72.36%	Yes
27.63%	No

Comment: If it is true they were not following safety protocols, then they broke the law. End of story. by Kristie

Comment: After watching 60 minutes on May 16th, there is no doubt in my mind that several BP people should go on trial. BP was just plain WRONG! from Gulf Shores, AL by John

Comment: BP as big and bad as it is has limited resouces. They should be used to pay for actual losses. Attorney fees to defend themselves and fines to the government (taxes) will do NOTHING to help those of us who are suffering actual financial loss. Let us try to recover. Obama's tough talk is nothing more than political blab and is deplorable and self serving. If he cared about us he would shut up. from pensacola beach by betsy

Comment: Negligent yes, criminal NO. A mistake causes a disaster. That is an accident! If proven that someone within the corporation had knowledge of delinquency by employees then perhaps criminal charges may be in effect. But even at the most extreme circumstance, criminal charges are just another way to direct more lawyers to make more MONEY at the expense of those affected! from Milton, FL by Christopher

Comment: I do not believe BP had any intent to break their own drilling equipment, nor to spill oil in the Gulf. They have agreed to "fix it", including stopping the spill, cleaning up the mess, and reimbursing all who have suffered. Would criminal charges benefit anyone? from pensacola, florida by Jane

Comment: There should be absolutely no reason to not file charges for this man made disaster. from Pensacola, FL by Steve

Comment: Yes, but only if it is found that BP cut safety measures to save money. An accident need not be prosecuted. Do not allow the government to get their hands on control of BP. They have not done a decent job on anything they takeover. Like Social Security, Medicare Medicaid, Housing etc. from Pensacola, Fl. by Frank

Comment: The Obama administration cut corners and ingnored existing regulations to fast track the permitting for this well. They are culpable for that. What happened on the rig was an accident. BP has already accepted full financial rsponsibility and has already paid out around half a billion. from Navarre, FL by Mort

Comment: yes, I do think criminal charges apply. They took from me the best seafood that I feed my family and many generations to come. THEY ARE CROOKS!Thieves, Killers, Making Folks Sick for generations upon generations whom live and love and work in the Gulf. from Niceville by Julie

Comment: my husband Bill and my son Russell have both told me for years ( we are 3rd generation oilfield) if i get killed..SUE THE HELL OUT OF THE COMPANIES THEY WORK FOR! Find our lawer in Houston. Cause it won't be their fault!!!!! from milton florida by baird

Comment: BP had a severe accident, they are working, trying the best that can be done to stop the flow. It has cost them a fortune, and they seem to still be paying and working, let's try to help. from Walnut Hill by Kenneth

Comment: The evidence is out there in terms of lack of regulatory compliance, as well as negligence. As important as charges being filed, is the clean up on the ocean and subsea, and of course the beaches. A huge number of super tankers with vacuum apparatus, should have been deployed from the beginning. They were used extensively in the Arabian Gulf in the 90s with great success, one exampple, a spill as large as ours, they were able to vacuum up 85% on the ocean surface.. Instead BP has been allowed to use toxic dispersents and burns, which effectivly, hides the true amount of the oil leaked as well as burying it in toxic plumes beneath the sea. Since BP is fined per barrel of oil released, it would seem that using the dispersents and the burns has worked to their advantage, by our never knowing how much oils was truly released. We will perhaps never know the undersea amt of oil, or the effects. I have heard however that Marina owners can lose their licenses if they pour even a small amount of dispersents in the water for even a small gas spill. I find it thus appalling that BP was ever allowed to use dispersents, as it further toxifies our gulf. We need hundreds of super tankers, vacuuming up the oil, plus accepting help from more of our allies, only 3 out of 13 other countryoffers have been accepted. /we can at least, accept help from our allies. We also need the Federal Government to call up all branches of the service, all available resources and equipment to collect the oil and then transport to refineries. this is not rocket science, as this is how spills are handled around the world, and we have seen BP being allowed to use the least expensive, most toxic ways to deal with the oil. Very little has actually been collected and taken away. from alabama by appalled

