According to bloomberg"news" Cops are "Jack-Booted Thugs."

[finesse_r]

We haven't had a good riot in ages. Anyone remember Watts, Detroit or the LA riots. I do. Lots of jack booted thugs trying to restore law and order when those were going on. The person that wrote that editorial should have been lucky enough to experience one of those. Maybe he will someday. I hope he lives long enough to write about it if he does. What does the NRA have to do with any of this?

What was really important to take note of during much those riots was the absolute absence of Police. They just disappeared when the cow manure hit the fan.

That is one very big reason that every law abiding citizen should be well armed. When it gets really bad you absolutely cannot count on law enforcement officers to protect or serve you. During such times the normal protections afforded a semi-civilized nation break down and you are on your own.

Here in Rural Texas we are pretty much always on our own as I don't see a law enforcement officer for weeks at a time. When I finally do he is aiming one of those enemy radar guns at my vehicle. LOL

 

[the ringo kid]

The officer was assaulted and he states the thug attempted to take his weapon. One shot fired IN the car, so the thug was certainly IN the car. Cop had injuries to his face.

30 feet is 10 yards. How fast can you cover that distance? 2, 3 seconds?

Who says his hands were up and he was surrendering? His thug friend who assiated him in the robbery? Other witnesses? Where were they? How far away? What angle? And why is it that when a gangbanger shoots up a schoolyard, that NOBODY sees ANYTHING, but when it's a cop involved, everybody has super long distance X-ray vision?

You take the word of a 4 time felon who was fleeing his last felony over the word of a decorated cop with an impeccable record. Sad. No wonder why cops feel it's "us vs. them".

Well said sir and exactly my points.

 

[Fishslayer]

To quote Will Rogers..."All I know is just what I read in the newspapers".

WuzzFuzz

I thought it was... umm... never mind...

 

[the ringo kid]

The problem with bloomberg garbage is like any other media source, they have their own agenda. AND they can pretty much print slander and get away with it. The conservative get hit and the liberal courts support this garbage. Freedom of the press, don'tcha know.....

Heh heh, this is a classic double-edged sword. On one hand? I would like to se to it that the truth is reported, but then how would we go about seeing that happens? OTOH, if that happens? then its suppression of Constitutional rights. Im akinning the huff post, the atlantic wire--to The National Inquirer as far as real stuff being reported.

 

[mc5aw]

Bloomberg is the source ... That speaks volumes.

And for the record, I don't know jack about boots.

 

[the ringo kid]

Any chance it is a different Michael Brown? Doesn't doing like a very uncommon name.
Of any chance the officer knew the guy? And perhaps was stopping him either becuase he thought there was a chance he was involved of perhaps even just to ask if he knew anything about.

Sure there is probably a chance that the info is on another of the same name, but the more I see that is coming out, and on other than FOX news sources--such as some I heard on cnn-seems to point to the info belonging to the same person (Michael Brown)

EDITED ON SUNDAY TO SAY: I highly doubt the info I posted is for a different Michael Brown.With the date those inidents occurred on--meant that he was under the age of 18--so therefore--the argument that it couldnt be THIS MB due toNOT having a Rapsheet as an adult--but only as a kid--is invalid

 

[Doug M.]

Why do the police need all these MRAP vehicles, when serving fairly routine arrest warrants? I don't recall a single instance of a US based LEO ever being attacked with an IED. How does that serve the mission?

*
Putting aside the very significant maintenance issues that may make the MRAP a poor choice for a lot of reasons: it is protective gear, not just from IEDs. The fact that they were developed and used for that and related needs for the military does not mean that they don't serve other protective needs. Transporting cops to a warrant service location in a manner that is safer than other options is in and of itself a sufficient reason. Firebombs, gun fire, lots of other risks are there. And there have been bombs used against LE - into police stations, the Eric Rudolph stuff in Atlanta, and many more. We just did not refer to them as IEDs then.

