Comments on: New Professionalism Roundup

By: perlhaqr

perlhaqr — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:33:10 +0000

Sounds like someone should shoot the officer in Salinas. Clear that confusion right up for him.

By: Hannah

Hannah — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:53:43 +0000

In the NOPD “Police said crime lab investigators found a shotgun, shotgun shells and a 9 mm magazine clip in the trunk of Grimes’ car when they processed it days later.
Eric Hessler, an attorney for the Fraternal Order of Police and several of the reassigned officers, said he believes the police investigation will show that all the officers acted appropriately in response to a threat.”

What I want to know is a) when did cops get x-ray vision to know that there was a gun in the trunk of the car and b) how the heck is the victim suppose to get said gun from out of the trunk to be a “threat” when the cops are standing at his car door?

By: PersonFromPorlock

PersonFromPorlock — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:31:51 +0000

#21 | Bronwyn | February 9th, 2009 at 4:07 pm

Maybe he tripped? How do you *think* you’ve been shot!??

Maybe he thought he’d been shot in the head? That’d account for the confusion. ;^)

By: Aresen

Aresen — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:28:05 +0000

In case I am ever passing through Salinas, I just want the police to know that my wallet is not loaded. In fact, the damn thing is always empty.

(The credit cards, however, are overloaded.)

By: Mikestermike

Mikestermike — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:14:59 +0000

To qualify with a Taser, officers have to get shot by one. Why can’t we apply this to an actual firearm. To qualify with a pistol, you must receive a non-lethal bullet wound. THEN maybe these cops will 1) Know what getting shot is like so they can’t make a mistake and 2) Take a step back and realize these aren’t frickin’ X-Box games…

By: Cynical In CA

Cynical In CA — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:44:47 +0000

“Who’s looking out for us?”

Each of us, we must look out for each other.

The system fails because this authority is delegated to a superagency, which then dedicates all its energy to preserving itself.

Bad regulation is worse than none at all.

A false sense of security is worse than none at all.

Abandon the State.

By: Marty

Marty — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:53:39 +0000

if the couple involved in the shooting had been killed, the cops would’ve been heroes… based on the report they would’ve filed.

geez, all this over a light on their license plate (more govt bullshit) being out. this just reinforces that they can pull you over at any time- they’ll just keep looking and they’ll find a law we’re breaking.

gotta love Scalia’s ‘new professionalism’ and all the police officer’s associations defending these idiots. Who’s looking out for us?

By: Bronwyn

Bronwyn — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:07:19 +0000

Maybe he tripped? How do you *think* you’ve been shot!??

By: t. reed

t. reed — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:59:04 +0000

I was looking at J. Turley’s blog and caught the dash cam of the cop hitting the mini van (with kids).

Can a LEO on this board help me with something I’ve always wanted to ask? What is wrong with the “low ready” firearm position? If you have a suspect with his hands in the air, why do you have to point the gun at his chest? You are the trained professional. You “got the drop on him.” If he “goes for” a gun, you can, being a professional in the low ready position, put four shots into him before he gets the gun out of his waist band. If you are pointing at his chest, you can get five shots into him. For that extra shot, is it worth the risk of pointing the gun at his chest? Those things go off.

By: Robin

Robin — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:48:54 +0000

Salinas shooting–”Thought he was shot”? What, was he stung by a bee?

By: Dave Krueger

Dave Krueger — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:36:19 +0000

Sorry, I lost control with the blockquote. Not being a cop, I guess I’ll just have to accept the responsibility myself.

By: Dave Krueger

Dave Krueger — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:33:29 +0000

#13 Michael Chaney

Sease was fired in January 2005 after nearly four years on the force

Boy, they got right on that,eh?

Yep, it took them eight months after the complaint was filed. Unlike cops, I work in an industry that paralyzed with indecision and disbelief when someone screws up. In a case like this where the complaint required a little investigative effort, it might have taken them until the following afternoon to can my ass.

By: Wayne

Wayne — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:30:31 +0000

“Police in Salinas, California open fire on an unarmed couple after apparently mistaking a wallet for a gun during a routine traffic stop” — Wasn’t this Garcia in an episode of Reno 911? Maybe if there was a laugh track being played while this was happening the unarmed couple would see the humor in it. You know down at the station they’re laughing and joking about these guys not being able to hit anything.

By: David

David — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:59:26 +0000

He should get leniency because he used to be the sheriff.

I guess the “thinking” is that because he was able to commit the crime using the authority as sheriff, he’s no longer a threat to the community no that he doesn’t have that authority. I don’t buy that, but that could be the argument.

By: SJE

SJE — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:55:27 +0000

#12: Dave, you are right.

As Radley keeps pointing out, a stupid mistake by trained professional is considered OK, but not a reasonable mistake by a terrified homeowner woken from deep sleep, disoriented by concussion grenades etc.

By: Michael Chaney

Michael Chaney — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:49:09 +0000

One dealer testified that Sease robbed him of some $32,000 in cash, but Sease hitting the jackpot that afternoon in April 2004 also finally angered a dealer enough to report him to police.
…
Sease was fired in January 2005 after nearly four years on the force

Boy, they got right on that,eh?

By: Dave Krueger

Dave Krueger — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:46:33 +0000

#9 SJE

If the cops make this kind of mistake, it kinda puts Ryan Frederick’s mistake in perspective.

That would be true only of Ryan Frederick had asked the cops to break through his door before he shot them.

By: Frank Hummel

Frank Hummel — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:45:46 +0000

I guess police hiring standards are really down:

-cop “thinks” he was shot
-two cops then open fire at short range on a stationary target and noone gets hurt

IQ<80, hand eye coordination – nil

By: SJE

SJE — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:44:43 +0000

While I am happy that the couple in traffic stop were not physically harmed, this incident points out another falacy in the “new professionalism:” if cops are professionals, and not just armed thugs, if someone points a gun at them they should have been able to kill him within a few shots, not riddle the car with bullets and not touch anyone.

By: SJE

SJE — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:41:23 +0000

re: cops shoot at couple during traffice stop, mistake wallet for gun.

So, they pull you over, ask you to show ID, you pull out your wallet and *bam* Lovely world we live in.

If the cops make this kind of mistake, it kinda puts Ryan Frederick’s mistake in perspective.