I’m calling BS on this Petaluma PD.
Robert Edmonds · Top Commenter
“Mayor David Glass said he supports any law aimed at reducing the damage done by firearms — real or fake.”
“The Andy Lopez situation was a big warning flag,” said Glass. “It could have happened anywhere. In terms of the risks versus rewards of toy guns, there is very little reward for having a toy that looks so much like the real thing. Any laws we have that make police officer's jobs easier, I'm in favor of.” How about supporting a law/policies/training that would protect the public from the very real possibility of being killed by poorly trained, psychologically unstable, or hyper- militarized cops with firearms and societal legal permission to kill at will? Mayor Glass seems to forget that this is a regular occurrence here in Sonoma County.
Really, Mr. Mayor you favor ANY law at all that makes a cop’s job easier? Do we just need laws that make it easier for police officers, even if it makes it easier to kill people and walk away with impunity? We allow cops to kill people regularly without any objective oversight or review. What about thinking critically about the actual risks vs. reward of being a cop? The police lobby (unions and fraternal organizations) constantly informs us that being a cop is the most dangerous and noble thing that someone can do in society; despite the fact that FBI/DOJ crime statistics continue to plummet locally and across the country (for nearly ten years running), and despite the fact that policing is not in the top 10 most dangerous/fatal professions in the U.S. and hasn’t been for many years according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
As it stands, if a cop kills somebody anywhere in this county, they get a couple of months of paid time off of work> they are “investigated” by their peers and colleagues > they go right back to enjoy their high paying careers > often achieve higher rank/pay> frequently kill again> then retire with huge pensions at our expense. Whom are we trying to make it easier for, and to do what?
A cop hasn’t been killed in this County since 1995 when Deputy Frank Trejo was killed in Sebastopol. In the same period, 56 people have died in incidents investigated under the Sonoma County Law Enforcement Chiefs Association “Law Enforcement Employee-Involved fatal Incident Protocol”. Not one of these incidents resulted in so much as an infraction or disciplinary proceeding against an officer.