Peoria police sergeant's photo prompts Secret Service probe

Peoria police sergeant's photo prompts Secret Service probe

Source

A post on the Facebook page of a veteran Peoria police sergeant depicting the photo of seven Centennial High School students in Peoria, four with guns and one holding up a T-shirt with a bullet-riddled image of President Barack Obama, was brought to the U.S. Secret Service's attention by a citizen and an "appropriate follow-up" is being conducted, a Washington D.C-based spokesman for the federal agency told The Republic Friday.

(visit the link for the full news article)

What irks me is... If you work for any agency, government, state, law enforcement.. and soon.. who knows what else, you no longer have your amendment right to free speech.

This also applies even in the company I work for. Who knows how many companies and groups out there will fire you for your own freedom of speech. This is getting insane. How soon before we're not allowed to say a damn thing about a damn thing anymore without the feds breathing down our backs, investigating us, and then causing us more media attention than what we aimed, causing us to loose our JOBS, all for the sake of saying or expressing what we, as americans, A FREE FRIGGIN COUNTRY, feel and wish to say.

This is taking things too far.

"We understand an individual's right to free speech but we also have the right to speak to the individual to determine what their intent is," Milien added.

Pat Shearer, the 25-year Peoria police sergeant, who remains on active duty, also faces an internal investigation on the matter. An administrative investigation was prompted after they got word the Secret Service was looking into the photograph, Peoria police spokesman Jay Davies said.

I understand, we should be careful what we say or do, but sometimes we want to express ourselves in a harmless way and we're damned if we do.

What do you guys think?

reply to post by theRhenn


Can I ask how old you are?
Issues like this have always been investigated by the SS. Anything that can be taken in any way as a threat to the life of the president it automatically looked into. This is not the least bit new.
Unless anyone has been charged for taking the picture, their freedom of speech if full intact.

As for you and your job, freedom of speech never equated to freedom from getting fired from your job for what you say. Do you honestly think the constitution used to give you the "right" to tell your boss he is an asshole and his wife is a whore without him being able to fire you legally? I would like to see where that is written down.

Right off hand I would say there is a Police Sgt that will soon be in charge of 3am traffic control for every bad winter night in the coming years...or outright fired.

The international users may not be aware of this, but it's a federal crime to threaten or seriously imply a threat to the President. Maybe that's overlooked a lot of times with normal people who just don't know where that line is, but a cop? Talk about over the line.

reply to post by theRhenn


This is the type mentality the police have in the US anymore. NONE! And a sergeant at that. I know that can't require a IQ level test but this is the reason they need one. Any moron knows that facebook is monitored and tracked by the FEDS. There has always been laws and investigation by the SS when it come to the President. All of them will be lucky if they don't end up in prison for the rest of their lives.

As a citizen it is your patriotic duty to inform on your fellow citizens.

Don't worry, we will make it worth your while.

(selects pull down to report to mods)

ATS related thread Cops banned due to high IQ scores

Originally posted by kawika
As a citizen it is your patriotic duty to inform on your fellow citizens.

What are you reading?

A post on the Facebook page of a veteran Peoria police sergeant

He informed on himself, publicly, internationally, loudly.

reply to post by theRhenn


Well, where freedom of speech and death threats coincide is a gray area. But I also don't think that it is the role of the police - and God knows I'm iffy on their very existence as an organization in their contemporary role and functioning - to model such behavior to high school students.

Disagree with the government all you want, I believe violence is a means only when all other avenues have been exhausted...and I mean really exhausted. Protest in this country is very underrated. Let the government commit acts of violence. Turn the other cheek til there are no cheeks left, then use violence if need be. I think some "conspiracy" folks are too trigger happy and would like to skip over the protest/redress of grievances efforts and go right to all out civil war...like some sort of demented fantasy. Threatening to kill the president solves very little as far as our nation's ills go. Efficiently and diligently educating those around you and attempting change through meaningful action is all that will get the ball rolling, as much of an uphill battle it will be at this point.

