North Little Rock, AR cops stand by and watch as convenience store is robbed!

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette ^ | 31 AUG 02 | BY JIM BROOKS

[stands2reason]

Have you ever been robbed at gunpoint?

[stands2reason]

You actually believe that murders that occur during a commission of an armed robbery are usually planned?!? Your use of rhetoric has been absolutely Clintonian on this thread. Maybe you should ask yourself why you feel it's necessary to engage in such backbreaking feats of spin just to debate your position.

[stands2reason]

Funny, I was just thinking when I read this story: "Man, that sounds like those swat teams in California!"

[stands2reason]

Have you ever been robbed at gunpoint?

[Shooter 2.5]

This is how the New York Stake-out teams worked, except they had the courtesy to notify the clerks about an impending robbery. They were finally disbanded because of their high kill rate.

[stands2reason]

I'm sure you know this, but according to the Supreme Court the cops are under no obligation to protect anyone.

The Mr. asked me about this today...do you have a source on that case that I could show him?

[SarahW]

The clerk was abducted from the store at gunpoint.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

They were probably UNION COPS and on a"DOUNUT BREAK"!

[mvpel]

I'm sure you know this, but according to the Supreme Court the cops are under no obligation to protect anyone.

The Mr. asked me about this today...do you have a source on that case that I could show him?

The book "Dial 911 and Die" by Richard W. Stevens has multiple case cites per state from all 50 states and then some. Click on the link for ordering information. Here's the Arkansas chapter from the book:

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Arkansas
In Arkansas, "the doctrine of soverign immunity is rigid."¹ The Arkansas state constitution expressly forbids a citizen from suing the state government in state courts.² (Under the 11th Amendment to the United States Constitution, citizens cannot sue states in federal courts.)

Officers and employees of the State of Arkansas are also immune from suit and from civil liability for damages arising from the negligent performance of their job duties.³ There are two main exceptions. You can sue an employee who acts maliciously in the performance of his or her duty. You can sue an employee for negligence, but you can receive damages only to the extent of the employer's liability insurance.⁴ Likewise, you can sue a city for negligence up to the limits of its insurance.⁵

If you dial 911 in Arkansas, and nobody responds, then you probably won't be able to sue the state for the police's failure to protect you or rescue you from criminal attack. You might be able to sue an officer or a city police department, but only if they carry liability insurance.

Your best defense against violent crime in Arkansas might be to rely on .357... not 911.

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¹Cross v. Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission, 943 S.W.2d 230, 231 (Ark. 1997)
²Ark. Const. Art. 5 § 20.
³Cross, 943 S.W.2d at 233.
⁴Id. at 233.
⁵City of Little Rock v. Weber, 767 S.W.2d 529, 530-31 (Ark. 1989), citing Ark. Ann. Code of 1987 § 19-10-305 (Michie 1998)

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I think the most damning citation in the book comes in California, from California Government Code § 845:

845. Neither a public entity nor a public employee is liable for failure to establish a police department or otherwise to provide police protection service or, if police protection service is provided, for failure to provide sufficient police protection service. [...]

[mvpel]

It's specified in the state Constitution that citizens of Arkansas can't sue the state:

Article 5, Section 20:
The State of Arkansas shall never be made defendant in any of her courts.

There is no remedy for this individual.

[thepitts]

CJ seems to be going "off the deep end" as of late.

[Darksheare]

Sounds like New York State troopers, Troop F.
"The most unprofessional screw-ups this side of LAPD"
(Riot? What riot? We didn't see a riot...)

[markfiveFF]

The police in this case had adequate grounds to do a "Terry' stop and search the parolee. Could have done it outside or inside the store. All they needed was a good picture of the parolee in time to do the deed.