I'll bet the SWAT cops who dealt with the SLA in LA 40+ years ago would have loved one when they were pinned down in such a bad spot that they could not pump the actions of their shotguns (leading to replacing them with auto loaders).

BTW: That MSHP Captain is a clown. He should have been suspended by now. He's so dumb that a friend of mine with WSP asked me if one of their Captains had lateraled to MSHP without anyone knowing. In uniform with no armor is a discipline issue in most agencies; his dereliction in letting looting go on in front of officers because of offender safety; directing the decision not to arrest people who assaulted officers. Ferguson shooting: Police, protesters clash after disclosures | Fox News

I won't paste in the text, but I will add my own (sanitized - if I said what I really think, the Gorilla would come to my house and do the ban from my computer) comments to a post about that link from another forum:

"Mr. Dooley: That's not a conflict of any type, and apparently not lawful. If the AGO there is at all similar to ours, they will not have the resources to do that anyway, and likely not the skillset. Side issue rant off.

There appears to be a more than ample basis to relieve Captain Johnson and start an internal for dereliction, incompetence, whatever. Safety of the "protesters"? First off, you (sanitized), THOSE were not protesters. They were (sanitized) violent criminals, who appear to be targeting that store because they were the victims of the decedent's initial (known) crime of that day. Depending on the facts, and what employees were there: tampering with or intimidating a witness or some such crime. I sure as hell would not feel confident about cooperating with LE after that. Second, the person responsible for offender safety is the (sanitized) offender. The police should be placing them at enough risk to modify behavior and cause submission to lawful authority.

Even worse: the REAL protestors, the people who for right or wrong have certain beliefs and are expressing them WITHOUT associated criminal violence, were the people placed at risk, because THEY had to do what you would not allow your subordinates to do and protect the (sanitized) store. I repeat, with considerably more vigor, my assertion that the only response to Captain Johnson is an IA, a Loudermill hearing, a trespass notice, and a boot in the (posterior). I have some 11.5EEs I'll volunteer for that last."

'There are no police': Ferguson store owners guard businesses; cite lack of police response | Fox News

 

[Dezfan]

This image and the actions on the Boston PD forever changed my perspective.

 

[kbm6893]

This image and the actions on the Boston PD forever changed my perspective.

They were looking for BOMBING suspects, who had already thrown BOMBS at the officers responding to the carjacking of the cabby. Should they be riding bicycles?

 

[Dezfan]

You can try and rationalise it any way you wish.

I am a citizen, not a subject!

Forcing people into their homes and then forcing them out with armed force while searching said homes without search warrants is a violation of Constitutional rights!

No other way to see it!

Driving around in a Humvee pointing a loaded "assault rifle" at citizens simply looking out their windows is uncalled for and is a perfect example of the overzelouse response we are witnessing nation wide.


Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

 

[S. Hammer]

Why do the police need all these MRAP vehicles, when serving fairly routine arrest warrants? I don't recall a single instance of a US based LEO ever being attacked with an IED. How does that serve the mission?

We had a guy open up on officers with a .50 BMG. One officer lost an eye when a round blew through his windshield a few inches from his head and he caught glass. It was one of our armored vehicles that got two cops out of the kill zone. There's no such thing as a "routine" arrest warrant. People cooking meth are extremely paranoid and tend to shoot at anything that approaches them. But by all means, feel free to walk up and knock on their door and ask them politely to submit to lawful arrest.

 

[Engine 21]

They were looking for BOMBING suspects, who had already thrown BOMBS at the officers responding to the carjacking of the cabby. Should they be riding bicycles?

Certainly not. However, Law Enforcement cannot terrorise whole communities with trying to play army. I have said it before, and I say it now - your a Peace Officer not an part of an invading army. Actions like this have a negative impact on all law enforcement. Yes they were dangerous, and yes they needed to be apprehended but you can conduct operations without that mentality. The officer in these photos were pointing weapons at senior citizens, children, and others, the very people they count on to fund their department and you lose your funding - your out of business.

