Some do. Most don't.
ALL will close ranks and protect those who do.
That's the problem.
Posted on 05/15/2014 10:34:46 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Critics lob pejoratives at cops to cynically drive traffic & prevent themselves from having to think
I learned a lesson about human behavior years ago, both anecdotally and from my degree in psychology. That lesson is this: People, in order to make themselves feel superior, need to devalue, diminish and sometimes demonize others. Some believe this is the true purpose of gossip.
I believe it’s true. Gossip is evident in families, exists among friends and colleagues, and is rampant within the political class. Words such as selfish, greedy, uncaring, racist and misogynist are regularly used to belittle others. Hell, even capitalist, Christian, pro-life and patriotic are utilized to vilify individuals or an entire group in order for those using the words to procure a counterfeit moral high-ground.
Cops—not just individual police officers, but the entire community of over 600,000—are collectively maligned by using words such as: gestapo, Nazi, fascist, storm troopers, and even killers and mass murderers.
And who questions that characterization? Virtually no one outside of the profession.
In today’s modern information age, with our short attention spans, talking-points, and one-sentence headline world, no one wants to dig for the truth if those headlines align with the prejudiced view.
Case in point: 32-year-old James Boyd was shot and killed by Albuquerque police after he refused orders, brandished knives and threatened to kill police. Note:
“This Horrifying Video Of Albuquerque Cops Killing A Homeless Man May Be A Sign Of A Much Bigger Problem” –Business Insider.
“Albuquerque cops assault and kill camping homeless man”—Salon.com.
“Police Shoot Homeless Man During Camping Arrest (GRAPHIC VIDEO)”—The Huffington Post.
But none of these writers, bloggers, anchors and/or protesters were there, nor do they understand use of force issues or the reality of graphic violence.
Jumped to were conclusions—by almost everyone, including some who claim to be law enforcement.
The line that’s been spun in the media is that a bunch of police officers for no reason (they were called by citizens) made contact with and overwhelmed a poor non-violent homeless man (he had a history of violence and harming others), who was doing nothing more than trying to find a place to sleep (also not true; for hours he failed to comply with police officer orders, pleas and offers to get him some help) and was shot by inept, untrained Neanderthal cops who know nothing about mental illness (trained specialists were on the scene) and have no thought about taking a human life (garbage).
I wasn’t there either. But I do know that the officer’s collective decisions will be measured by two things: the law and the totality of the circumstances. So let’s examine what we do know or should know at this point.
1553 hours: The police didn’t seek this man out and couldn’t care less that he was illegally camping but citizens called, referencing an unknown male camping in the foothills (officers are duty-bound to investigate); 1701 hours: two ‘open space units’ call out that they have the subject at gunpoint because he is brandishing knives; 1708 hours: a sergeant and uniformed patrol officers arrive with less lethal options (bean bag rounds and Tazer). The sergeant immediately recognizes that the subject has some mental issues and calls for a member of the CIT (Crisis Intervention Team: specially trained for dealing with mental subjects) and staged a fire/rescue unit; 1714 hours: CIT members are on scene and begins face-to-face contact with the male who refuses to obey commands. The male starts referring to himself as "Da Boss"; 1722 hours: the sergeant requests a gang unit that carries a Taser shotgun to the scene ( a sign that the officers don’t want to approach a man with knives nor do they want to use deadly force); 1726 hours: K-9 requested; 1741 hours: the male is still not cooperating and has brandished knives numerous times at officers, though at this point he has not moved towards the officers and at times puts the knives in his coat pocket; and 1759 hours: state police officers arrive based on a request of the male subject, but he does not cooperate with them either. Are you starting to realize why there were so many law enforcement officers there? It’s an indicator that they are doing everything they can not to harm the subject.
1804 hours: APD’s ‘Real Time Crime Center’ is able to identify that the knife brandishing uncooperative subject is a man with a criminal history named James Boyd; 1813 hours: Boyd tells officers that he won’t put down his weapons and that if officers approach him that somebody would get hurt and, since he was military trained, the one getting hurt will not be him; 1817 hours: SWAT officers set a perimeter around Boyd to ensure that he doesn’t move with the knives towards officers and/or citizens; Real Time Crime Center advises officers that Boyd has extensive criminal history of aggravated battery on peace officers in various jurisdictions, is a reported paranoid schizophrenic and to use extreme caution; 1833 hours: officers advise that Boyd continues to be uncooperative and refuses to show his hands. When officers attempt to contact and pat-him-down Boyd pulls a knife and threatens them; 1906 hours: SWAT officers advise negotiations are not productive as the subject refuses to disarm or obey orders and continues threatening to kill officers repeatedly; 1911 hours: Boyd picks up a rock and throws it at officers; 1924 hours: Boyd refuses to obey officers orders designed to limit his movements and pat him down for weapons. He advises that he wants to get his bags and walk down the trail unmolested by the police; 1926 hours: Boyd threatens to kill the K-9; and 1930 hours: ‘Flash bang’ is deployed in order to disorient and force Boyd to drop the knives, K-9 is deployed immediately afterward, as is the Tazer shotgun. (These are all examples of officers doing their best to avoid deadly force and to place the subject into protective custody and transport him to a mental health facility.) At this point—and as is evident on the video—Boyd has two knives in his hand. As the K-9 approaches he raises his right hand with a knife in it and takes a step forward. The K-9 officer is within a few feet of Boyd holding the dog’s leash and is therefore empty-handed with his weapon in a holster. The officers, whose job it is to protect the K-9 officer had to make a split-second decision based on the totality of what they have witnessed and experienced over the past hour with Boyd, decided that their partner was in imminent danger.
