So... if Rodriguez had been polite and respectful to the police than he most likely would still be alive. Sure the police over-reacted and should be punished to the full extent of the law but the situation could have easily been avoided by common sense.
Yes, let's blame the victim.
Had the police followed appropriate procedures he would most likely still be alive.
At least they didn't shoot hundreds of rounds at him and burn him alive like they did the black guy in LA.
Yea, maybe we should just pass a law that citizens must be polite and respectful to police under any circumstance, and if they are not, they may face death.
Free people don’t kiss apparatchik butt to avoid their weekly beating.
Do you seriously think that the LEOs that did this would be anything but confrontational?
If he wasn’t a physical danger to the police, then why was he put down like he was.
You sound like the kind of Muslim apologists that we have all come to expect after every terrorist attack: "Yes, the 9/11 terrorists were wrong to kill a few thousand innocent people in the name of Allah, but you have to understand that this would have never happened if not for the evil Jooos and imperialist Americans."
We hear the same sort of BS crappola from lefties when excusing certain minorities from criminal behavior: "Sure they should be punished, but go lenient because their violent criminal conduct is really the fault of racist white people, the Tea Party, George Bush, and global warming."
From an academic standpoint, I don't know if that trait can be trained out of people. From a real world standpoint, something needs to change to make it easier for departments to get rid of officers like that. Maybe a longer probation period.
Other factors can affect police performance, as well. Las Vegas lost an officer in the line of duty a few years ago and over the next year the number of officer shootings increased substantially. Not saying that those officers declared open season on gang bangers, but something was going on.
How do you, I or anyone else on this thread know what happened, beyond what was reported? We don't, it is that simple.
Yes, he might have been rude. I don't recall any law against rudeness, as socially distasteful as it might be. Maybe he just objected to the manner in which his wife and/or daughter were being questioned? Maybe he voiced displeasure at being accused of "child abuse" when, in fact, he did nothing? We can't know at this stage, but there's a lot of doubt. Maybe being ultra polite would have helped, maybe not. I do agree that it is better to try that type of response first, as you can't act the part of a jerk and then suddenly expect anyone (cop or not) to believe that you are sincere if you change your tactics.a
Meanwhile, it seems more and more like if you don't get on your hands and knees and gently kiss the shoes of the local PD (after politely asking permission, of course), the you're accused of being "uncooperative" or "resisting arrest" or "using force against an officer" or similar such BS. I, for one, have lost most of my respect for the police in this country (esp. the metro variety), despite having grown up in a "law and order" household. Why? Well, it isn't because most cops are bad like these murdering jackasses - they aren't, and quite to the contrary they are mostly good eggs. It is because they remain silent at best, or automatically close ranks behind wrongdoers at worst, regardless of the merits of a particular case. That is unacceptable, and leads me to be very suspicious of their motives - especially since I am a gun owner. They appear to no longer be here to help you.
In short, we've gone from a world of "Adam 12" type cops to one in which they all seem to be wearing body armor, pointing full auto weapons in your face and acting like everyone not wearing their uniform is an immediate threat to their lives. WTF, over?!