Police Misconduct Catch All Thread

[unapologetic]

Am I wrong to assume that most police officers come from rough neighborhoods like the ones they patrol?

 

[Patooka]

Am I wrong to assume that most police officers come from rough neighborhoods like the ones they patrol?

Yes.

Most Police Don’t Live In The Cities They Serve

In Ferguson, Missouri, where protests continue following the shooting of a teenager by a police officer this month, more than two-thirds of the civilian populat…

fivethirtyeight.com

When Police Don’t Live in the City They Serve (Published 2016)

African-Americans in Milwaukee worry that the elimination of a residency requirement for police officers will worsen a long-strained relationship with the community.

www.nytimes.com

How Many Police Live Where They Work?

In Milwaukee, it's about half, in some places it's far less.

urbanmilwaukee.com

New Philly Cops Came From as Far as Florida and Chicago. Now, They Must Live Here.

Philadelphia's new police reforms include a requirement that recruits live in the city for a year prior to joining the force. An analysis of the newest recruiting class show that many of the newest officers come from outside the city.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

 

[Rhea]

It gets better (or worse).

When the dispatcher asked the caller to describe the suspect, the caller said there were three or four “white, definitely white,” men. The man who held the handgun at the SuperDeluxe wore a ski mask and a black hoodie, the caller said.

Sounds like somewhere along the line "hoodie" was lost. "Black hoodie" became "black".

But they did run from what was obviously a felony stop. Might be unarmed but unlikely to be innocent.

Jesus fucking christ, Loren. How the fuck can you be okay with that???????

Cops are not allowed to shoot fleeing suspects in the back. Especially black ones when the people they are looking for are white.

This. One thousand times this.
Cops are not allowed FOR GOOD REASON! to shoot fleeing “suspects” whom they have not even determined are a suspect! in the back. This cop was in NO DANGER. This cop, no matter what he, and you, think, is not a legal executioner.

 

[Rhea]

Might be unarmed but unlikely to be innocent allowed to live to defend their innocence of any minor offences in a court of law.

FTFY.

You really need to stop implying that there may be such a thing as "innocent", when you are so clearly determined that literally anyone shot by a cop cannot possibly have it, much less be entitled to a presumption of it.

If a cop shot you dead tomorrow, I can 100% guarantee that there would be a wave of moronic posts from people on the Internet who had never heard of you prior to your death, each and every one seeking to imply that you were in no way innocent, and that your death was completely justified, even though you were simply unlucky to be the person who happened to be in the same place as a scared cop who made a mistake.

I am very confident that your attitude is a coping mechanism. You are determined to find a way to persuade yourself that random death due to police incompetence couldn't happen to you.

Well, it could.

Many victims of police shootings are as innocent as you; And did nothing wrong that you wouldn't have done in the same circumstances.

Your desparation to find a way to show that they are "not innocent" is a way to fool yourself into believing that they are "not enough like me" to imply that you are equally at risk of losing this particular lottery.

Well, perhaps you are fooling yourself. But you aren't fooling anyone else. And you are seriously harming their opinions of your reasoning abilities, your political attitudes, and your emotional maturity.

All of this. It is a symptom of many things to have this cavalier attitude toward the death of others, and such unwavering certainty that they all deserve it.

And one of our biggest dangers to society is that all the cops think it, too.

 

[ZiprHead]

'You Just Broke My F--king Door!': Armed Indiana Cops Burst Into Home Without Warrant, Arrest Black Father and Son While Citing 7-Year-Old Domestic Violence Video In a Different Town

Indiana police stormed into a home without a warrant late last month after breaking the door open and arrested a father and son, claiming they had

atlantablackstar.com

Indiana police stormed into a home without a warrant late last month after breaking the door open and arrested a father and son, claiming they had “compelling evidence” of domestic violence taking place inside the Lafayette home.

However, the compelling evidence was a seven-year-old video from another home in another town showing two people who were not even at the house that Lafayette police had entered without a warrant, according to the 52-year-old father, William Neal.

The incident took place on May 21, resulting in Neal and his 18-year-old son being arrested on charges of resisting police, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.

 

[ZiprHead]

‘I Saw Aggression’: Airman Roger Fortson Killed Over a ‘Stare’ By Florida Deputy Seconds After Answering His Door, Report Shows

The Florida sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot Air Force Airman Roger Fortson in his apartment doorway felt justified based on “a stare,” according to a

atlantablackstar.com

The Florida sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot Air Force Airman Roger Fortson in his apartment doorway felt justified based on “a stare,” according to a newly released report on the Okaloosa Sheriff’s Office’s internal investigation.

