point.
First, I am very distressed with those groups back on the East Coast demonstrating hate against police officers and saying that what they want is dead police officers.
We all know that former Sheriff Douglas Gillespie refers to me and to this newspaper as anti-police and anti-government because of his personal dislike for me and what the Las Vegas Tribune stands for.
For years I, as well as the Las Vegas Tribune, have counterpointed the former Sheriff’s opinion of yours truly and the Las Vegas Tribune by explaining, not to him, but to our readers and the community as a whole that we are only against the corrupted police administration and abusive police force as well as those old-timer detectives that go to any extreme to get their way because they need to get what they want by “creating, fabricating, or call it whatever,” crimes that do not exist.
We have the utmost respect for the rank and file because the majority of our police officers in the field are very professional, well mannered, and respectful; we are very lucky in Clark County that our police force is one of the best, and like any large organization or group, there are always some bad apples.
Just a few weeks ago, on August 14, the Las Vegas Tribune editorial pointed out that the corrupted police officers that provoke antagonistic feelings against the system with their very unprofessional behavior are not that easy to confront because they know they are not especially liked and therefore they are always alert; overly paying attention while they are driving or doing whatever.
The newspaper also called for keeping an eye open for our good officers and if you get stopped by any of them try to offer that officer the peace of mind he needs to do his job well and remember that he/she has a valid reason to be extra careful, so make it easy for them by following his/her instructions the best you can.
If you feel that an officer is out of line, please don’t argue with the officer in the field; later you can take your complaint to a supervisor or to a higher-up, but do not let a simple argument over an infraction become a statistic that so far here in Las Vegas we have managed to keep to a minimum.
I have always said, when you argue with a human being that has a badge and a gun, you always lose; but right now more than ever we need to give that officer the peace of mind that he or she needs to end his/her shift and go home to his family that day.
The second issue that I believe I have to address is about a man that I have, on many occasions, been in disagreement with when we’ve shared different opinions on issues that concern us all.
While I always have commended John Smith for being the best father any young girl could have (besides my brother, of course) I have bumped heads with John on many occasions; and being the big mouth I am, I have expressed my disappointment with his column in my column..
However, just a few days ago, his column about the crooked cop that is lucky to collect a good chunk of money while on parole, hit the nail right on its head.
Former Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lieutenant Ben Kim is asking U.S. Federal Judge James Mahan to let him off parole early so he can go watch his kids’ ball games.
Why? Why is it that everyone who becomes criminal turns out to be so family-oriented after they get caught?
Take a look at the case of former Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Captain Frank Sutton; after he become a felon he was very concerned about his wife’s illness and health issues; he never thought that way when he was carrying a badge and a gun and beating fragile women in the head, leaving at least one of his victims with a brain tumor — but that is a story for another column.
Now felon Ben Kim wants the taxpayers to pay for his attorney’s fee to ask Judge Mahan to let him out of parole early to make his life easy and comfortable.
I hope that Judge Mahan sees Kim’s despicable disrespect for the law and the judicial system that he was supposed to protect and serve and does not allow him to laugh at the people of Las Vegas one more time.
In the meantime, I congratulate John L. Smith for taking such a great position when it comes to police officers that betray the trust of the community.
Sutton and Kim were lucky to be sentenced by another judge besides Judge Mahan who enforces the law fairly to the max when it comes to defendants before him. I have the feeling that neither Sutton nor Kim would have been on parole if their sentence would have been handed down by Judge Mahan.
Some judges have the tendency to be more lenient with former police officers because they look at their prior service while protected by the “blue code of silence” that I believe is not that much in existence any longer because more officers are getting tired of getting a bad reputation for the behavior of those bad apples that are always there in any organization. I believe that when law enforcement personnel, elected officials or any government officials — using the position they have been entrusted with — break the law, they should be punished double for breaking that trust, for abusing whatever power the community has given to them as well as for the actual crime.
Have a wonderful Nevada Day!!!
My name is Rolando Larraz, and as always, I approved this column. Rolando Larraz is Editor in Chief of the Las Vegas Tribune. His column appears weekly in this newspaper. To contact Rolando Larraz, email him at: Rlarraz@lasvegastribune.com or at 702-272-4634.