 

[JcMack]

The officer in these photos were pointing weapons at senior citizens, children, and others, the very people they count on to fund their department and you lose your funding - your out of business.

Police and civilians are injured and shot at every day by seniors and "children".
The angry mob of morons appears to have been joined by some idiots that are obviously not from the neighborhood. There are now morons in downtown Chicago protesting the original Ferguson incident.

If I was boss all those scary evil looking police vehicles would be replaced by something more mob friendly

 

[Engine 21]

Police and civilians are injured and shot at every day by seniors and "children".
The angry mob of morons appears to have been joined by some idiots that are obviously not from the neighborhood. There are now morons in downtown Chicago protesting the original Ferguson incident.

If I was boss all those scary evil looking police vehicle would be replaced by something more mob friendly

It's the image and the perception of what is projected to the citizens - as I said - perception is reality. Those images have a negative impact on law enforcement community.

 

[gregintenn]

This thread reminded me of a photo.

 

[JcMack]

It's the image and the perception of what is projected to the citizens - as I said - perception is reality. Those images have a negative impact on law enforcement community.

Law enforcement is invisible to law abiding citizens. To law breakers, law enforcement HAS to be visible as the meanest mothers in the valley.

 

[Doug M.]

It's the image and the perception of what is projected to the citizens - as I said - perception is reality. Those images have a negative impact on law enforcement community.

*
There are some fundamental problems that your post reveals.
1) Fundamentally decent people really have no clue about the kind of "people" LE is called upon to handle.

2) Most people have no more clue about the realities of interacting with violent criminals than they do about running NASA.

3) Despite that, a lot of people opine in complete ignorance about how to do LE.

4) The two piece uniform of Adam-12 stereotypes is as useless as mammary glands on a bowling ball. In modern LE, allowing or mandating such uniforms is a prima facie indicator that command staff are low functioning lackwits. The visible white T shirt is a target indicator (known for 20-odd years), and shiny/squeaky gear is unsat for the same reasons. That stuff is not a positive. It is a discipline issue.

5) What the real cops (SLCPD; troopers generally are not "cops", and if they are, it is in spite of their agency) were wearing is ordinary protective gear. The vehicles they use are ordinary protective gear. It's kind of like the ordinary protective gear that firefighters wear, except rarely if ever does the average person second guess something about which they have no clue.

6) MSHP's response until last night was despicable. I hope, but have no realistic expectation of it happening, that the Captain will be the subject of an IA and fired as he should be. I have seen in another forum (restricted access, LE subforum) an MSHP trooper assigned to that mess reporting how bad the mess really was. He said that for the first time ever, he was ashamed of his agency.

7) Last night, they finally started to act more like they should have - as if they were dealing with a subset of violent criminals who were using the legitimate protestors as portable camouflage. LE is still not using near enough force. Each and every one who had a Molotov should have gotten a trans-occipital hot lead injection.

8) The legitimate protestors have the right to protest, and I will defend it vigorously.

9) That does not mean that they are correct in their understanding of use of force, or what happened. I do LE legal for a living, and I can assure you that most lawyers and command officers are unaware of the extent of their ignorance. Ordinary citizens are even farther out in left field, trying to decide between a football bat and a hockey racquet.

10) Command personnel (they are not "leaders" any more than I am a gymnast) have done a heinous job of educating the public. "Dereliction" would be overly generous. They continue to allow stupid stuff to be put out as correct, and are far too cowardly to actually take steps to correct the horrid misunderstandings that most people hold and which are being expressed in this incident.

11) Anyone who has been out there huffing paint with Mr. Balko needs to study history. There was a time, say 80-90 years ago, where this kind of conduct would have been responded to with belt-fed machine guns, not inadequate amounts of tear gas.

 

[gregintenn]

*
There are some fundamental problems that your post reveals.
1) Fundamentally decent people really have no clue about the kind of "people" LE is called upon to handle.