Comment: Yes there should be criminal charges for this disaster! It's killing all of the wildlife, closing off the bays and water to the fishermen who is dependent upon their lively hood of living, and it's ruining the tourism here in Florida, and not only our beloved beaches. from Fort Walton Beach, Florida by Marlena

Comment: DEFINITELY!!!! I know from personal experience. These oil companies do not care about anything except MONEY!!!Not only should criminal charges be filed but OUR GOVERNMENT, both State and Federal should fine BP for everyday the oil is gushing in OUR GULF. My philosophy, Hit'em where it hurts, their pockets!!! Maybe that will cause BP to realize what they have done to ALL OF THE GULF COAST STATES!!!!! Not just Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas AND Florida!! I've lived here all my life and have only stayed here because of the beaches. How can BP even think that they can pay people for the damages they have done. THEY CAN NOT PAY FOR MEMORIES! Another thing I do not understand is why was BP allowed to drill in such depths without a method to stop the oil from gushing into OUR waters if in fact a disaster like this DID occur? Our Government should look into who was responsible for allowing the drilling and the backup plan. That party/group or whatever should also be held accountable!! from Milton/FL by Dawn

Comment: are you aware that the oil spill can be stopped right now. Russia has done just that a couple of times. Please go to: http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=158297 and read the details. Now I ask you, why doesn't BP do the very same? Is it because they don't want to kill the mother load of oil they found for themselfves? Please pass this on, why can't we inforce this idea.....! from Pensacola, FL 32526 by Marcia

Comment: Yes to criminal as well as civil charges with no cap on liability. BP should lose all assets and top management should go to jail!!! Federal officials who participated in sham inspections, coverups and bribes should also go to jail. We won't rest until they are all held accountable. from Birmingham, Alabama by Donna

Comment: Yes, I live on the Gulf Coast and am worried about our future and what it holds. My question is that they have discussed everything under the sun about this spill of who and what it is impacting. The one question that has not been discussed is how will the oil spill effect housing prices. Will our houses go down in value as no one will want to buy a house that is near a oil covered beach. Will any new bussiness want to start up in the Gulf States with our beaches ruined. The way I see it is BP has created the worlds largest prison, it covers 4 states. No one will want to buy our houses so we can't move away. from Pensacola/FL by Deborah

Comment: Obama should arrest Bush and Chainey. They done this to make Barrak look bad. They is racist. Obama 2012!!! from Devillers by Darnell

Comment: If I got caught dumping oil in the Gulf I would be in jail. from Valp. Fl. by Robert

Comment: Heck yes prosecute them, along with themselves and the previous administration for allowing all this to go on. WHat I am afraid of we have destroyed our Eco System. This is just the begining. What away to finally show that money cannot fix everything. PS learn how to spell in the Carvelle article, "rigs" is not spelled "rights". Whom ever spellchecks for you is terrible. All of the time on tickers, etc., you see spelling errors, that end up as mis-quotes. from Milton / FL by robb

Comment: Criminal?! There is nothing criminal about an accident. For my money, send the federal government, including the Attorney General, back inside the Loop where they belong. They (the U.S. Gov't) are just grandstanding now and playing upon the emotions of those already devastated by this accident. Granted this accident should have been preventable, but it happened. IF THERE IS ANYTHING CRIMINAL, it is the fact that the companies involved are not forthcoming with the cash to back up their apologies. from Mary Esther, FL. by Tom

Comment: Corporate greed and complacency have led to many problems we face daily. Corporations should be held accoountable. BP's business charter for the U.S. should be rescinded. from Pensacola, FL by Darrin

Comment: This is an extremely unfortunate ACCIDENT. I highly doubt that BP intended to lose millions if not billions of raw product, nor did they intend on paying billions of dollars in settlements. This was an accident, and I do not believe criminal charges should have even been brought up. If it wasnt BP it would have been someone else. This is an unfortunate event but not BP's fault. from Pensacola FL by James

