Ridiculous Police News (Specific events)

[Plow]

They're not very often allowed to because they're put under the charge of cops that go "check here" and tap an area then go "THATS A HIT" when the dog inspects where they just directed it to.

[Brill Weave]

I would be perfectly happy if jmc shot some of you.

[jmc]

No thanks......

[Plow]

Seriously though, if you know dogs very well at all, you can clearly see that dog has been trained to respond to that "check here" by getting directly to that spot, including standing up on the car if it's up high, and expecting a reward immediately even without doing anything special to signal a problem at all.

[Restrat]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of...olis_v._Edmond

Also the police aren't allowed to use dogs for generalized searches, per supreme court order

[vagus]

Cops in my area send in bylaw officers before going in themselves. These officers have different rights and laws compared to police (peace officers).

[Plow]

U.S. doesn't really have those guys aside from like very specific meter maid or animal control positions and shit like that.

[Suvhater]

http://www.salon.com/2013/07/10/mili...ors_picks=true

Somewhat on topic.

[Ghost_Wheel22]

No, no that isn't. Not only is Balko an opinionated Libertarian circle jerker but that incident occurred nearly five years ago.

[chiyio]

The cover story from the washington post doesn't make it sound much better. And the case was only settled in 2011.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...302935_pf.html

[toqabowl]

This happened only a couple blocks from my house

An off-duty Chicago firefighter was shot by police this afternoon after he jumped out of a car and appeared to point a weapon at officers in a store parking lot in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood, authorities said.

The firefighter was in a shooting stance, holding a dark object in his hand, when he was shot about 12:45 p.m. at a CVS pharmacy at 103rd and Pulaski Road, officials said. The object turned out to be his wallet, according to Patrick Camden, a spokesman for the Fraternal Order of Police.

The man was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in critical condition and was undergoing surgery, the hospital said. As of 8:30 p.m. officials said he was in surgery and was in listed in critical but stable condition. Officials earlier said he had died.

Officials also initially said the firefighter was shot after he opened fire on officers responding to a report of a man who was suicidal.

Giving an updated version, Camden said police had been notified by the man's wife saying he was depressed and she was worried for his safety because he had a gun. The firefighter was on medical leave and had been despondent in the past, Camden said.

Police were told the firefighter was either at a pharmacy on 111th Street or a pharmacy on 103rd Street, Camden said. When police did not find anyone fitting his description at 111th Street, they went to the CVS on 103rd Street and found him in the driver's side seat of his car, talking on the phone, Camden said.

Officers asked him to show his hands and get out of the vehicle, Camden said. The man made the sign of the cross and flung the door open and jumped out with his hands in a "combat position," holding a dark object appearing to be a gun, Camden said.

No gun was found on the scene, Camden said, but a gun was found at his home.

Records show the firefighter is also a paramedic and lives about two miles from the shooting.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,2630160.story

[Acevalefor]

This happened only a couple blocks from my house



http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...,2630160.story

So he may have been trying to suicide by cop. Or the officers were mistaken and went into CYA mode when they found no gun so they created the story that he was pointing something at them. Make sure and mention that they found a gun at his home to add credence to their version of events. The skeptic in me says Camden's story is bullshit designed to protect the blue line. The realist in me says there is more to the story that needs to be told and will be told if this guy survives.

[jmc]

Doubt the whole pointed object scenario was made up.

Considering 911 calls are public record, and the wife supposedly said he had a gun with him.

[Acevalefor]

Doubt the whole pointed object scenario was made up.

Considering 911 calls are public record, and the wife supposedly said he had a gun with him.

Yeah, thinking about it more makes me think the most likely scenario was suicide by cop. Maybe we will hear the rest of the story when this guy recovers enough to talk.

[Byrthnoth]

I don't think it can be "suicide by cop" if the guy got shot because his wife told the police he had a gun (when he didn't). Then it's "my wife was pissed at me and got me shot by cops."

[Day]

homicide by cop

[Acevalefor]

I don't think it can be "suicide by cop" if the guy got shot because his wife told the police he had a gun (when he didn't). Then it's "my wife was pissed at me and got me shot by cops."

The way I understood the article was that the guy was suicidal and the wife feared that he had left the house and taken the gun with the intent to do something stupid with it, not that she was pissed and sic'd the cops on him. Instead it looks like he might have had the crazy idea to jump out of his car acting hostile only after the cops showed up. Suicidal depression makes people dangerously impulsive with regard to their well-being...or rather their lack of regard for their well-being.

[Byrthnoth]

I understand why the cops incorrectly assumed he was going to attack them.

That doesn't mean the guy wanted to do anything more than identify himself, though. He "made the sign of the cross" (maybe, maybe not) and flung open the door, then jumped out of the car "with his hands in a combat position" yet holding his wallet. They asked him to show his hands and get out of the vehicle. Was he just too quick for them? If you strip their description of its adjectives then he is doing exactly what they asked him to do. If his hands are in a combat position, they probably aren't in his pockets and he's showing them. If he flung open the door and got out, he exited the vehicle.

I understand that the police have to be jumpy because they deal with crazy people on a regular basis, but it's not like the guy deserved to be shot.

[Nephlite]

I understand why the cops incorrectly assumed he was going to attack them.

That doesn't mean the guy wanted to do anything more than identify himself, though. He "made the sign of the cross" (maybe, maybe not) and flung open the door, then jumped out of the car "with his hands in a combat position" yet holding his wallet. They asked him to show his hands and get out of the vehicle. Was he just too quick for them? If you strip their description of its adjectives then he is doing exactly what they asked him to do. If his hands are in a combat position, they probably aren't in his pockets and he's showing them. If he flung open the door and got out, he exited the vehicle.

I understand that the police have to be jumpy because they deal with crazy people on a regular basis, but it's not like the guy deserved to be shot.

Man. Everything the cops do is wrong. From the way some of you sound, it's like every cop in the world is corrupt and ready to pull the trigger on everyone and everything and willing to cover it up to get it done.

This isn't the movies, boys and girls. Every police agency isn't a modified version of Training Day where cops get in to shootouts every day and we plant drugs and guns on people we take out. This is real life. Every police officer is a living, breathing human being that dies and can get hurt just like you.

When you pull up on a scene with a potentially dangerous combatant with pre-existing knowledge that the person may be armed and suicidal and you're around 15-25 yards away and the guy jumps out of their car with something in their hands and takes a shooting stance, why in the hell would you take that risk that it might not be a gun? What if it was a gun and he killed several officers before they killed him? Where's the justification in that? Are people suddenly not allowed to defend themselves? And why do you feel the guy was just trying to give up his identification when he took a shooting stance with an object in his hands? Must have some good binocular goggles on to see that the object wasn't a gun. Aggressive movements like that, especially if there's prior information that the guy could be armed is a great way to get shot. Period.

Bottom line here is Suicide By Cop. Happens all the time. Not exactly the ultimate cowards way out of taking your own life but it's pretty damn close. 100% justified shoot on the officers part.

[Clash Perez]

Yep, we're all children.