Officer: Would've 'been fine' if passenger obeyed

Originally posted by karb0n
reply to post by MrWendal

 

Wow. That video was shocking. Reminds me of this video posted awhile back.

www.youtube.com...

[edit on 28-5-2009 by karb0n]

[edit on 28-5-2009 by karb0n]

[edit on 28-5-2009 by karb0n]

NO video -
can you just put up the link ?

There is no justification whatsoever for this.

Police in England are the same, except they don't have guns.

They're supposed to be there to protect but instead they make everyone feel uncomfortable and feel as if they have done something wrong.

I have been stopped a few times just walking into my town, because i "kind of" fit the description off the suspect (probably wearing the same colour shoes). But the fact is no-one feels safe especially with pigs sniffing up every crevice of society for something to do becuase their night shift is too "uneventful".

If you watch the video that shows the kid getting shot you can see the cop look up in disbelief.

Doesn't change the fact that he is guilty. It just looks as if he didn't do it on purpose. He looks up immediatly to the bald cop and then runs both hands from the front of his face to the back.

I think this cop, as stupid as it sounds, mistook is weapon for his taser.

reply to post by Borag the Horse


Agrees they are like that in scotland also. But they make sure they are not caught beating up suspects or individuals.

No justification what so ever for the abuse being dealt out by law enforcement officers. It is no wonder why citizens do not trust or like the police anymore.

Originally posted by TwiTcHomatic
reply to post by jd140

 

I am not going to get into that video, for there is another thread about it, but I will say... accident my *snip*. The officer saw his chance to go full-on and he did. It was also an innocent person he hit.. the wrong individual they were after who was stopping when hit.

If you think that backs you up... glad we live in separate realities.

Cops are worse these days mainly because just about anyone can become one. The restrictions and guidelines are not as stringent as they once were.

What makes them worse than 20 years ago? Cops haven't changed in the past year or so. I don't even think they have changed in the last 10 years. The only thing that has changed is the availability of cameras and video sharing websites.

You backed my statement up by posting a YouTube. I had claimed the reason we think they are worse is because of the amount of cameras and YouTube.

But that's what the authority is about: if you don't obey, you get killed.

It is another thing that various procedures are introduced to soften the Gorgon's kiss. But this guy who killed the other guy will probably be prosecuted only for not following procedure.

I fear this is becoming more commonplace. We are not supposed to be afraid of police officers. We are supposed to feel safe because of them. Life as we know it is gearing up for a real life 'Clockwork Orange' scenario. Just remember that the gist of the story reveals that in trying to protect ourselves from the Alex DeLarges of the world we discover that we are all Alex DeLarge. If only they give us the series of drugs they gave Alex to make us all better. There would then be no need for police. However, there would also be no freewill.

Hmmmmm... Are we moving into a state of tyranny? I hope not. It does my heart good to know that I actually know some fine law enforcement officers. They do have a rough job sometimes and none of the cops I know would condone this behavior. Yet when a cop takes the stand in a courtroom and uses words like "follow orders" it makes my skin crawl. The cops in the story are a great example of a horrific example. I miss the old days, when police cars were emblazoned with the words 'To Protect and To Serve'. This action was inexcusable, even if the officer in question possibly thought he was getting a taser out of his holster. The reality is that the feel of a hand gun versus the feel of a taser are like night and day. No trained professional should make a mistake this monumental.

Disgusting.

I recently read a bit of training material for the Portland Police. They are trained that "necessary force" can and does include shooting an unarmed suspect. They are trained to shoot to kill.

These are not police. These are mercenaries(and before anyone jumps on me, I dont think all cops are this way. Just FAR too many of them).

It might be just me, but I would have bum rushed the officers.

Everyone just stands around yelling at them.

I watched my brother-in-law almost get arrested when he reported his fish finder stolen off his boat and the cop came over checked it out an accused him of trying to file a false report saying he did it.

Oh gee guess what there were camera's up recording proving he didn't and was the only thing that saved him from being arrested.

Use to be they would just take the report and say well chances are you'll never see it again but we'll file the report. Now they just charge whom ever is close by they can stick it on and be done with it as to why I don't know.

So a year later when some kid was trying to steal my car you think I called the cops? Oh heck no I took care of him myself lucky there was ice all over the ground cause if my hands would have gotten a hold of him I'm pretty sure I would have ended up in jail sense it was in a walmart parking lot with the camera's up.

Ummm - Yeah, jackbooted thugs, that's why we call them pigs... Any questions?

reply to post by Tentickles

My thought exactly!

Starred and flagged

There is a reason police in "Planet of the Apes" were gorillas. Its a very obvious physical metaphor for reality. "Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life."-Oscar Wilde

Absolutely disgusting.

It is a true shame that the sheeple near by did nothing but gawk and awe. I would have loved to have made a citizens arrest on that murderer- err... pig. Err.. cop.

Originally posted by jd140
If you watch the video that shows the kid getting shot you can see the cop look up in disbelief.