Comment: I work offshore and i know a little about what goes on out there and was just wondering why BP couldnt send more explosives down to implode the hole the oil was coming from....Cause like a small earthquake to cover the hole the oil was leaking from....Or the pipe the oil is coming from put a smaller pipie inside that pipe with a cap on it to stop it from leaking....Just a thought maybe you guys could pass on to BP and get this under control..Thanks for all you guys do at WEAR and have a wonderful day.... from Molino,FL by James

Comment: I think the timing is bad We need to concentrate on solving the leak and cleanup then focus on criminal or civil violations. There is a commission already appointed by OBama to look into the spill. Let's stop it clean it up and then look at violations. We need everyones cooperation from Pensacola Fl by Ed

Comment: ok...but to whom should these charges be plastered to? and what are the penalties to a international corp? from p'cola fl by h

Comment: They new it could happen but did nothing to make sure it didn't. from Pensacola by Ray

Comment: I guess the average or below average person thinks this type of production recklessness only happens on oil rigs. Look close at our county and CITY and under the rugs. Money talks to ignore issues. Right here in Pensacola and in the chemical industry. They are glad the oil issue is limelighting over them. from Pensacola,FL by Flower

Comment: I think if the investigation is done properly, it will reach deep into the Federal Government in addition to BP and it's contractors. from Niceville, FL by Edward

Comment: Hang em from Pensacola, FL by Dara

Comment: I think there should be charges because look how many times they tried to stop it and nothing has worked and bp does not seem to be doing much about it from navarre fl by kimi

Comment: if b/p disobeyed safety ,yes,all involved,should face charges. from pensacola.fl by glen

Comment: Definitely, this oil spill is MURDER to our Gulf and to the fish and marine life in and around it. Also, the people who earn wages and make a living from the Gulf..what are they going to do? from pensacola by georgia

Comment: no and from what I've heard it is illegal for the government to be discussing them while working with and supposedly directing BP from pens by n

Comment: Yes I think so especially since in the beginning of all this the childish pointing of fingures and the CEO of BP in news could careless, stating "he just wants to get back to his life" well so many of us here will have fall out that our life will be forever changed. Even just regular people who have nothing to do with "fishing" will be effected on way or another including job layoffs for lack of tourist it will all trickle down. Corporate companies should be held responsible in every aspect of all jobs they don't think of the people they effect in many ways. from Navarre, FL by Laurie

Comment: I think we need to be careful on how we treat this because if BP files bankrupcy the tax payer will be fliping the bill for the clean-up. from Navarre, Fl by Mary

Comment: Obviously their "Blowout Preventer" equipment was not regularly tested to make sure the moving parts worked. Even worse, for the last 5 weeks they have not been trying to stop the flow but to capture the oil so they can sell it! from Mobile, Alabama by Ed

Comment: Why should BP only be held respnsible, what about the WH and TransOcean and Halliburton! No one should be pointing fingers until the spill is taken care of anyway!! from Fairhope, Al by Michelle

Comment: Yes I do, From what I have learned especially from the crew member that was on the rig when it Blew that did the interview on 60 minutes. All fingers point to BP and its management in the decision making process. There were several warning signs and problems that were ignored. As a result we now have a disaster where there is no end in site and god only help us if a tropical storm or hurricain hits the gulf coast. I think that the CEO of BP and any manager that had anything to do with the decision making process should be locked away for life, includeing all of there homes, assettes, savings, college funds or anything of value taken and put toward the cost of the clean up. That may sound extreme, but think of all of the lives here on the gulf coast have been ruined. The effects of this oil spill will be felt for many generations to come from Elberta, AL by Mike

Comment: If determined that the Blow Out Preventer (BOP)wasn't functioning properly then both Transocean, who owns and inspects the equipment should be liable along with BP. from Pensacola, FL by Vince

Comment: I think criminal chareges should be brought against anyone who intentionally hid or faked data that might reflect negatively on the safety of the rig. This should extend to Government regulators (MMS) as well as the private employees of BP from Pensacola, Fl by David

