Posted on 05/29/2010 10:19:58 AM PDT by Drew68
OLYMPIA — Sarah Harris goes through the motions of her day trying hard not to think about what life was like a year ago — or what it would be like now if not for "the incident."
She feels guilty leaving the house, even if only for a couple of hours to visit her mom or sister, to run errands, or go grocery shopping. She still cries every night.
Her husband, the first boy she kissed and the only man she's ever loved, suffered a catastrophic brain injury when his head slammed into a concrete wall after a brief footchase with two King County sheriff's deputies on Mother's Day 2009. He's now confined to bed, unable to talk, walk or do anything for himself.
Christopher Sean Harris spent six weeks at Harborview Medical Center, where his family was encouraged to remove him from life support because doctors didn't think he'd ever come out of a coma. But he did, and was transferred to an Edmonds nursing home in June.
Sarah Harris, who worked as a manager for Nordstrom and dreamed of becoming a buyer for the department store, gave up her job to care for her husband.
"I loved my job, and I miss it all the time," she said. "But I knew there was no way I could go back to work and leave him alone in a nursing home all day. There was no decision to even make."
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
“Anyone has every reason to be anywhere they want any time of the day.......
There’s no law against it is there?”
That is not why he was approached and then chased by the cops. He was IDENTIFIED by a witness as a perp in a crime. Even though LATER investigation revealed that he was not involved in THAT crime, the Cops would have been wrong NOT TO attempt to stop the guy.
The reason the suspect was there is relevant only in the sense that it shows that he was running from the cops not because he thought they were bad guys dressed in black as some of the more ‘astute’ FReepers allege, but because he HAD something to HIDE (drugs) from them. He ran to avoid being arrested for a crime.
Wow, your Post reveals your bias against cops....
“Ditch the ninja suits and combat uniforms in order to have a voice at the table”
yes, these two cops decided to wear Ninja suits all by themselves, not CITY AUTHORIZED Police Clothing which I am sure the citizens of Seattle know quite well.
“Also, give more priority back to helping motorists with a flat tire in the dark over cruising for more tickets to write and y’all might garner back some of the public respect you threw away. And drive a standardized recognizable vehicle.”
So it comes down to the anger of getting issued tickets by cops? Yes, perhaps they should allow traffic infractions to go unpunished and allow motorists to do whatever they want. In addition, they should announce their approach in easily recognizable vehicles that way criminals see them before the cops see the criminals and lose a chance of arresting a thug who may turn around one day and do harm to you or someone you care about.
“Americans desire public servants who enforce the law, not swaggering thugs enforcing the edicts of a political elite class.”
But when they enforce laws YOU do NOT agree with (like traffic infractions) they are the gestapo. Besides, enforcing the Law is exactly what these cops were doing when a witness IDENTIFIED a suspect in a crime. Even though the id was wrong, there was no way for the cops to know this. Had they not acted they would have been Public Servants that DID NOT enforce the law.
Since I’m the easiest guy in the world to check up on, it would make no sense to make stuff up. I live and die by my reputation. Not everyone lives in his mothers basement, many of us have had real life and continue to contribute to society. Unlike some internet commands who harp,carp and bleat like a stuck pig about stuff they know nothing about.
22+ years of service, 17 years as USAF Security Police, two of those on an AF Emergency Services Team (AF SWAT) I did a stint as a Res Deputy, City of Galena Airport, Alaska and have at least 100+ arrests, a lot for an AF cop. Got hurt in ‘97, and had to do something else until retired (Public Affairs/Journalist).
As soon as you lay hands on a suspect, he is your responsibility. If he dies while affecting an arrest, you better be justified. From what I saw, they were not justified. I have chased more than my fair share of idiots, a few broke ribs, a few had concussions. ALL were the right guy. In every case, I had to justify, under oath, that the force I used was necessary. Since I used the right amount of force, I never had to lie under oath.