2) Most people have no more clue about the realities of interacting with violent criminals than they do about running NASA.

3) Despite that, a lot of people opine in complete ignorance about how to do LE.

4) The two piece uniform of Adam-12 stereotypes is as useless as mammary glands on a bowling ball. In modern LE, allowing or mandating such uniforms is a prima facie indicator that command staff are low functioning lackwits. The visible white T shirt is a target indicator (known for 20-odd years), and shiny/squeaky gear is unsat for the same reasons. That stuff is not a positive. It is a discipline issue.

5) What the real cops (SLCPD; troopers generally are not "cops", and if they are, it is in spite of their agency) were wearing is ordinary protective gear. The vehicles they use are ordinary protective gear. It's kind of like the ordinary protective gear that firefighters wear, except rarely if ever does the average person second guess something about which they have no clue.

6) MSHP's response until last night was despicable. I hope, but have no realistic expectation of it happening, that the Captain will be the subject of an IA and fired as he should be. I have seen in another forum (restricted access, LE subforum) an MSHP trooper assigned to that mess reporting how bad the mess really was. He said that for the first time ever, he was ashamed of his agency.

7) Last night, they finally started to act more like they should have - as if they were dealing with a subset of violent criminals who were using the legitimate protestors as portable camouflage. LE is still not using near enough force. Each and every one who had a Molotov should have gotten a trans-occipital hot lead injection.

8) The legitimate protestors have the right to protest, and I will defend it vigorously.

9) That does not mean that they are correct in their understanding of use of force, or what happened. I do LE legal for a living, and I can assure you that most lawyers and command officers are unaware of the extent of their ignorance. Ordinary citizens are even farther out in left field, trying to decide between a football bat and a hockey racquet.

10) Command personnel (they are not "leaders" any more than I am a gymnast) have done a heinous job of educating the public. "Dereliction" would be overly generous. They continue to allow stupid stuff to be put out as correct, and are far too cowardly to actually take steps to correct the horrid misunderstandings that most people hold and which are being expressed in this incident.

11) Anyone who has been out there huffing paint with Mr. Balko needs to study history. There was a time, say 80-90 years ago, where this kind of conduct would have been responded to with belt-fed machine guns, not inadequate amounts of tear gas.

Since we who do not wear a badge are so woefully ignorant of everything that goes on in the world, would you be so generous as to educate us a bit? Believe it or not, some of us are capable of learning.

 

[kbm6893]

Since we who do not wear a badge are so woefully ignorant of everything that goes on in the world, would you be so generous as to educate us a bit? Believe it or not, some of us are capable of learning.

But your tone indicates the exact opposite. You have your opinion. Front line cops who have been there have told you, but you still refuse to believe. There are decent people in Ferguson, and they are IN FAVOR of cracking the skulls of these lawbreakers and for a strong show of force. The media does not single out those people's statements, because it doesn't sell papers. I have read a few articles that support that, but they're not on CNN.

Bottom line, if what is going on in Ferguson was going on in MY town, I would support the cops in military type garb and even hand them some ammunition to take out the garbage. This dead "kid" is no aspiring college student, as the media and the parents initially reported. He was a full time thug who met his end because of choices HE made.

Opinion aside, this is 2014. The days of Officer Friendly with his 6 shot revolver are over. Force demands force, and a show of weakness only emboldens the lowlifes who WAIT for something like Ferguson to happen so they have an excuse to loot and destroy.

 

[kbm6893]

Law enforcement is invisible to law abiding citizens. To law breakers, law enforcement HAS to be visible as the meanest mothers in the valley.

So true. How is it that neither myself, nor ANY of my family and friends, have ANY interaction with cops? They simply have no opinion about them. But a KNOWN felon like this Brown lowlife gets shot and it's "murder"? Please. The decent people peacefully protesting would be his next victim (like the store owner who tried to stop him from stealing) without even a second thought.