Comment: The federal government should immediately seize all BP assets in the U.S. and place them under the management of other oil industry experts, and require that 100% of BP's income be devoted to cleaning up the oil spill, restoring the environment, and compensating the victims of their criminal stupidity. Only when all of the effects of this disaster have been mitigated should BP be allowed to regain any control of its U.S. assets and resume operations. Their safety record dictates that they absolutely cannot be trusted to do anything but boost shareholder profits from Milton, Fl by Al

Comment: If four plugs were used instead of two so the oil could come out faster, wouldn't they be able to stop it or at least slow it down? from Pensacola/Fl by Ron

Comment: Perhaps - Criminal charges would never include all responsible...should begin with those who allowed the drilling and that will never happen. Why, oh why, did they not have a plan already in place for this kind of disaster instead of waiting until the oil is spilling and then trying to figure it out? from Crestview, FL by Marilyn

Comment: That's locking the door after the horse is gone - work together and set perimeters based on all these errors. Too many people need the help of what the time and money would take for retaliation efforts. Tony H (being British) meant if his life was the way it had been, none of this would be happening. Is there any of us that don't wish we could wake up from this nightmare? from Baldwin County by Barbara

Comment: Yes but only if someone will actually go to jail...if not, it's a waste of tax payers money and time. from Pensacola, FL by Virginia

Comment: Yes, and while you're filing go to our government for not sending in help sooner. This is getting past rediculous. Peoples lively hood is at stake and our government was put in to protect us and they have totally failed the american people. There is certainly a crime somewhere! from Milton, Fl. by Caron

Comment: BP should abloultely be be charged criminally. The spill was not intential, however, BP intentially did not follow safty precautions and preventative maintence on their rig. They knew the potential of this oil crisis better than anyone. Their own engineers alerted them to the potential for disaster. from Pace, Fl by Tammy

Comment: Only the lawyers would profit from a lawsuit from Gulf Breeze Florida by T

Comment: My family has lived here all of our lives, and the beach is the only reason we have stayed here. We have family that just bought property at the beach, if Florida does not allow drilling off it's coast it should not have been allowed anywhere that would affect here! If they cannot control what they do in there own state/coastal area they should be CHARGED! from Cantonment FL by Johnny

Comment: Why aren't they putting straw and hay in front of the booms. This would be easier to pick up than individual tar balls. from Pensacola, FL by Lynda

Comment: BP & the federal government are BOTH guilty of criminal negligence.BP is culpable for not following safety protocol & spending 6 weeks attempting to salvage the well instead of stopping the pollution.Federal oversight has been a complete joke...exactly what should be expected from a bunch of incompetents led by an empty suit "community organizer".We are the losers here, our way of life has been destroyed by their greed & negligence. from pace

Comment: Well think of it like this littering is against the law right? Well this is littering on a whole new level that has and will ruin so many pepole livelihoods. BP should be brought to justice for the crime they have committed. from Pensacola by Kyle

Comment: Accidents happen however, BP in bids for drilling permits to the Federal and state governments documented "proven" disaster recovery plans. Were these un-tested theoretical techniques or were these "plans" outright fabricated ? This is where I fault BP and the basis for for criminal charges. It seems the last 45 days has proven they have no real proven methods for deep water drilling disaster recovery and ALL of their current operations and permits should be re-evaluated. The problem is any penalties meaded out to BP will be recouped by OUR increased fuel costs. WE all will pay for this disaster in the long run, not BP. from Atlanta, GA by Michael

Comment: Yes, they should file criminal charges against BP. Will it happen. I doubt it. They're too big, too powerful. They control what's said or done. Our government dances to their tune. Most of our politicians are just corporate whores. from Gulf Breeze by Ben

Comment: Yes, criminal charges are due for all involved, including those who were in federal positions and not doing their jobs. This will destroy a way-of-life and the parties involved in that rig are clearly negligent. Fines will not phase them, jail time is the only way for these criminals. from Walton County by Alicia

Comment: Yes,our beaches and our way of life is ruined. Plus the health problems coming from the smell of oil and the clean-up. from Navarre Fl by Sharon