Deputy Eddie Duran told investigators the first thing he saw was the 23-year-old’s eyes. What he perceived as an aggressive look prompted him to open fire within two to three seconds of Fortson opening his door.

“When I saw his eyes, I saw aggression,” Duran said, according to the sheriff’s report. “It was a stare that was fixated 100% on me, not eyebrows raised, not, ‘Hey what’s going on? Why are you here?’ It was a stare … that showed me there was aggression.”

Body camera footage released earlier in May by the sheriff’s office, however, appeared to show Duran firing on the senior airman with little warning and no provocation. He died later at a hospital.

So now just the look on your face can get you killed.

 

[laughing dog]

‘I Saw Aggression’: Airman Roger Fortson Killed Over a ‘Stare’ By Florida Deputy Seconds After Answering His Door, Report Shows

The Florida sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot Air Force Airman Roger Fortson in his apartment doorway felt justified based on “a stare,” according to a

atlantablackstar.com

The Florida sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot Air Force Airman Roger Fortson in his apartment doorway felt justified based on “a stare,” according to a newly released report on the Okaloosa Sheriff’s Office’s internal investigation.

Deputy Eddie Duran told investigators the first thing he saw was the 23-year-old’s eyes. What he perceived as an aggressive look prompted him to open fire within two to three seconds of Fortson opening his door.

“When I saw his eyes, I saw aggression,” Duran said, according to the sheriff’s report. “It was a stare that was fixated 100% on me, not eyebrows raised, not, ‘Hey what’s going on? Why are you here?’ It was a stare … that showed me there was aggression.”

Body camera footage released earlier in May by the sheriff’s office, however, appeared to show Duran firing on the senior airman with little warning and no provocation. He died later at a hospital.

So now just the look on your face can get you killed.

If there is justice, ex- deputy Duran is going to get lots of practice discerning aggressive looks from other types.

 

[Patooka]

If there is justice, ex- deputy Duran is going to get lots of practice discerning aggressive looks from other types.

If there is justice, the person who thought ex-Deputy Duran had the restraint and mental fortitude to be a cop so hired him, and the people who trained ex-Deputy Duran to act in such a manner are now all working at McDonalds.

Holding Duran accountable isn't enough. All that accomplishes is ensuring this happens again with another deputy.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Might be unarmed but unlikely to be innocent allowed to live to defend their innocence of any minor offences in a court of law.

FTFY.

You really need to stop implying that there may be such a thing as "innocent", when you are so clearly determined that literally anyone shot by a cop cannot possibly have it, much less be entitled to a presumption of it.

If a cop shot you dead tomorrow, I can 100% guarantee that there would be a wave of moronic posts from people on the Internet who had never heard of you prior to your death, each and every one seeking to imply that you were in no way innocent, and that your death was completely justified, even though you were simply unlucky to be the person who happened to be in the same place as a scared cop who made a mistake.

I am very confident that your attitude is a coping mechanism. You are determined to find a way to persuade yourself that random death due to police incompetence couldn't happen to you.

Well, it could.

Many victims of police shootings are as innocent as you; And did nothing wrong that you wouldn't have done in the same circumstances.

Your desparation to find a way to show that they are "not innocent" is a way to fool yourself into believing that they are "not enough like me" to imply that you are equally at risk of losing this particular lottery.

Well, perhaps you are fooling yourself. But you aren't fooling anyone else. And you are seriously harming their opinions of your reasoning abilities, your political attitudes, and your emotional maturity.

There are some cases of truly innocent people being shot by the police. That takes a monumental error by the officer but it does happen.

By far the majority of police shootings involve clearly threatening behavior from the person who gets shot and most of the rest are excessive force in reaction to actual wrongs, or people trying to ditch contraband--human reaction time is simply not fast enough to evaluate the item the person pulled out before the person could use it to shoot the cop if they intended to do so. This person certainly shouldn't have been shot, but innocents don't run from felony stops.

 

[Spacetime Inhabitant]

If there is justice, ex- deputy Duran is going to get lots of practice discerning aggressive looks from other types.

If there is justice, the person who thought ex-Deputy Duran had the restraint and mental fortitude to be a cop so hired him, and the people who trained ex-Deputy Duran to act in such a manner are now all working at McDonalds.

Holding Duran accountable isn't enough. All that accomplishes is ensuring this happens again with another deputy.

This is true, but is unfortunately extremely unlikely to occur, and furthermore they wouldn't even think of doing this.

Might be unarmed but unlikely to be innocent allowed to live to defend their innocence of any minor offences in a court of law.

FTFY.

You really need to stop implying that there may be such a thing as "innocent", when you are so clearly determined that literally anyone shot by a cop cannot possibly have it, much less be entitled to a presumption of it.

