Agreed.
Mutual respect comes from mutual power
Funny thing is, it's the cops who get screwed over by the courts more than anyone else. The private citizen already has lots of power over the police (ability to sue).
Plus, I think there should be personal liability in cases of negligence that lead to illegal entries, for example. (I also favor personal responsibility on public officials, too...not just "oh, well, the municipal insurance [i.e., the taxpayers' money] will pay for it.")
“Funny thing is, it’s the cops who get screwed over by the courts more than anyone else.”
You have a point there, but illegal entry is what it is. While I agree that the officer had probable cause, what if he didn’t? The judge @ the pooch on that one. Why should a citizen be punished for preventing a law from being broken as the judge claimed? And that same judge apparently was a defendent for Gitmo prisoners, right?
“Plus, I think there should be personal liability in cases of negligence that lead to illegal entries, for example.”
I think that a natural deterence is enough to stop most illegal entries. I’m sick of living in a sue-happy legitiious society. If a well intended policeman experiences a few warning shots now and then when he doesn’t have a warrant, why should he be sued on top?
Further, police would have less work if homes could actually be defended. I was told that if a burglar breaks into my house, I should run out of it before shooting him here in Virginia. [Hope that has changed.] It’s still that way in some states.