Ferguson

[Nuggets Mahoney]

Similarly with the 12 year old the video footage clearly shows him waving a gun about in the street. If you are taking acting in this manner you are clearly risking being shot at with questions asked later. In those situations you have a split second to make a life or death decision.

The counter-argument is going to be that by hooning on right up to two feet away from the child, the officers created the situation in which they had to make a split second decision.

Edit: and as already mentioned, the alleged claim that they gave the child three distinct warnings before shooting currently strikes me as being a bit of a stretch

I wasn't there. I'm not familiar with all of the context.

On the subject of US policemen and their decision making capabilities, an oldie but a goodie...

ABC: Court OKs Barring High IQs for Cops

A man whose bid to become a police officer was rejected after he scored too high on an intelligence test has lost an appeal in his federal lawsuit against the city.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upheld a lower courts decision that the city did not discriminate against Robert Jordan because the same standards were applied to everyone who took the test.

(continued)

[interestrateripoff]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-26/bloody-gun-wavering-witnesses-spur-grand-jury-decision.html

..

Brown’s Wounds

The medical examiner who autopsied Brown described the six bullets to his body, and two graze wounds. Brown had soot, or unburned gunpowder, on one hand with a graze wound, indicating the shot was fired from a distance of 6 to 9 inches, the doctor said. One shot pierced a lung, another penetrated an eye. The final shot was to the top of his head, the examiner said.

Several witnesses admitted to the grand jury that they’d not told the truth when they were interviewed after the shooting by St. Louis County and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents who canvassed the neighborhood.

One resident told the FBI that Brown fell to his knees and put his hands up, that Wilson fired and Brown fell forward, and that Wilson stood over him and shot again. The witness was challenged on the stand in the grand jury room.

“You told the story that had a bunch of lies, isn’t that right?” asked Kathi Alizadeh, one of two assistant prosecuting attorneys in the case.

Backtracking Witnesses

The witness backtracked, saying the comments to the FBI were based on “assumption” and “common sense.” One woman admitted she lied to FBI agents on Sept. 30 when she claimed to have been a witness, saying she repeated what her boyfriend claimed took place.

“I just wanted to be a part of something and tell them what my boyfriend said because he wasn’t there” to be interviewed, she said. “I didn’t know if they were going to come back and try to talk to him, I just wanted his story to be out there.” She said she testified after the Justice Department granted her immunity and promised not to prosecute her for giving false statements.

How many of the people who gave false statements were black? If the officer is guilty he appears to have walked because other people lied rather than simply sticking to what happened.

[interestrateripoff]

The counter-argument is going to be that by hooning on right up to two feet away from the child, the officers created the situation in which they had to make a split second decision.

Edit: and as already mentioned, the alleged claim that they gave the child three distinct warnings before shooting currently strikes me as being a bit of a stretch

I wasn't there. I'm not familiar with all of the context.

On the subject of US policemen and their decision making capabilities, an oldie but a goodie...

ABC: Court OKs Barring High IQs for Cops

I agree with that, how they pulled up put them in a position where ultimately they had little option but to make a snap decision, although I have no idea how they should approach someone who is waving around a gun.

However the idea that 3 warnings where given seems to be stretching things a little unless they were yelling out of the car whilst approaching at speed which may not have been heard.

[Nuggets Mahoney]

I agree with that, how they pulled up put them in a position where ultimately they had little option but to make a snap decision, although I have no idea how they should approach someone who is waving around a gun.

That's because you are (presumably) not a highly trained, intensely professional peace officer.

If it turns out those policemen stuck to established best-practice and procedures they'll walk. And the chances are, even if they didn't, they'll walk anyway.

Discussion of what rational, decent people would do in life or death, split second decisions is a, sometimes deliberate, distraction impo. A key part of the current grumblings about the rise of 'Warrior Cop' culture is that now that all these RoboCop wannabes and SWAT teams have been employed and created their very existence means that they are going to be utilised, sometimes inappropriately, creating volatile, life or death situations which some common sense could have avoided.

There are some choice quotes in the following article...

11 over-the-top U.S. police raids that victimized innocents

“It’s ridiculous. I love my koi fish more than anything but I never point a loaded gun at anybody over a fish without even checking the information,”

The police were in SWAT gear armed with masks and guns and police dogs, according to Reuters. Over 30 barbers were handcuffed, in front of customers, on criminal charges of barbering without an active license.

The agents told the staff they had come to seize the deer because the law forbids possession of wildlife. Schulze explained that the deer was scheduled to go to the wildlife rehabilitation reserve the following day. He believed the officers were going to take the deer to the shelter, but to his horror, the officers returned carrying the baby deer over their shoulder in a body bag.

“I said, ‘Why did you do that?’ He said, ‘That’s our policy’, and I said, ‘That’s one hell of a policy,” Schulze said.

edit: Officer Go F**k Yourself at Ferguson a few months back...

[Bloo Loo]

I agree with that, how they pulled up put them in a position where ultimately they had little option but to make a snap decision, although I have no idea how they should approach someone who is waving around a gun.

However the idea that 3 warnings where given seems to be stretching things a little unless they were yelling out of the car whilst approaching at speed which may not have been heard.

BB guns are supposed to have an orange marker on the muzzle.

Stupid really, as all a crim has to do to fool an officer is paint an orange marker on the muzzle of his Saturday Night Special

[Marshmellow]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-26/bloody-gun-wavering-witnesses-spur-grand-jury-decision.html

How many of the people who gave false statements were black? If the officer is guilty he appears to have walked because other people lied rather than simply sticking to what happened.

The officer has always said that the gun fired when Brown was in close proximity

That wasnt when he shot him though

[The Masked Tulip]

That's because you are (presumably) not a highly trained, intensely professional peace officer.

If it turns out those policemen stuck to established best-practice and procedures they'll walk. And the chances are, even if they didn't, they'll walk anyway.

Discussion of what rational, decent people would do in life or death, split second decisions is a, sometimes deliberate, distraction impo. A key part of the current grumblings about the rise of 'Warrior Cop' culture is that now that all these RoboCop wannabes and SWAT teams have been employed and created their very existence means that they are going to be utilised, sometimes inappropriately, creating volatile, life or death situations which some common sense could have avoided.

There are some choice quotes in the following article...

11 over-the-top U.S. police raids that victimized innocents

edit: Officer Go F**k Yourself at Ferguson a few months back...

That was scary.