Can you trust the law?

A Tacoma Police officer shot and killed a man Friday afternoon while responding to a domestic violence call.

Another member of the armed forces has been involved in a shooting. A man that was described as active military personnel was shot and killed by a Tacoma police officer after a domestic dispute call.

The officer involved has not yet been formally interviewed. He is a 5-year veteran of the force and has been involved in one other shooting.

I live in Tacoma and I can honestly say that cops in the Puget Sound region have adopted a shoot first, "F" the questions at all way of dealing with any situation they see fit.

The chief said he did not know if the victim in that shooting died.

With that being said. The officer said the man that was shot pulled out a gun. The details of this story are still few and far between but the Tacoma police department is definitely not to be trusted in my opinion. I was witness to another officer involved shooting last year while eating lunch at a local sports bar. The story the police gave compared to the what I saw were two totally different things. This is the same police department under investigation for tazing and holding a deaf woman in jail for three days with no interpreter.

So they went to a house of a trained killer? Then he pulls a gun? Wwyd?

Originally posted by TheCaucasianAmerican
So they went to a house of a trained killer? Then he pulls a gun? Wwyd?

Shoot first out of fear and bad training, then let my dept. protect me with legalize.

There's multiple stories like this EVERY DAY, not all get world wide news attention, but they still occur daily. Are we to blame society for reacting to the end results of this current regime of paranoia?

Should we taze everyone "just in case" they're a threat, or should we take several steps backward in time to policies and procedures that were humane and more realistic than based in fantasy of domestic terrorism around every corner?

This is what happens when we take elite soldiers, from out of a war zone, put them in BDU's and web gear, and then hand them a gun, badge, and a license to kill.

We are literally importing the violence from Iraq and Afghanistan right into our own neighborhoods and into the places where we and our own children live. It's a tragedy that so few people seem to understand that we need peace officers, not steroid fueled killing machines.

~Heff

Originally posted by Hefficide

This is what happens when we take elite soldiers, from out of a war zone, put them in BDU's and web gear, and then hand them a gun, badge, and a license to kill.

We are literally importing the violence from Iraq and Afghanistan right into our own neighborhoods and into the places where we and our own children live. It's a tragedy that so few people seem to understand that we need peace officers, not steroid fueled killing machines.

~Heff

Well... im a military police bound to be a police officer.

It was a domestic dispute. They knew he was angry. He pulls out a gun. Would u wait to see if he misses shooting you? Or for the sake of your safety shoot first?

Can't be a cop if your already dead.

reply to post by Hefficide


What line of work do you think most of the worst of these trained killers are going to seek after the military careers? Law enforcement and prison employment.

These wonderfully sane former human beings are going to be pulling over our grandmothers, wives, and children in the near future for "minor" policy infractions to generate local revenue.

Then while extremely unfulfilled compared to their previous duties, well, we'll be posting the results here as usual.

Originally posted by TheCaucasianAmerican

Well... im a military police bound to be a police officer.

It was a domestic dispute. They knew he was angry. He pulls out a gun. Would u wait to see if he misses shooting you? Or for the sake of your safety shoot first?

Can't be a cop if your already dead.

I don't know if I am understanding what you meant correctly, so if this doesn't fit, I apologize in advance...

The OP doesn't mention any of those conditions... I cannot find any reference to domestic disputes or guns.

However, in that situation deadly force would be justified.

My overall point was that the face of the local police force has changed drastically over the past two decades. When I was young cops were much more interwoven into the fabric of communities. They were friendly and helpful. If you broke down on the side of the road it was almost a sure thing a cop would stop to ask you if you needed assistance or a ride to a phone. These days? They don't act the same. They tend to see us as the enemy. They tend to be standoffish and aloof.

I have much less faith and trust in law enforcement officers today than I did twenty years ago. Much, much less. I do understand that police work is dangerous and difficult. But there is a better balance than we are currently achieving between police having authority and having power. Cops aren't supposed to have power - just righteous authority.

