Boy you sure have drunk deep of the koolaid. Bad=Democrat, bad Cop=Democrat cop..

No I would say “Jack booted thug” applies to about 20% of most police forces and if you ask them they will tell you they are “conservative”.

Bradky on January 12, 2009 at 6:01 AM

The vast majority of cops who go to jail end up there by engaging in activities that have nothing to with jack booted thuginess. They are usually busted engaging in typical Democrat behavior.

It would be irrational to point to an incident of a cop stealing drugs from the evidence room and selling it on the street and calling it typical cop behavior. It’s even more irrational to point to this incident, assume some sort of jack booted intent, and call it typical cop behavior.

There is a small percentage of bad cops in the US. 99% of those bad cops are Democrat types with the typical criminal impulses of your common Democrat. Those who you refer to as “authoritarian” would love to purge them from the force.

Buddahpundit on January 12, 2009 at 4:37 AM

Boy you sure have drunk deep of the koolaid. Bad=Democrat, bad Cop=Democrat cop..

No I would say “Jack booted thug” applies to about 20% of most police forces and if you ask them they will tell you they are “conservative”.

well, i never claimed to be a vet

Yeah, that was my bad. I confused you with the other pro-criminal poster in this thread.

if they were born into soviet russia, they would not be Solzhenitsyns, they’d be supporters of the police-state apparatus.

eh on January 10, 2009 at 6:48 PM

And if the “Solzhenitsyns” took power in Russia, they wouldn’t have a police force?

There is a small percentage of bad cops in the US. 99% of those bad cops are Democrat types with the typical criminal impulses of your common Democrat. Those who you refer to as “authoritarian” would love to purge them from the force.

Seriously? They have you running around with the saftey on your weapon off? That’s definalty not the policy of our locals.

boomer on January 11, 2009 at 6:32 PM

Its called cocked and locked. With a good retention holster and proper training (finger off the trigger unless you are activly shooting!) the manuel saftey isnt really needed. I carry a Glock and the only external saftey on it is on the trigger, which is deactivated when you pull it.

n0doz on January 10, 2009 at 1:03 PM

Seriously? They have you running around with the saftey on your weapon off? That’s definalty not the policy of our locals.

I wont want watch the video, but seriously this is why people hate cops.

crabtree on January 11, 2009 at 12:50 AM

No, people hate cops because they hate being told they are wrong. When ever someone tells me about how some cop was wrong about blah blah blah I always take it with a grain of salt. You can never make your determination with just one side of the story.

Hell, I have had plenty of complaints on me. It is usually someone saying I was rude to them on a traffic stop (the most common complaint I think we get). I have yet to be repremanded because *SUPRISE!* people exagerate or flat out lie because they dont think they should have gotten a ticket.

Seriously, people must forget we have dashboard cameras. I sure as hell never forget, which is why I am always polite and buisness like at the start of what ever I do. I dont get “mean” until I am pushed.

Does that mean all cops are like that? No. Just like any job there are people who shouldnt be there. I could actually name a couple of people in my own department who need to find a new proffession.

That being said, judging by his reaction in this video, it was probably an accidental discharge. But if that is the case he should have said so. Resigning and lawyering up without making any type of statment is wrong way to go.

God help you if you ever find yourself on the wrong side of the law as they see it.

Or as however they find most convenient. My experience with two different girlfriends who had stalkers, as well as my own personal experience, plus talking to a female cop sister of a g/f, confirms that cops aren’t necessarily interested in seeing justice done. They want the problem to go away. You may be right, you may be the good guy, but if locking you up makes the problem go away and reduces paperwork, enjoy the baloney sandwiches. They’ll laugh about you over a beer after shift.

Hot Air should do cop threads like this more often. It quickly exposes the cop hating trolls who hide amongst us. Conservatives love and respect out troops whether they be soldiers or cops. The Loony Left hates them with an insane passion.