Besides, what does Obama really control? Hardline conservative republicans seem to think he is the cause of everything. I just think he's another status quo example of the problem, unless he really does do more in his second term. I'll be waiting with bated breath on that one.

reply to post by Still


Im "old" I know it's nothing new. I just see where it seems to be going today. Much much farther than just a simple background investigation. Its much bigger now.

I know if you threaten the prez, you'll get locked up. This was no threat. It was simple freedom of expression.

reply to post by theRhenn


guy looks like Les Miles's creepy cousin.

what a dumb thing to do though.

reply to post by Still


Sorry, hit reply too soon


I understand if you slander your job, you are liable for what they do to you. If you have a problem with the US prez, they should have no right what so ever to hang you based on your given right on your pollitical stance.

In my work, I can say pretty much what I want to, except anything that might relate to the company. It is a national company, and a rather huge one at that. Though, at any given point, they can decide that should I say something about a president, especially durring any election, or heck, even a polititian in general, even though it's my right, they can fire me for saying it. Why is this so? My stance on who should run the US is going to cost my company millions of dollars?

If it gets that bad.. Someone is doing something wrong. The person with free speach isnt the one doing it.

Its funny how you can have freedom of something, but it's illegal depending on who you work for, where youre from, and which side of the road you stand on.

reply to post by Sphota


But they were not saying anything. A shot up shirt or the likeness thereof is not a threat to the whitehouse.

Why is it ok for the everage joe but not the big guy in the white house?

These double standards that we live under every day in this country is maddening.

(btw all, I appreciate your responces, wether or not we're on the same page or the same mind, all comments are welcome)

reply to post by LucidDreamer85


I totaly agree it is a dumb thing to do. I just think that this sorta thing is bigger than what this guy did. This guy went over the top a bit, sure, but I strongly feel that the bar will go so much lower than that. If this is where we are now, it'll probably get worse, I imagine.

What this guy did made the news, and it brought up everything else to mind about what I see going on. Facebook can get you fired, no matter how mild you say something that may not even be related to the company or group involved. If I say a curse word the wrong way, or if I say something that is taken completely out of context... There are always people that will take things WAY out of context and the problem is, you have no way of defending yourself against it so long as they believe you said something, wether you did so or not.

I think the lack of a persons privacy today, even though it's screamed out your back door... No one should benifit from it, nor should they be able to stop you. You're a free person, with rights and freedoms. I see those being stripped more and more every day.

reply to post by theRhenn


What are you talking about free speech? This is beyond that. It is definitely an insinuation that crosses the line.
What if someone sent you a picture of you with bullet holes in it? You wouldn't feel threatened at all?

reply to post by theRhenn


No I think it definitely is threatening. What do you think is communicated with that picture? If you had to state the intention what do you think it is intending to say?

As little as I care for that man's life... it would be the worst strategic move imaginable to assassinate him (or attempt to). He would become a martyr and instantly be the "man America was simply too dumb to follow."

It's pretty clear that these kids are just being kids. One of them may be stupid, ambitious, and enabled enough to make a fool-hardy attempt to make good on their little statement - but I doubt it.

That said - the officer, here, is potentially in the wrong. I don't know the details of why he posted the image on face-book (but it was also posted on the pages of the kids in the picture... suggesting they were all in support of it) - but he should, certainly, not be encouraging those sorts of displays or inspiring the typically extreme imaginations of teenagers.

It's premature of me to say - but, if he behaved in the manner that I suspect he did; he would not enjoy having me as his senior official.

Originally posted by theRhenn
we're not allowed to say a damn thing about a damn
thing anymore

Would it matter to you if he was christian, jewish or muslim ?;
or would you change the law again ?

btw there is a major difference between a
threat and an what constitutes as an opinion.
______________________

- President Obama said half the country is his enemy.....check.
-Congress gave the President authority to kill Americans without a trial...check
-Congress gave the President authority to detain Americans forever without a trial...check.


We may never see that Police Officer ever again.

I respect the office of the president.

Not so much the man.

But it was NOT smart to post a pic depicting bullet holes and the presidents face.

Freedom is a double-edged sword. You're free to be as smart or stupid as you want. This guy chose the latter.

This is not a freedom of speech issue. To even imply that shows a gross lack of understanding of that right by the OP.