Most plead out, one claimed in court I used unnecessary force, nothing came of it. Dirt bag should have claimed he was from Mars, he would have sounded smarter.
This was long before video dash cams. The Dash cam has improved the quality of police work overall, keeps everyone honest.
Thank you for your service. Not to take anything away from your experience as a cop, but yours was different than the experience of a city cop. If the Officer pulled his gun and shot this suspect I would have to agree that it would be excessive force.
Yes, once a cop has a subject in custody he is the cops responsibility. That was not the case here. The cop put his hands on the suspect to terminate the pursuit as well as to defend himself from whatever weapon the suspect may have been pulling once he removed his hands from his pocket. Once he is in custody after this, then yes, he is the cops responsibility. As the video shows, the cops ceased using force once the subject was down and no longer presented a threat. It is tragic that he hit his head, but it is not a crime, nor is it bad Police Tactics.
If you’re a cop, your FIRST interest had damned well better be the safety and security of those who pay you to protect and serve them. YOUR safety and security (and that of your partner) are only incidental, if that. Got it? YOU get paid the big bucks (a whole lot bigger bucks than I ever got paid for a whole lot more danger in my job!!!) to take a bullet, if needs be, to ensure that stuff like this does NOT happen. You do NOT get paid to do stuff like this, or to bully and intimidate those whose taxes pay your overly-inflated salaries.
(By the way, being a cop is not even on the top ten of the most dangerous jobs. How ‘bout THEM apples, eh?)
Bull..Your FIRST interest is yours and your Partners safety!!! Besides, by being active cops and attempting to stop a suspect IDENTIFIED by a citizen, they were looking out for public safety. GOT IT??!! And NO, Cops do not get paid to take a bullet...It is asinine responses like yours that highlight how ridiculous it is that people with not one ounce of clue about Police tactics and work somehow feel they are an expert on Police incidents....Perhaps you should also post on Medical websites and second guess surgeons...You know as much about surgery as you do Police work
Otherwise known as a cop-sucker.
You are the reason cops are bashed all the time here and other places. No, YOUR safety is totally unimportant. You are probably one of those who’d be standing outside Columbine until the shooting stopped inside before you’d leave your donuts. YOUR JOB is to protect others, NOT YOURSELF. You obviously wouldn’t make a good pimple on a Marine Private’s ass. But thanks for playing.
I'd much rather be tased than have my head slammed into a concrete wall.
"Once it was on the ground he could see it wasn't a weapon. But in the half second he had to react after seeing the suspect turn toward him with something in his hand he could have thought it was a weapon."
Unless that officer has better acceleration than a Shelby Cobra, he was sprinting towards the subject at top speed with the intent of hitting him long before the "half second" before he ever would have seen the item in the guys hand. I said before and stand by my opinion, that his full body block on that guy in that proximity to the wall is every bit as poor an exercise of judgment as taking out his sidearm and blazing away at the guy with a crowd of innocent bystanders standing directly behind him. He had his blinders on, lost his situational awareness and exercised poor judgment resulting in this guy sustaining a near life-ending, and certainly life altering injury.
There were alternate courses of action available, and he chose poorly. The taxpayers of Seattle, who he is supposed to protect and defend will end up paying for it, as will the the guy who spends the rest of his life in bed, and the guys wife who has to change her husband's diaper for the rest of their lives.
Now...there were two people who made bad decisions...I've also previously stated the guy wasn't too bright for running...but as far as I know, he wasn't under any type of oath to serve the public, and isn't trained and paid to exercise good judgment in stressful situations. The officer is.
and you would be one of those numbnuts who, if the cops had gone into columbine and shot those ass wipes and also accidentally killed a student, would have called for their heads. A cops job is to protect himself, his partner, and others. Just like a Marines job is to protect himself, his fellow Marines, and also the innocent civilians they patrol amongst.
You obviously would not make a good wart on a cops nut sack. Now, go pop your ass pimple, learn about police work then come back and play.