Guardian on January 11, 2009 at 10:27 AM

It doesn’t expose cop hating trolls anymore than it shows blind loyalty from some regardless of how stupid, arrogant – and deadly those in law enforcement can be.
The requirements that exist for those starting in law enforcement are a joke. They still protect each other regardless of what laws and regulations are broken. It’s a joke. And for you to put the thought out there that police should not be held to a higher standard, God forbid any standard at all, and that those that criticize them for it are cop hating trolls – God help you if you ever find yourself on the wrong side of the law as they see it.

I agree with Thacker on this one. Remember, we’re in the land of no knock warrants and we all know how well that works out for the innocent. Law enforcement has also taken the position it has no legal obligation to protect the individual citizen from harm, and anyone who thinks they don’t close ranks to protect their own, lives in a dream world.

Stop hyperventilating for a minute please. There are a very small number of no knock incidents. But on the obverse, how many cops lives have been save and how many bad guys put away because of them? More than the number of accidents most likely.

And although the SCOTUS has stated that police are not required to protect us, the vast majority of cops are good, decent people who would do whatever they needed to to save an innocent.

It certainly did look like the officer was shocked by his own actions, and the situation is definitely not the most likely time for a cop to just shoot someone. It wouldn’t make any sense that he was taking out his sidearm to ensure he was ready to increase force – mostly because he was still standing over the guy. Guns lose a lot of their effectiveness if you’re close enough to grab or standing over someone. Based on that I would say he probably didn’t mean to draw his weapon, but if that’s the case then this is one hell of a mistake.

That said, if a military member in a combat zone has an accidental discharge they are subject to a lot of discipline…even if the round is discharged into a clearing barrel. I would expect police officers to be held to at least as high a standard as a PFC in the Marine Corps and I’ve seen people lose rank and spend time in restriction because they didn’t have positive control over their weapon.

Bottom line: That police officer probably made a horrendous mistake, but he is fully responsible for his actions. This guy’s actions don’t change that things like this don’t happen every day. For the most part, cops do a damn good job even though they’re outgunned, underpaid, and overworked.

But, let’s see. Who do I trust more to protect me in a subway car that has an unruly mob of thugs in it? A cop or any of the following?:

* DailyKOS follower
* Journalist
* Politician
* Used car salesperson
* Lawyer
* Doctor
* Grandma or Grandpa
* Construction worker
* Garbage collector
* Plumber

If I had to rely on any, or an army of all of, the top 6 to protect me I’d be dead for sure. I’d have a fighting chance with any of the last 4 but I’d prefer a cop to any of them as well.

The following is a dialog of a cop hater in his New York flat talking to another similar minded cop hater as they watch the cop killing video on TV:

“I hate cops. They’re fascists pigs! They should all be tried for war crimes and sent to Guantanamo for punishment and reprogramming and…”

Just then Bart and his friend are startled by sound of a loud crash and breaking glass.

“Oh my God! Someone trying to break into the back door of the apartment Bart! Call 911!!!”

Dorks. Every one of them.

Maybe I was being too rude to you. If so, I apologize. You came off as some honest citizens do: cop-haters.

As a former Marine, you know that there are some Marines that should be, just as there are cops that shouldn’t be. Sorry that you got treated the way did. 9 times out of 10 MOST cops do what they’re supposed to do and 9 times out of 10 that’s also the right thing. Life isn’t perfect and life isn’t always fair. It sounds like the cops that you dealt with were either lazy or poorly trained. There’s no reason for either. Don’t let your couple bad experiences taint the way the other 90% of cops that are doing it right.

There’s always that 10%. Remember that?

Semper Fi!

eh on January 10, 2009 at 9:16 PM

So asking a question is being an ass?

It’s sad, it’s unfortunate, it’s unforgivable, but if you have hundreds of thousands of arrests across the country you’re going to have one like this where somebody just has a brain fart. He should be punished, but no need to riot.