No villains, no malicious motivation, no evil intent, no hate of the homeless, certainly no premeditation, not even a lack of training—in fact, the opposite of all that is evident throughout this ordeal.
When the absolute vast majority of police officers are put into a position to use deadly force it’s a decision not made lightly. These officers weren’t looking for the opportunity to kill. And again, they did everything they could not to injure Mr. Boyd. The proof is right before the unbiased eyes of anyone willing to take the time to examine the reality and totality of what happened that day.
But, it’s much easier to believe that police officers are jack-booted thugs who have no heart, no soul and a desire to injure, maim and kill indiscriminately.
These men in this situation are a composite of all men and women in uniform. They have families, friends, communities, fears, beliefs, etc. The majority of police officers are people of God, who truly joined law enforcement to help, serve and protect. While there are always examples of abuse in any profession, including the clergy, the media and in politics, no decision is taken more seriously and more emotionally than the taking of a human life.
media is also to blame.
there are SO MANY cop shows on tv it is truly nuts. they are literally surrounding us with police presence on the damn tv.
and people including cops are stupid enough to believe they can police the way it’s done on the fictional tv shows.
Some do. Most don't.
ALL will close ranks and protect those who do.
That's the problem.
He forgot "jack-booted thugs."
Well now...this seems to cast a slightly different light upon the poor “victimized” man of another thread here at FR. Evidently, the facts don’t support the rabid group of cop haters.
And yet that decision seems to be made all too often. I wonder how this pompous apologist would characterize Beth Gatney's killing of 17 year old Christopher Roupe. It is worth noting that her initial claim was that he answered the door with a gun in his hand, which she later changed when multiple witnesses showed that statement for a lie.
The problem here is that there ARE cops who apparently like to kill people but that problem is compounded by the majority of cops who will do absolutely nothing about it when one of their own commits a cold blooded killing.
You Tube is also rife with video of cops abusing their authority and acting as criminals. The problem is not in the imagination of the public given that the Legislature and the Governor of Indiana recently made a law that specifically permits people to defend themselves from the criminal and unwarranted acts of the police.
Meaning that a badge is no longer a license to kill, break into homes, or etc. at least in Indiana.
This dude clearly has his “Cop Glasses” on. And I live in the Albuquerque area, so there’s been a lot of detail in the local news.
“But none of these writers, bloggers, anchors and/or protesters were there, nor do they understand use of force issues or the reality of graphic violence. “
Sure we do. We realize that many of these deaths are unnecessary.
Its a leftist tactic to say “you’re not a cop so you wouldn’t understand”.
Author chose one anecdote to make his point. That’s a pretty narrow research field. Let’s have him debunk every story in the past two years involving the police abuse of citizens, then posit a conclusion.
Say I'm a police officer in this situation. You have SWAT there and all this equipment and weaponry. Here's what I do: I get my shotgun out of the trunk, load it with rubber LTL shells and knock the MF down and out. No death involved.
Every experience I’ve ever had with an officer of the law has been good. I know there are bad apples and I also know those bad apples get way more attention than the majority who are trying to get it right. I also know that we have here on FR a group of posters that try to anticipate posters like me by warning the thread that apologists for the evil cop class will soon be showing up. But I make no apology for evil deeds. I only ask that the facts of each case be well established, and that we avoid sweeping generalizations about a group of people who taken as a whole are good people and a civilizing influence. Efforts to exacerbate the sense of conflict, beyond what is real, are just more ways our true enemies can use to divide and conquer us, and we should be very careful before buying into anything that promotes hysterical anarchism.
Someone posted a profundity yesterday -
individual citizens’ rights are more important than cops’ lives, if you can’t accept that, choose another line of work.
The only question I have is “What would have happened to a private citizen if he behaved the same way in that situation?”
Yea. And if you aren't an educator then your opinion about education has no merit either.
Only government employees understand government jobs.
So, shut up and pay your taxes.
I've never been formally trained, but I do understand these issues. I've been reading and studying them ever since I made the decision to be armed. Responsible gun ownership demands it.
They don”t get paid to die coming in second while on the job. They have family to go home to also and many are ex military.
You can always work on changing procedures, but they should never be in a come-in-second situation.
I kinda threw that out for discussion.
There may be a balance to be struck, but what we’re seeing now is not “balanced”.
It is “the cop’s life supersedes all other considerations including citizens’ rights”.
It should not be that way, and if you expect it to be that way, you should not be in such a position of authority.
Hear! Hear!
No, the Paperwork is horrendous.
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