The inability of certain individuals to discern the difference in the role and intent of others by their appearance, demeanor, and the situation is why grandma and small children are searched prior to flights from Rapid City to Des Moines.
A military police state is something that I'm sure you would enjoy. Gangs of armed thugs roaming the cities "protecting" the civilian population. As long as they have a little tin badge, they can do no wrong.
There is a young man that is severely disabled because some out-of-control cop (probably hopped up on steroids) couldn't control himself. Saw an opportunity to brutalize someone and it went too far.
I hope that some day you are on the receiving end of such treatment, but it would be difficult for them to shove you around when your lips are firmly attached to their rear ends.
You're right. The guy was clearly guilty of....
Littering.
I just hope they took 27 eight by ten color glossy pictures with circles and arrows, and a paragraph on the back of each one 'splainin' what each one was , to be used as evidence against him.
Officer Obie would be soooooooo proud!
Grand azz-hoole.....
You are typical of the disturbing mind-set of anti-cop and anti-govt types here on FR that make the incredible leap of a case where an IDENTIFIED suspect running from the Police because he had drugs with his hands in his pocket and PULLING HIS HANDS OUT OF HIS POCKET a split second before the officer is on him, to the “WE are living in a Police State” statement.
This young man is disabled because instead of being a supportive husband at home with his wife and not allowing her to support them with her salary, decided to go to a dark alley, buy drugs, then run from the cops when they asked him to stop.
I hope that you are someday a victim of one of these criminals that FReepers coddle and have to stare straight down the business end of a ‘gat’. But that would be dificult to do for you when they are using your chin as a nut sack cushion.
Wow...stupidity knows no bounds with some here. First, you deep in the woods anti-cop FReepers say that he is running because these guys chasing him are Ninja assassins (incredible)...then you say as these Ninjas are about to get him he decides to discard trash from his pocket???
Yeah that makes more sense than two obvious cops are chasing him and before he is lawfully apprehended he discards drugs from his pocket. You guys are probably 9/11 conspiracy theorists as well. If you take the collective brain power FReepers like you, it wouldn’t be able to generate enough power to power a 9 volt battery flashlight.
You have no proof of any of this, yet you use it to justify police brutality. At some point here there will be another OKC bombing and you will demand more protection. Maybe we should stop the abuse of power before we arrive at that point.
I hope that you are someday a victim of one of these criminals that FReepers coddle and have to stare straight down the business end of a ‘gat’.
What crime did they charge the guy with? None. He was totally innocent, yet you find him guilty in order to exonerate the cops.
But that would be dificult to do for you when they are using your chin as a nut sack cushion.
You certainly are fond of gay imagery as are most cop suckers.
“Please FReepers, learn about Police tactics and procedures before bashing every damn thing they do!!”
What I see is a second degree felony battery, punishable by up to 20 years at hard labor in the jurisdiction I am from. The defendant would still be eligible for pardon and parole, however. For a first offense, this uniformed criminal would probably receive 2 - 5 years, but sentence would be probably suspended because this particular criminal wears a uniform.
I know what proper procedures are. I have actually expanded their scope. What this savage did is beyond the pale.
The second breach was to take an injured subject, in this case one with a head or neck injury, and aimlessly roll him around like chimps rolling a bunch of bananas.
BTW - why do you capitalize “police”?
“The cops are on the mental level of a career fry cook. Burger flippers with badges.”
I agree with your assessment, but would point out that fry cooks do perform a worthwhile service, that usually leaves people at least satisfied.
I guess it depends on your definition of “expert” but I was a commissioned officer in the Military Police corps, commanded a military police company, and served as a provost marshal. Does that make me an expert? I don’t know, but I think this cop was out of control and if he’d been working for me, he wouldn’t be working for me any longer.
*********************
Thank you. For your post and for your service.
Exactly Psalm...WHAT YOU SEE...Which lacks the knowledge of Police Tactics and procedure..please refer to my sentence which you copy and pasted, thank you.
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