Posted on 08/25/2014 6:37:18 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper
Police in Texas have admitted they were wrong to draw their guns on a mother of four when they pulled over the family car early this month, but they won't apologize.
Kametra Barbour was told to exit her vehicle and she was handcuffed at gunpoint as her children watched from the backseat, dashcam footage shows.
The police only lowered their weapons after her six-year-old son got out of the car with his hands up, asking the officers, "Are we going to jail?"
A child is heard crying and screaming on the footage, as an officer tells her, "Stop crying. It's OK. It's OK. Everything's fine now."
ABC News reports the officers were responding after reports of four black men waving a gun out of a beige or tan-coloured Toyota. Barbour was driving a burgundy Nissan Maxima.
The police department defended the traffic stop as appropriate.
“I heard the policeman on tape apologize more than once. They will probably not get an official apology”
An official apology would require the maggots running the police to take official notice at how inappropriate it is to be so casual with threatening everyone with guns.
“As for the cops, I think they were probably pushing the envelope on this one. But, thats the nature of their job. If they dont they could end up dead as one does every 60 hours. Perhaps they over-reacted some but I think they genuinely thought the car could have bad guys in it. So, Based on what we know now, I support the cops on this one.”
Instead, a lot of innocent people have ended up dead and hurt, because cops choose to be so scared. I for one am tired of innocent people paying the price for cop safety. This isn’t Robocop, and it isn’t Iraq.
DON’T AIM GUNS AT PEOPLE WHO HAVEN’T OFFERED THREAT. It reduces the odds of an accident or jumpy trigger finger. If that costs a cop his life, he is paid to take risks to protect the innocent. Don’t like the risks? Don’t take the job.
“You are really a piece of work just intent on being an ass and displaying your ignorance for all. Go jump off a bridge you fool.
Eyewitnesses are notoriously bad. Especially when its dark outside as it was in this case.”
Then maybe cops should factor that into their actions, and not automatically assume the worst? It isn’t a small thing when a cop points a gun at you. Accidents happen, and most people react poorly to death threats. When the mistake is done, a cop goes home to steak. Their victim goes home and dreams of being threatened with death by a nut.
Cops really hate any gun pointed at them. Why do they think we are more accepting of it? Because they are special? I remember one a few months ago where a cop scared a woman by aiming a gun at her through her kitchen window. She panicked and ran for a gun. He then had the GALL to say he didn’t appreciate having a gun pointed at him. How does that pig think she felt?
I never said, nor intended to imply that the photo was in Texas. It is merely one of the stock images I use for this ping list.
In this case the stark contrast between how the Texas police behaved and the Torrance, CA police did made selecting that particular graphic a no-brainer.
CA, wrong make, model, color, hundreds of shots fired at the BIG imaginary solo black driver, minor injuries to one of the two small Hispanic women on board, and that’s only through the grace of God and abysmal marksmanship training.
TX, wrong make, model, color, wrong woman briefly handcuffed, no injuries, and an actual apology.
“The policeman was very nice and polite but firm, and I expected him to feel easily threatened.”
I for one am tired of having to be afraid of a cop’s unreasoned fear. His job might have risks, but it isn’t even in the top ten of dangerous professions. So get over it, or get out.
>> “TX, wrong make, model, color, wrong woman briefly handcuffed, no injuries, and an actual apology.” <<
.
They didn’t even shoot her dog?
.
Nope. I sooo want to move to Texas!
Yes, I know you didn't imply that, and I know the point you were trying to make, but I had to riff on the whole mis-identification thing. ;)
/johnny
/johnny
..........I hear you but we don’t live in a perfect world and we need the cops to stand between that woman and her kids and the bad guys, which is what they were doing, imperfectly I will grant you and I said that.
Thanks for your comment.
Not if we allow the woman to be armed.
We don't need LE nearly as much as some seem to think.
Mostly, they fill out paperwork.
