There's got to be something more to this police story.

[Jak]

It's easy for people (IG, Internal Affairs, Public,Ect)to armchair quarterback a story they read or see in the news. But they weren't there and their only getting one side of the story. What it comes down to is that the Officer has at best a split second to decide what has to be done and what amount of force is needed so hopefully he can go home to his family at the end of shift. I go through the same thing maybe at a lesser extent where I work. And as Tag has said, yes, there are a few bad apples, yet sadly that's all the public remembers.

[TAG UR IT]

Originally Posted by diddiyo

no offense taken and like I said, I don't wanna bash cops in general. I'm happy there's cops around that watch out for our safety.
But whenever I read or see stuff like those things mentioned here in this thread I can't help but wonder WTF is wrong with those people.

Cool deal. ...and I know what you mean.

Originally Posted by Eisenhower

You know, not everyone that has a problem with the police has it because they don't like rules. Some people have unjustly lost loved ones because of the police. And then to have some judge acquit the officers who are charged is a slap in the face to the surviving family. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24305660/ So, not everyone fits into this category of "rule-haters".

And not everybody runs from an immediate problem. Lots of people have and know how to use hand guns for home or personal protection. I for one wouldn't hesitate to shoot an intruder in my home for example; and there's a lot of people who feel the same. Not everybody runs and hides.

As far as this kid Mace Hutchinson, we'll just have to wait and hear his side.

part 1: You are absolutely right. I neglected to include them and I'm probably forgetting others. Point well taken and I understand.

part 2: I wish more people more people felt that way. It would begin to curb more crime. I know not everyone runs away, but there's the fight, flight, or frozen fright. There's a lot less fight back (protection of ones home, etc). I'm sure you've heard of the castle doctrine in TX which I believe in wholeheartedly. And,...I'm glad to hear home burglars are now realizing that death is a possibility of the job when breaking into homes.

[diddiyo]

Here's something worth watching if you have 47 minutes to educate yourself a little bit.

Professor James Duane’s now famous 5th Amendment lecture - popularly known as “Don’t talk to the police!”

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...86646&q=&hl=en

check it out.

[DGthe3]

I cannot think of any reason for tasering a guy 19 times. Like tag said, once or twice, maybe in super extreme situations 3 times. But 5? 10?! 19?!?!? To a guy that turns out to have a broken back? How threatening could he have been. Unless he clearly had a gun, there isn't a whole lot he could have done.

As for his statements, well we seem to have cops that are trigger happy with their tasers. Its unfortunate but it happens. It is reasonable to conclude that they could have at least misinterpreted what this kid said, or that kid could have simply hated cops. Also, when did he say those things? Was it after being tasered 10 times? I'd probalby be making a few threatening statements at that point if I was still concious. Just a few things that came to my mind

[skipj3]

Originally Posted by diddiyo

Here's something worth watching if you have 47 minutes to educate yourself a little bit.


http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...86646&q=&hl=en

check it out.

interesting video, something to keep in mind.

[Eisenhower]

Originally Posted by diddiyo

Here's something worth watching if you have 47 minutes to educate yourself a little bit.


http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...86646&q=&hl=en

check it out.

Very informative video, I watched it all the way through. Keep your mouth shut!!!

[theholycow]

Egads...everybody seems to see the issue as black-and-white, but it's usually a dirty grey, and most stories are never completely told.

First off, cops are human, and bound to make human mistakes. Their job is very dangerous and they are rightfully full of fear. We prepare them for that danger with weapons and education, and most of them deal with each situation based on whatever information they're able to gather. So, when someone does this...

Originally Posted by Bumble Bee '77

Burned, bloody and naked, the man reportedly kicked another man who offered assistance. He reportedly jumped on a woman’s car, beat her sunroof and ran down Southeast 362nd Avenue near Bluff Road. [...] “combative and totally unresponsive to the audible law enforcement commands to comply.”
Tasers deliver 50,000 volts of electricity through two barbs, but reportedly had no effect.

...they really are calculating the best choice possible. What, let the crazed man (regardless of why he's crazed) keep attacking people and property? No, stop him with whatever force is required. There is no right answer for these cops, and it sucks that they have to end up in a situation with no right answer...but I guess that's their job.

OTOH, as humans, they are prone to human mistakes, misjudgements, and instinctive reactions to fear...as well as some just being ****ing assholes on power trips. It's unavoidable, the guy who hires them is human, the guy who trains them is human, and the position attracts such people. They try to keep those jerks out but nobody is infalliable.

Now, add to that, the fact that non-cops are also humans, prone to fear, mistakes, and misjudgements...and so we become afraid of the evil and good but mistaken cops. I guess that's how we all end up so polarized on the issue!

Originally Posted by TAG UR IT

You got THAT right! I'd LOVE to give an example that happened on Sat, but can't due to being on the call and having witnessed "the find" that newspapers never said happened. Incredible...........

Ok, here's an older one. Providence, RI PD officer Cornell Young Jr was shot some years ago in a police standoff. He was off duty at the time. Police responded to a call about an armed conflict in the nastiest ghetto in the state. They showed up to see a standoff with what appeared to be gang members pointing guns at eachother. One was actually Mr. Young, but he didn't look like a cop; he was dressed and acting like a gang member. They yelled repeatedly for him to identify himself drop his weapon, but he did neither. They ended up shooting him and he died. He apparently thought that they were yelling at the others and assumed that they recognized him without having to identify himself.

It is a sad enough story, but I think the aftermath is even worse. For years afterwards, and possibly still going on now, it became a race issue. The fallen officer was black, and the two who shot him were white. Of course, in the beginning, the media didn't provide the whole story; they helped start the problem. Then his mother really riled it up; I can understand that a distraught mother, having lost her son, needs to make something out of it...but she really made something terrible when it just wasn't necessary. All in all, it became even worse than one man's death. His death was made into a circus, and his dignity stripped by all the bullshit.

Here's another. The Narragansett Indian tribe bought a piece of land and opened up a cigarette stand selling illegally, I think at prices below the legal minimum...whatever it was, they were claiming that they could do it as a sovereign nation, even though it wasn't on a reservation. They were bothered by law enforcement, and eventually the governor gave them a date that they had to stop or he'd send in the state troopers. RI state troopers were sent to raid on that date, and guess what they found: The tribe's chief, his pregnant wife, and other tribe members physically fighting back, pushing against the officers and attacking them. The whole event was videotaped. Can you guess what happened? They claimed that the police attacked them (even the pregnant wife), and were taken seriously despite the video (which was shown on the news a million times) clearly showing what really happened.

It goes the other way, too. The example about the bicyclist above is pretty tough to argue. There are certainly far too many cops who practice racism or abuse their authority. I know we've got examples of those in this state, too, but I don't remember them off the top of my head.

Originally Posted by Eisenhower

And not everybody runs from an immediate problem. Lots of people have and know how to use hand guns for home or personal protection. I for one wouldn't hesitate to shoot an intruder in my home for example; and there's a lot of people who feel the same. Not everybody runs and hides.

Castle Doctrine FTW!

It might not work so well if the person you shoot is a cop, though.

[Georgianne]

OK I saw a t-shirt today that had WWJD on it and below the letters were 3 jelly donuts with the sentence WHO WANTS JELLY DONUTS!
OK I just had to lighten it up a bit.
My cousin was a cop in Texas for 10 years or so and he had to quit after being shot in the hand. He loved it, I'm sure he has an egotistical jerk sometimes but he was dedicated.