If a cop shot you dead tomorrow, I can 100% guarantee that there would be a wave of moronic posts from people on the Internet who had never heard of you prior to your death, each and every one seeking to imply that you were in no way innocent, and that your death was completely justified, even though you were simply unlucky to be the person who happened to be in the same place as a scared cop who made a mistake.

I am very confident that your attitude is a coping mechanism. You are determined to find a way to persuade yourself that random death due to police incompetence couldn't happen to you.

Well, it could.

Many victims of police shootings are as innocent as you; And did nothing wrong that you wouldn't have done in the same circumstances.

Your desparation to find a way to show that they are "not innocent" is a way to fool yourself into believing that they are "not enough like me" to imply that you are equally at risk of losing this particular lottery.

Well, perhaps you are fooling yourself. But you aren't fooling anyone else. And you are seriously harming their opinions of your reasoning abilities, your political attitudes, and your emotional maturity.

There are some cases of truly innocent people being shot by the police. That takes a monumental error by the officer but it does happen.

By far the majority of police shootings involve clearly threatening behavior from the person who gets shot and most of the rest are excessive force in reaction to actual wrongs, or people trying to ditch contraband--human reaction time is simply not fast enough to evaluate the item the person pulled out before the person could use it to shoot the cop if they intended to do so. This person certainly shouldn't have been shot, but innocents don't run from felony stops.

So, if the cop's reaction time is too slow, shouldn't also be the alleged criminal's, and therefore there is time to see if it is a gun before deciding to react with unreasonable force. It appears also that you are an expert on the behaviour of innocent people. Maybe, innocent people don't shoot other innocent people.

 

[bilby]

innocents don't run from felony stops

"The Axiom: 'Honest men have nothing to fear from the police' is currently under review by the Axioms Review Board."

- Terry Pratchett, Men At Arms

 

[unapologetic]

If you chase me, I'm gonna run. Especially if I'm innocent. Being chased is more of a threat to me than mere arrest, cus I know I didn't do anything to be arrested for. So yes, even innocents run.

A few months ago, a cop came into my apartment without knocking. I live in a small town. There are 60 apartments in my building. there was a rumor of homeless crashing in one of the lobbies. (invited by a resident). One night at about 3am a cop walked in on me while at the computer. Apparently testing doorknobs and mine was unlocked. Is that legal? There is a cliché of beat cops testing doorknobs of stores, But private apartments?

 

[TV and credit cards]

innocents don't run from felony stops

Scared ones do. And there is no set point at which we all panic and run.

In other news: There is also no set training for all cops in the United States. They are not all taught to crack heads and ask questions later. It varies by state. It even varies by municipality. I checked, comparing a city in CA to one in GA, Santa Monica and Atlanta, if I recall. Santa Monica's was quite aggressive. Atlanta's not so much.

And we can arrest these cops from now until the cows come home. Until the Supreme Court addresses qualified immunity, few are going to prison.

 

[Gospel]

Might be unarmed but unlikely to be innocent allowed to live to defend their innocence of any minor offences in a court of law.

FTFY.

You really need to stop implying that there may be such a thing as "innocent", when you are so clearly determined that literally anyone shot by a cop cannot possibly have it, much less be entitled to a presumption of it.

If a cop shot you dead tomorrow, I can 100% guarantee that there would be a wave of moronic posts from people on the Internet who had never heard of you prior to your death, each and every one seeking to imply that you were in no way innocent, and that your death was completely justified, even though you were simply unlucky to be the person who happened to be in the same place as a scared cop who made a mistake.

I am very confident that your attitude is a coping mechanism. You are determined to find a way to persuade yourself that random death due to police incompetence couldn't happen to you.

Well, it could.

Many victims of police shootings are as innocent as you; And did nothing wrong that you wouldn't have done in the same circumstances.

Your desparation to find a way to show that they are "not innocent" is a way to fool yourself into believing that they are "not enough like me" to imply that you are equally at risk of losing this particular lottery.

Well, perhaps you are fooling yourself. But you aren't fooling anyone else. And you are seriously harming their opinions of your reasoning abilities, your political attitudes, and your emotional maturity.

All of this. It is a symptom of many things to have this cavalier attitude toward the death of others, and such unwavering certainty that they all deserve it.

And one of our biggest dangers to society is that all the cops think it, too.

It baffles me that those with such an attitude don't recognize the danger it poses to themselves. The police can easily misinterpret their actions at any moment and get away with it due to some unrelated and unfavorable detail. There must be something quite unique about them for them not to believe that's the case.

 

[Derec]

If you chase me, I'm gonna run.