We did without a professionalized police force in this country for a long, long time.
I think it's time for citizens to uparm and cut a bunch of PD budgets.
/johnny
Ah, OK. I understand now.
No problem! Keep me on my toes!
“The car did NOT match the description BUT the 9-1-1 caller also said the vehicle was seen getting off the same exit as the woman.
Shouldnt law enforcement err on the side of caution? I think so.”
Yes. The problem is that cops should err on the side of caution in favor of the citizen they are dealing with. What they demonstrated wasn’t caution, it was cowardice and stupidity.
We don’t like having guns pointed at us, cop or not.
I appreciate your obviously sincere comments but I respectfully disagree with you. As I just stated, the stop was imperfect and perhaps they overdid it. Based upon the information available now, and watching the tape, it’s a close one. But, with a cop dying every other day they have to be careful and I for one am damn glad we have people that want to do that dangerous and thankless job and that are willing to get between the public and thugs like Michael Brown.
As for the woman and her kids, it is tragic that her and the kids had to experience that. But, it could have been a lot worse and thankfully the cops did not fire their weapons “this time”.
Now, before you reply, if you read my “cop posts” you will see that I have been AS CRITICAL as you in other incidents where the cops obviously screwed up.
A total of 1,501 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty during the past 10 years, an average of one death every 58 hours or 150 per year. There were 100 law enforcement officers killed in 2013.
On average, over the last decade, there have been 58,261 assaults against law enforcement each year, resulting in 15,658 injuries.
........well, I guess it is a matter of whose facts/data to you agree with. The one’s below come from the National Police Officer’s Memorial Fund.
A total of 1,501 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty during the past 10 years, an average of one death EVERY 58 HOURS or 150 per year. There were 100 law enforcement officers killed in 2013.
On average, over the last decade, there have been 58,261 assaults against law enforcement each year, resulting in 15,658 injuries.
And it doesn't matter anyway.
LE is safer than many other professions. It's not even in the top 10 most dangerous.
And the LE sign up for it volunteer style, and get defensive armor, offensive weapons, good commo gear, and free training.
None of that matters if the people aren't getting what they want.
That's why I'm pushing for my local legislators and council members to reduce, by 30%, all PD budgets until they get right with the Lord, and stop the nonsense.
No point in wasting money if this is what they do.
Don't forget.... 1 'aw shucks' = 100 attaboys when it comes to citizen freedom.
/johnny
Wow!........excellent post/reply!
Let’s dissect it just a skosh further:
1. Your comment/first sentence second paragraph about “instead a lot of innocent people....” I agree with TOTALLY.
2. Your second sentence about “innocent people have ended up” I agree with TOTALLY.
3. But, your sentence about “don’t AIM guns” I don’t agree with IN ALL CASES! For example, a bank robber coming out the front door of a bank. That said, aiming guns at the lady with 4 kids in the car was inviting another disaster. The question is WHEN did they know SHE was not a HE and therefore not the perp they were looking for. I don’t know.
Your statement about “Don’t like the risks don’t take the job” I have said in several previous posts myself, or words to that effect. I think that statement applies for example to the cop that drove up and shot the little boy dead (recently) because he had a toy gun! Or the one that shot the 90 year old man recently.
There is only one answer and that is that these cops that kill people or wound them and are outside of THE LAW as determined by a jury and a judge and prosecutor and defense lawyer should go to jail. Each case is different. Thank god these Texas cops did not open fire.
I kind of take back some of the first sentence of the previous paragraph. Some of these dog shootings (probably 90%) clearly indicate MORE TRAINING and better recruitment/screening is needed. The same goes for PEOPLE shootings. Too many of them are not within policy or the law and defy common sense totally.
You obviously don't have a recent military background, because the rules of engagement in battle areas are much more strict than in Texas, or what you propose.
Do you think LE should have looser rules of engagement than our military? Our military are much more likely to be injured or killed, BTW.
/johnny
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