Originally posted by Acidtastic
Do.Not.Call.The.Police.Ever.

They are not trust worthy.....

Absolutely.

If you ever have to call the police because the insurance company requires a report, have witnesses and/or hidden video and mic. I can't believe the numbers of compulsive liars wearing a uniform.

There are no good cops; not really. Even the "good" cops aid and abet the behavior of the bad cops.

If the boy was afraid of police, why did the mother call them, she should have called an ambulance or just locked him in a room somehow. Don't get me wrong im mad at the police that shot him, but i think the mother could have done something different, we need to get out of relying on the police, they're more violent sometimes, than the violent.

When a call is made stating that possible weapons are involved, why did only one officer arrive on scene? At least from the information we have so far. If the deputy was aware that the boy was autistic, concideration should have been made. Otherwise, like another poster said, you have a violent male approaching with weapons and refusing commands to stop. Believe it or not, 21 feet is considered a kill zone with edged weapons. So, without backup, aggressive male with weapons, refusing commands, lethal force could be justified. It's not a nice thing to think about, but that's reality. Would spray work? Maybe not. You can not use a taser and spray at the same time as the spray propellant is flamible. Taser alone? Maybe. Once the taser cycle is done recovery is instant. You see how easy it is to quarterback the stituation, None of this will bring back the mother's son. What a tragic event.

You know, a question occurred to me on this. What happened to the old fashioned, low tech but old faithful 12 gauge pump shotgun? It's good for so many things and as Occupy most recently discovered, they're intimidating in a way that a little lump of metal largely swallowed in your hand just can't be.

There is nothing like the racking of the slide and that sound seems almost genetic in being recognizable, I swear. It's also very notable to say that if people report the barrel of a .357 or .45 appearing like a cannon, then the barrel of a shotgun pointed right into the center of your line of sight must look like an open 55 gallon drum ready to explode.

Another benefit is that it doesn't take 15 rounds of crap 9mm to do ANYTHING and by then, it's fatal as hell. A shotgun affords the overkill to get a little discretionary and shoot a leg or arm in my opinion, because the follow up shot can literally erase the guy with absolutely no question. Hence....THAT final step may be far less likely to ever happen.

So many other options...that didn't involve the death penalty to a kid for terminally bad judgement.

Originally posted by truthermantwo
If the boy was afraid of police, why did the mother call them, she should have called an ambulance or just locked him in a room somehow. Don't get me wrong im mad at the police that shot him, but i think the mother could have done something different, we need to get out of relying on the police, they're more violent sometimes, than the violent.

I agree completely. Call an ambulance where they can sedate him. Yes, that means getting in arm's reach and that carries risk, but I would think five or six cops could unarm him using little more than a net or pepper spray. Then they simply hold him down, give the tranquilizer, and take him to a hospital to help him regain control.

But I'm not a policeman, this is pure speculation on my part. Maybe feasible, maybe not.

and cops wonder why people shoot them when they show up, preemptive self defense?

seriously i can see all these dog killings, attacks and killings of old, and handicapped people, cop beat downs etc. causing MORE officers to get shot . it is getting out there that not only are cops not your friend but that you should fear for your life and those you love if you see a cop coming towards you. i really feel for the GOOD COPS out there as their out of control peers are going to cause more cop deaths by their actions.

it doesn't bode well for society when people FEAR those who are supposed to be there to protect them. hmm maybe the new slogan for 911 calls should be "call 911 and see if YOU can cheat death". this is becoming more and more of an epidemic. more people will shoot cops so more cops will end up shooting more innocent people, repeat until there no one is left to shoot.

something needs to be done about it. making guns illegal for the general public won't do it. taking guns away from cops will definitely not work. the question is WHAT will stop the cops who are seemingly getting more and more out of control? THERE just HAVE to be some good cops left, maybe more in depth phyco evaluations are needed to weed the fearful or unduly aggressive cops out, done on all cops on a regular basis. aggressive training on non lethal ways of dealing with bad situations especially with people who may have mental problems, or are themselves scared. SHOOTING should be a LAST RESORT, not the first thing they do. i know cops need to be able to protect themselves but not at the cost of killing anyone or thing they think looks at them wrong.

Here in the wild wild west we have control of our hunting arms and a lifetime of practical experience and a way of life that works......we have the "warning shot" strait up is best and we have the old reliable talking sense into a situation, which works....and as a last resort the bounce a bullit off the ground.......nowhere in there do we have a lethal situation....and at no time does one point at center mass.....that's for the evil crap buzzards that rule this world.