~Heff

reply to post by JibbyJedi


So your saying the military is untrustworthy now? Who will you turn to when there may be a war on american soil? The police Haha.

reply to post by Hefficide


Op says they respond to domestic violence call.
The police said officer stated the man who got shot pulled out a gun.

Idk if its true but it sounds justified though.

reply to post by TheCaucasianAmerican


The chief of police said it is not clear why the officer felt he had to use force. All of the details haven't been released yet. However this same officer has been involved in a shooting prior to this one. And as a resident here in Tacoma the cops have been using people for target practice here quite a bit.

reply to post by TheCaucasianAmerican


I never said the military was untrustworthy. They have been in the news quite a bit lately for situations like this one. And I definitely won't turn to the police any time soon.

reply to post by txjab512


Crap! I forgot to put the link to the story.

Man dead after confrontation with Tacoma police officer

reply to post by txjab512


Sorry bud that wasn't a reply to you but Talladega dude.

But if the chief is clueless then I guess its a little less justifiable.

But hey thanks for the link I was a little confused when it kept sending me to google hah.


Ok I read the article. If he pulled out a gun wouldn't they just say in the article he was found with a gun? Im clueless on this one

reply to post by TheCaucasianAmerican


My bad. Not paying attention to what I'm doing right now. And it doesn't help that I'm not good with computers.

Originally posted by TheCaucasianAmerican
reply to post by JibbyJedi

 

So your saying the military is untrustworthy now? Who will you turn to when there may be a war on american soil? The police Haha.

I don't recall generalizing ALL military as being unstable. If I spoke about crazy white kids gunning down people, I'm not generalizing all white kids, just those "special" kids that seem to stand out, at least in the news.

I'd turn to who I turn to now, myself and my neighbors.
I live in a small town, around 1200 population, maybe 7 cops total patrolling 2 towns, and there's hardly ever a news worthy problem around here that law enforcement could remedy.

To deny that there are any "unstable" military returning home soon is absurd.
Those most unstable won't be applying to Walmart or your local grocery store, they'll be applying for LEO or prison guard duty more than likely.

Put yourself in their positions, and their mentality after several tours.
Would you trust yourself to have sound judgement in domestic calls or traffic duty?
Would you even know if you were of sound mind and body at that point? Would you care?

reply to post by TheCaucasianAmerican


Like I said, I really don't trust the Tacoma police department at all. I saw them shoot a homeless man about a year ago. Supposedly the homeless man lunged at the officers with the pocket knife he had in his hand. I saw the knife when the obviously mentally unstable homeless man was in the parking lot fifteen minutes before the shooting. The blade was about two inches long, if that. The homeless man probably weighed about 110lbs. Both officers had tazers. The news said that the homeless man raised his arm above his head. I saw the whole incident and that never happened. Everyone knew the guy was right in the head. But he never bothered anyone. He walked the same street for years. He was 60+ years old. The policy truly is shoot first here in T Town.

reply to post by JibbyJedi


Lol I already served a tour in Afghanistan.

But if it came between my life or his... well I think you know the answer to that one.

reply to post by txjab512


That's just cruel.

No one should be fatally shot for having a knife. Even if maliciously wielding it unless he was within 10 feet of the officer. And even then its still nowhere as deadly as a gun...

reply to post by TheCaucasianAmerican


I can attest to the fact that the homeless man was not that close to the officers. There was a bus stop sign between the cops and the homeless man. And it was totally obvious that the guy had problems. Hell, the cops probably knew him. He literally walked up and down that stretch of 6th Ave all the time talking to himself. It has been happening here in WA on a frequent basis. The cops shot a Native American homeless man in Seattle that same year in the Back because he was carrying a pocket knife in his hand and didn't obey the officers commands. The only problem with that was that the guy was hard of hearing and he used that pocket knife to carve wood that he sold for money.

reply to post by txjab512


See now that's messed up. Homeless need help not punishment. If he was a threat that's why they have less than lethal weapons. Terrorists get better treatment than american citizens.