You are putting the cart before the horse. Police are not going to chase you unless you take of running or driving e.g. when you get pulled over.

Especially if I'm innocent. Being chased is more of a threat to me than mere arrest, cus I know I didn't do anything to be arrested for. So yes, even innocents run.

If they are innocent, why not just stop and follow the traffic stop procedures? Why flee in the first place?

A few months ago, a cop came into my apartment without knocking. I live in a small town. There are 60 apartments in my building. there was a rumor of homeless crashing in one of the lobbies. (invited by a resident). One night at about 3am a cop walked in on me while at the computer. Apparently testing doorknobs and mine was unlocked. Is that legal? There is a cliché of beat cops testing doorknobs of stores, But private apartments?

I do not know the legality of that, maybe you should consult a lawyer.
In any case, maybe lock your door the next time?

 

[Derec]

It baffles me that those with such an attitude don't recognize the danger it poses to themselves. The police can easily misinterpret their actions at any moment and get away with it due to some unrelated and unfavorable detail. There must be something quite unique about them for them not to believe that's the case.

Mistakes happen, but mistakes are not all criminal, and if criminal not all to the same degree. The chances, indicative of the degree of danger, that police may misinterpret something completely innocuous and shoot me, are very low. Most people who have been shot because the cop misinterpreted something like a cell phone were chased by police, and it usually involved poor visibility. I remember the case of a carjacker who was fleeing the scene of the crime. He was holding the stolen phone in his hands, but cops did not know that. The carjacking involved a gun, and they thought the cell phone was it. But this is far cry from a scenario likely to happen to me or you. Frankly, chances are higher we are hit and killed by some driver on the road. And unless there was a DUI or gross recklessness, the driver would be unlikely to face vehicular homicide charges.

That said, when police officers act criminally, they should be prosecuted. But some on here want a cop's head on the spike every time they shoot a member of a preferred demographic, no matter the circumstances.

 

[Gospel]

If they are innocent, why not just stop and follow the traffic stop procedures? Why flee in the first place?

First, was the officer not looking for white perpetrators? This is important because the officer should have known that beforehand. The question isn't about their innocence. It’s reasonable to believe they were guilty of something since they ran. But guilty of what exactly? Was it something that justified the use of deadly force? What did the officer know about the runners up to that point, other than the fact that they ran?

 

[Derec]

And we can arrest these cops from now until the cows come home. Until the Supreme Court addresses qualified immunity, few are going to prison.

Qualified immunity is for civil suits, not criminal charges.

And few police officers should be going to prison, since vast majority of police shootings are unjustified.

 

[Derec]

First, was the officer not looking for white perpetrators? This is important because the officer should have known that beforehand.

In this case, yes. I have seen the explanation proposed on here that the "black hoodie" description was garbled in the radio transmission. In any case, it should not affect how you act during a traffic stop.

The question isn't about their innocence. It’s reasonable to believe they were guilty of something since they ran. But guilty of what exactly? Was it something that justified the use of deadly force? What did the officer know about the runners up to that point, other than the fact that they ran?

Even if the use of deadly force was not justified, it shows why it's a stupid idea to run from police. It increases the odds of an adverse outcome, be it getting shot, tased, or tackled.

 

[Gospel]

It baffles me that those with such an attitude don't recognize the danger it poses to themselves. The police can easily misinterpret their actions at any moment and get away with it due to some unrelated and unfavorable detail. There must be something quite unique about them for them not to believe that's the case.

Mistakes happen, but mistakes are not all criminal, and if criminal not all to the same degree. The chances, indicative of the degree of danger, that police may misinterpret something completely innocuous and shoot me, are very low. Most people who have been shot because the cop misinterpreted something like a cell phone were chased by police, and it usually involved poor visibility. I remember the case of a carjacker who was fleeing the scene of the crime. He was holding the stolen phone in his hands, but cops did not know that. The carjacking involved a gun, and they thought the cell phone was it. But this is far cry from a scenario likely to happen to me or you. Frankly, chances are higher we are hit and killed by some driver on the road. And unless there was a DUI or gross recklessness, the driver would be unlikely to face vehicular homicide charges.

That said, when police officers act criminally, they should be prosecuted. But some on here want a cop's head on the spike every time they shoot a member of a preferred demographic, no matter the circumstances.

I agree, but we aren't discussing the likelihood of a police officer making a mistake. We're focusing on what happens when police do make mistakes and determining which errors are severe enough that we cannot simply overlook them and allow the officer to continue working in law enforcement. Which mistakes warrant accountability, and how do we ensure that those who act criminally or irresponsibly face appropriate consequences, rather than just being excused?