Item from the Associated Press, yesterday -- In Philadelphia,  the city's police commissioner said, a white Philadelphia police sergeant made up a story about being shot by a black man while on patrol last month, and actually intentionally shot himself for unknown reasons. Really? Is he suicidal, or was he trying to retire early, go out on disability?

Robert Ralston, 46, a suspended without pay  Philadelphia police Sargent, soon to be an ex-policeman, 21-year veteran of the department, confessed  liar -- confessed that his April 5 gunshot wound was self-inflicted, police said. "He did not give a reason for doing that ... He denied that he was trying to get attention," Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said, the Associated Press reported. "He (Ralston) said he first considered shooting himself in the chest, but he thought better of it." Ralston was suspended for 30 days with intent to dismiss, Ramsey said. He will have to pay for the extensive manhunt that followed his report last month that he was shot, but he will not be prosecuted. He would only confess with a promise of immunity, Ramsey said, according to media reports. The Fraternal Order of Police had put out a $10,000 reward for information leading to the alleged suspect. Yesterday, on Tuesday, FOP President John McNesby condemned the sergeant's actions, saying they took away from the good work of police officers. "Nobody knows what he was thinking to do something like that," McNesby said. "He wasted a lot of time, a lot of manpower. It could really stir up a lot of stuff in the city when you don't really need it."

Great Scott! And again, Great Scott! What policemen and women do is very important and people need to be able to rely on them. If a policeman is caught in a lie, a lie that could do serious harm to a community, then that individual needs to be brought to justice. Immunity or no immunity, that individual needs to be locked up. If he lied about this (being shot by a black man), what else has he lied about? Every case that he was involved in needs to be examined. If he has made false statements in reports, perjured himself before the court, he needs to be prosecuted. If there is any justice, that individual should be sitting in jail, right now. Robert Ralston is an individual who should disgust every American.