Doesn't change the fact that he is guilty. It just looks as if he didn't do it on purpose. He looks up immediatly to the bald cop and then runs both hands from the front of his face to the back.

I think this cop, as stupid as it sounds, mistook is weapon for his taser.

Yes, that does seem to be a point that was missed. The cop wasn't intending to kill Grant. He was going to tase him but for some stupid, idiotic reason grabbed his gun instead.

Now, I am just as fed up and furious as anyone else about the increasing aggressiveness of our police forces, but, with that being said, if I were on that jury I don't think I could convict the cop of murder.

He didn't intend to murder him. Not that I think he should have used the taser either. Maybe aggravated manslaughter or something like that.

Originally posted by MrWendal
I am not the least bit shocked by the response from this officer. Not the least. Just remember what this cop said , "If he had just sat down, he'd a been fine."

Now look at the video of this incident and let common sense prevail.

Look to me like the police officers were strugling with an uncooperative civilian.

Why in the nine he**s one of the officers has a gun in hand while trying to subdue him, is way beyond me.

Danish police are tought not to strugle with a gun in their hands as it might go of unintentionally.

An unfortortunate accident but probably worth a trial for manslaughter.

It seems to me that a large portion of the blame has to be on the militarization of the police in training and tactics. The few LEOs I know seem to get much more training in tactical situations then they do in verbal communication and community policing. I have watched the video of the killing several times, and I still fail to see any reason for the officer to even reach for his taser other than the shock and awe factor to the rest of the crowd. Until the problem is solved at the source, the amount of violence perpetrated against the civilian population in the name of police authority will only get worse.

Originally posted by JohnD
I fear this is becoming more commonplace. We are not supposed to be afraid of police officers. We are supposed to feel safe because of them. ***snip***

Funny thing is that we were also taught to respect the police officers and follow their advice/orders.

But now it seem like everýone sees it as their duty to resist and provoke the police. Bystanders are obviously supposed to insult the officers.

Just think of the film world. We never (almost) see anyone cooperating with the police. Even witnesses are portraied as holding back evidence. Hudloms and hooligans are shown as bastards trying to gain status in their group by provoking and insulting police. Even to the extent of violently resisting arrest.

How are young people to learn to behave responsibly if we don't teach them?
How are police officers supposed to endure the daily abuse without getting a bit hard skinned?

And not least - why don't the justice system remove police officers that blatantly abuse their position?

While reading through the thread a few ideas came to mind, a few new, and a couple that I have wondered about for some time.

Police of any stripe have a job that is much more dangerous than it was, say 30 or 40 years ago, when everybody knew and respected the "cop on the corner" that they would see every day. In this day and age, the police never know when that next traffic stop or domestic violence call might end up as a life or death situation. But because of those potentials, police have retreated to the safety of their cruisers, often in pairs, with additional back-up arriving for even the most mundane of events. The "cop on the corner" is long gone and with that the general public and police have lost that one on one contact. The days of Mrs. Smith asking Officer Jones to help her find her lost cat have evolved into Mrs. Smith barricading her door because you never know when the police might have "the wrong" address and break in with guns drawn looking for the perp.

Now the things that bother me: I'm all for police wearing protective vests for several of the reasons I listed above, but when did our officers start showing up looking like Attack Team Alpha, bristling with shields and heavy weapons? I remember watching a few of the videos posted here during the presidential conventions where these heavy response outfits were forcing their way into houses where peaceful protesters (sorry, potential terrorists ) were meeting, and after forcing everyone to the floor began confiscating everything in sight. Computers where their fiendish plans were, bottles of lotion because if you tried really hard you maybe could make a bomb out of it, and generally acting like a-holes. A little overkill goes a long way to making a lasting impression.

One last observation and question. I have noticed many videos and TV "reality" shows that parade the badass cops, decked out in their latest all black and scary threads, performing their duties against those threats to society that make small children cry at night. But when, and for what reason has it become quite fashionable, to cover their faces with black ski masks? You here to bust me, I want to see your face, and your badge number, and your little name tag. This has gotten way too storm trooper for me. If for some reason they feel that they might have to protect their face, a clear faceshield is much safer and appropriate. Take all the vids you want Mr. Public, if you can't see my face I can do whatever I want and you will never know who I am. If this fact doesn't bother you, it should.



[edit on 28-5-2009 by zlots331]

Originally posted by SGTChas
reply to post by fooffstarr

 

What was sad about that Transformer police cruser, is that I heard three officers of a city nearby wishing they could get away with having that statement ON their mustangs. I even heard one of them joking that every ‘citizen’ was just a ‘perp’ that had not got caught yet.

That exactly it. The ideology of law enforcement in this country has shifted from "Protect and Serve" to "Crime Prevention". Once you are trying to prevent crimes, everyone is a potential criminal (Afterall, if the crime hasnt been committed yet, there IS no criminal).

We are even seeing it go as high as the executive branch, with the idea of "Pre-emptively" detaining people.

Scary times ahead.