In the old days that is called "TRIGGER HAPPY" some of a mitch

Sorry people but it is police protocal ...If you are being attacted with a weopon (and yes a hammer can be deadly) you have a right to defend yourself.

Seems to me, that if a govt. or other entity, wanted to enact a controversial policy, they must create the need for it in the public's perception.
What better way for them to get their private National police force, instituted? Just create an utter disdain for all of our regular cops. Reduce training requirements and promote controversial rules of engagement.

Bring in the highly trained, private alternative...Continue on with the plan for domination, with "cops" that have not sworn an oath to the public, and only answer to their boss...

Originally posted by newcovenant
He thought an autistic kid with grass clippers was going to do him in.

There you go again.

He's 18, not a "kid".
Not "grass clippers", they are described as "hedge clippers" (bigger, tougher).
You deliberatly fail to mention the second weapon he was carrying, the hammer.

Its tragic enough already, you dont have to lie about it to make it worse.

When i left the military police, i worked with children with emotional and behavioral disorders, and learning difficulties too.....i have always said i wish i had done those jobs in the opposite order.....would have changed the way i dealt with a lot of police incidents.

Not that i did anything bad, i just didn't have the understanding. Kids are sometimes a nightmare for good reason, sometimes people who don't want eye contact with you are not being disrespectful.

Police should have much more training on this.

CX.

This kind of thing terrifies me as I have a 13 year old autistic son. Fortunately he's high functioning and non-violent - at least now. This is just going to get worse and emergency responders need to be trained better. Latest CDC numbers for children on the autism spectrum is 1 in 88. Since boys outnumber girls 5-1, it works out somewhere around 1 in 56 boys - darn near 2% of our male population!

What a horrible situation! The cop was wrong- end of story. What I don't understand is why they only sent one officer. People in the home should not have repeatedly called 911 either. Repeated calls indicate a huge problem. They wouldn't send an ambulance in light of that.

That said, I agree with the above posters who indicated that you don't call the police if you can help it. It seems like anymore, if you do, it will simply make whatever existing problems you have worse. It doesn't seem that they are trained to handle situations well.

I'm torn on this issue. One part of me says the 18 yr old autistic could have been perceived by the officer as a genuine threat. That is something only the officer can answer. He was definitely thought to be a threat by those who called 911, be it physical towards others or harmful to himself.

On the other hand, why in God's name is an individual who is so scared for his own safety, allowed to have a gun and use it indiscriminately because he is scared? Maybe he should find another line of work if his answer to anyone with a weapon is shoot 6 times, then check if the perpetrator will follow your directions.

Many police officers earn the title "our city's finest" by doing the job in a professional manner, using good communication skills, and having enough common sense to treat people as they would like their family to be treated. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the new mentality police departments are looking for in recruits.

In an ideal world, police officers would attend the academy, and upon graduation, be placed in positions where they have to deal with the public without a handgun. This should last 6 months, and upon evaluation of the skills they have mastered, be promoted to patrol positions, or terminated if they do not meet the standards. NO second chances.

I know, it was nice to imagine for a few moments. If these people are so afraid of US, they need to find another profession. Police work is hard, fulfilling, and very dangerous if one is not aware at all times of the dangers they may face. Police work is not for scared little boys who abuse their authority and shoot first, and try to justify their actions after the fact.

This makes me sick.

A grown man, trained, armed, protected, cannot take down an angry teenager?

No excuses. This man murdered a teenager. He fired his weapon before attempting to resolve the situation and using all other means prior to it. The man is guilty of murder.

This is a recurring theme in the USA, thug Police who don't seem to consider that they are taking a life. They are ending someones existence through their actions. There are so many examples of officers shooting their guns off like they're playing some computer game and the dead will just get up any moment with a second life to live.

There are no second chances. Cops should be investigated whenever they shoot anyone, and if there is evidence that it was NOT used as the ABSOLUTE LAST RESORT and that lives were immediately in danger, then they should be charged with murder and given a life sentence.

This officers life was not in danger, he could have moved, he could have got back into his car, he could have done any number of things. The priority should always be to protect life, and this officer failed completely by taking a life when it was not required to do so.

I hope the thug gets locked up for life, but I have a feeling he'll probably be promoted.