Drivers of White Vans are being treated as criminals

Vanity | Self

[SamAdams76]

The photos above currently on the Drudge site concern me. I followed the link and the article clearly stated that nobody was arrested last night.

Why then, do we have drivers of white vans, innocent civilians, evidently being pulled out vans at gunpoint and treated like dangerous criminals? One photo shows a man on the ground, evidently in handcuffs, with police officers standing over him as though they have just captured Whitey Bulger. When I first saw the photo, I figured the man was obviously a wanted criminal that police just so happened to come across during their search. But since there were no arrests last night, this man was obviously released and was no criminal after all.

The other photo shows a man by another white van with his hands in the air and a police officer has a gun drawn on him. Again, this was evidently just another innocent civilian who had the misfortune to be driving a white van on I-95 last night.

Now I understand the need for these roadblocks and for the police to be very thorough in their search for the sniper(s). But I cannot see the point of innocent people dragged out of their vehicles at gunpoint with no pretext other than the fact that they happen to be driving a white van.

Now maybe somebody here has an explanation why these two individuals were treated like criminals. Maybe they tried to evade the police or maybe they were driving stolen vans. But again, there were no arrests made last night. So what is the deal with our citizens being treated like Jesse James just for driving a white van?

[GirlShortstop]

You're jumping to conclusions you have NO way of knowing and smearing good, honest law enforcement officers while you're doing it.   PROVE IT...you are dead wrong in your statement.

[B Knotts]

This crime spree might have already been stopped had Charlie Moose dropped his "us (police vs. "civilians" (hint: police are also civilians)) attitude and trusted the public to help by releasing some information about the suspects.

Instead, he keeps it secret, and innocents continue to suffer the consequences.

[chadsworth]

But they should not be yanked out of the vans at gunpoint and shoved to the ground and handcuffed. Is that the kind of "cooperation" you have in mind?

Did you see a video of the officers "yanking" the drivers out of their vans. I have only seen and heard of officers asking the driver to step out unless the driver refused to do so.

I would be interested in knowing how you got your information.

[SamAdams76]

Look at the pictures again. Does it look like these drivers were "asked" to step out?

[chadsworth]

I'm not ready to jump on the officers' case at this point with such limited information.

Thank you--- one of the few intelligent posts on this thread!

[Howlin]

Your flashy pink words say all that needs to be said.

[Howlin]

Your flashy pink words say all that needs to be said.

[HairOfTheDog]

This crime spree might have already been stopped had Charlie Moose ...trusted the public to help by releasing some information about the suspects.

What makes you think they know (that means "they are sure of") any more than they have released? They want the guy caught, but giving out unsubstantiated, possibly inaccurate and distracting information would hurt their efforts more than help it, and it could be that they really just don't have anything they can go on.

[B Knotts]

You can't see how safety is enhanced by using a standard felony stop procedure? Really? Then there's no point debating this with you. The obvious has no place in your thought processes.

Clearly the safety of the police officers is enhanced by such a procedure. Just as clearly, the safety of the occupants of the vehicle is lessened.

Or, have we all forgotten about stories like this?

[soozla]

"This photograph and the posting that followed is what spurred the discussion. Why is someone that's concerned by it a "Cop Hater"? Perspective is a funny thing... I find no humor in your choice of words."

If you're "concerned" about it, why not contact the cops having the jurisdiction and who made the stop in the photograph.......ask them what led up to it and for an explanation...there are ways to do this

There isn't anyone here that can give you an explanation, unless they were the officers shown in the picture, right?

To insinuate that those of us who assume there is a good reason why the guy is restrained on the ground, are "sheep" and post cute little graphics of bleeting critters is really an uneducated generalization, on your part.

And it uses up a lot of bandwith too.

[chadsworth]

Then you have the comfort of knowing that the police are already entitled to shoot you

As in any situation, there are mistakes, some resulting is very bad results.

I guess you have never experienced making a mistake.

It is very unlikely, in a vast majority of the law enforcement situations, that anyone will get shot if they show reasonable cooperation.

[kitkat]

The cops never know what they're facing when they ask for a driver's license. In my own town the following rather amusing incident occurred:

A small-business owner complained that the patrons of a bar in the same plaza were taking up all his parking places. The cops attempted to give a ticket to one of the bar patrons who kept telling them that they couldn't ticket him because HE WAS DRIVING A CADILLAC. "Everybody knows a cadillac owner never gets a ticket."

The cop kept politely requesting to see his driver's license. The caddy owner made a sudden, threatening move toward the cop. WHAM! He was on his stomach on the ground with the cop's foot on his back. Cops know karate.

The driver got the ticket. The cop protected himself from a possible life-threatening perp move. What's the big deal?

Perhaps the guy on the ground in the picture finally surrendered his license and was let go. The cops had more important things to do right then.

[SamAdams76]

With respect to the above statement, if a situation did occur that the type of vehicle that I drive did become under general suspect, I would have enough respect for the law enforcement agencies to totally cooperate with the efforts to eliminate my vehicle as a possibility. There is a big difference between cooperating and having yourself thrown to the pavement face first at gunpoint and handcuffed with your hands behind your back until the police have determined that you are not the sniper.

[Wonder Warthog]

"And just what is your answer "to doing better than that"?"

How about actually having a description of the driver/shooter that is even somewhat of a match for the driver of the white van being stopped?? To my way of thinking, THAT constitutes probable cause for the actions shown in this stop--otherwise not.

[HairOfTheDog]

Just as clearly, the safety of the occupants of the vehicle is lessened.

Their dignity may temporarily lessened, but not their safety. When the danger is as high as it is when they are looking for a suspect like this sniper, the occupant's safety is very much increased if cops don't have to try to guess the movements of a person they can't see clearly inside a vehicle. Is he reaching for his license? - Or a gun? These cops have the same adrenaline running through their body as you would... And this is stress... It is manageable, if they can see and control the situation. People do quirky things sometimes when you pull them over. Handling potential felony stops this way doesn't give the occupants the opportunity to look like a threat in a moment of uncertainty, and increases safety for everyone involved.

[Wonder Warthog]

"I saw the picture. So? Do you assume the police just decided, "Hey, this would be a good time to throw someone to the ground and cuff 'em, just for the hell of it"? "

Hey, it happens. SOME cops ARE jack-booted thugs.

[ladyinred]

Bet that guy won't pull that again! The police have every right to defend themselves and us. Too many of them are intimidated right now by the liberals who scream police brutality if a cop looks at them funny! That is not good for the cops, or the public as it may keep them from saving lives.

[SamAdams76]

Read the whole thread chadsworth, read the whole thread and you will find that out.

[GirlShortstop]

If you're "concerned" about it, why not contact the cops having the jurisdiction and who made the stop in the photograph.......ask them what led up to it and for an explanation...there are ways to do this   So if I understand you, FR should in essence be shut down within the next few days because discussion and debate of news is taboo?

btw, a good thing to remember is graphics off if you are bandwidth-challenged...the icons are all of 2.5kb!

[luvtheconstitution]

You must have missed the word "unreasonable" in your post. What the police are doing is NOT unreasonable - it is reasonable and necessary.