Fallout: New Vegas Cosplayer Walks Through Town in Costume, Police are Called

[skywolfblue]

I mean I absolutely agree with you that suicide bombers or mass shooters and terrorists alike usually do not call attention to themselves prior to the incident, but at some point someone will end up dressing up in something outlandish to do such a thing, law of averages and all. I can see why a police force would err on the side of caution, and all.

Looking at world wide statistics, terrorists and suicide bombers are men, over the age of 16 and wear unassuming clothing and backpacks. So, if we are going to check our brains at the door (and we are speaking about LAW ENFORCEMENT, not joe shmoe civilian), then we should be arresting every male over the age of 16 who wears a backpack... because they are statistically more likely to be a terrorist than a dude in a funny outfit.

The whole "it only takes one" is stupid. This is the product of living in fear and shutting our brains off. Nothing more. If Law Enforcement is going to put the problem on the civilian, rather than improving it's backwards methodology, then Canada is totally f*cked.

From a law enforcement point of view, if they get calls from concerned citizens they have to investigate. As the story has stated, they did exactly that, and no untoward detention or harassment has occurred. No tasers, no forceful takedowns, just a standard "ensure the person of interest isn't actually carrying bombs" and release. To be honest, it wasn't exactly the costume so much as the cylinders that looked like pipebombs. That honestly is enough of a concerning feature to warrant the exact response, and maybe more. I'd say they excercised a LOT of restraint, possibly because they figured onsite that the situation wasn't nearly as bad as the call made it out to be after seeing the possible "threat" in person.
I can see there being something here to get up in arms about if there was more violence or severe detention involved rather than what actually occurred and I'll even go so far as to say it probably isn't exactly a smart idea to parade around in a gas mask wearing what could easily be taken for bombs on one's body no matter the actual source of the costume, especially if there isn't a convention going on and it ain't Halloween. And the excuse of taking said costume to a place to get it fitted or whatever is no excuse for wearing it when it could have been transported.
Its not like we're talking about a dude in Boba Fett armor or a Stormtrooper getup. As much as we as gamers would say we can recognize a Fallout New Vegas getup, the average person isn't going to get it. And again, reiterating the whole "things that look like bombs" angle, its very fucking stupid to do.

/agree

This is probably the brightest bit of news I've seen in a while.

For ONCE the cops react appropriately without overreacting. They get a call which they have to take seriously, then they get everyone out of the building instead of running in guns blazing, then they release the guy without arresting him or putting him in jail for 10 years.

In this day and age, those cops deserve a medal!

 

[Scarim Coral]

This incident is somehow similar another to the one I've read in the local newspaper later year.

Instead of a Fallout cosplayer, it was just Mortal Kombat cosplayers for Charity. This is the UK by the way and those cosplayers lived in those terrance houses so it wasn't so suprising the local over there didn't know what they were dressing up as.

 

[DoPo]

This incident is somehow similar another to the one I've read in the local newspaper later year.

Instead of a Fallout cosplayer, it was just Mortal Kombat cosplayers for Charity. This is the UK by the way and those cosplayers lived in those terrance houses so it wasn't so suprising the local over there didn't know what they were dressing up as.

Go on then, you got me interested - what did they dressed up as? I mean, if it was, say, Goro and Quan Chi, doubt people would really take that as a threat (even though they should), and women characters like Kitana or Jade could definitely be mistaken for "something else" but not in a dangerous manner. However, I suppose something like Kabal might be seen as a problem.

 

[Scarim Coral]

This incident is somehow similar another to the one I've read in the local newspaper later year.

Instead of a Fallout cosplayer, it was just Mortal Kombat cosplayers for Charity. This is the UK by the way and those cosplayers lived in those terrance houses so it wasn't so suprising the local over there didn't know what they were dressing up as.

Go on then, you got me interested - what did they dressed up as? I mean, if it was, say, Goro and Quan Chi, doubt people would really take that as a threat (even though they should), and women characters like Kitana or Jade could definitely be mistaken for "something else" but not in a dangerous manner. However, I suppose something like Kabal might be seen as a problem.

Oh sorry, I can't believed I forgot to mention that. Well be dissapointed, all I can remember was that there were three of them and one of them was Sub Zero. They didn't dress up fancy or detail like since this was for charity so no, it wasn't the larger or detail Mortal Kombat characters you're thinking of.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Not reacting at maximum speed, with appropriate threat evaluation on the spot, after the initial call is made.

Violence is not prevented or stopped promptly.

Public Condemnation of Police

This situation:

Reacting at maximum speed, with appropriate threat evaluation on the spot, after the initial call is made.

No violence, minor inconvenience/shock to the innocent suspect identified. Situation defused.

Public Blame: A)The Caller, B)The Innocent Suspect, C) The Police, or D) All of the Above

I sympathize with the police on this one. They're typically praised more for shooting the maniac than not shooting the innocent. Someone saw something they thought was a threat, the police showed up and did their job by being prepared for the worst but not assuming they knew everything on the ground without a report from their own people.

This cosplayer admittedly should have traveled with his helmet off or been more discrete but he wasn't doing anything wrong besides being tactless about his appearance and his surroundings. Nothing, reported here at least, indicates he was attempting to intimidate or carelessly waving a prop weapon around. Being out for fun in your costume I get but wear something over the tactical armor detailing and don't wear the helmet. There's not a cosplay parade going on and New Vegas armor isn't as synonymous with 'innocent nerd' as other costumes, like Stormtrooper armor.

The callers, quick on the draw on the 911 dial, no doubt didn't get a detailed look. Use of a mask confirmed worst fears at a distance. They thought they were doing the right thing and obviously didn't know it was just a costume. Can't blame them here too much either. I got in shit with a store owner and a few costumers for wearing a ski-mask in -40C while waiting for a friend when I was a teenager.[footnote]Yeah it was dumb but people see the worst in you when they can't see a face.[/footnote]

I know when I get my Vet Ranger costume together, I'm sure as Hell not walking everywhere in it and probably never alone unless I'm in surroundings where it seems appropriate. Even then I could anticipate a quick glance from an officer. The guy made a mistake. You can take liberties with costumes when you're 10 and 150cm tall, not as an adult.

So yeah. A dude, in a costume I someday want to have myself, walked downtown in a mask and people mistook details of his suit as explosives. They called for protection, the police reacted but got information before resorting to force. The guy realized what was happening, surrendered peacefully (because of course you would!) and relieved everyone by not being what they feared. A second mistake on his part, or on the officers' side, could have ended in tragedy.

Good on the RCMP for handling it like they did.

Is it too mean to say it's a good thing he wasn't here in 'Merica or he might have just been shot?

#PoliticalHumor #DarkHumor #SorryNotSorry

Honestly, probably. I know media here focuses only on the mistakes of police down South and almost never on their right decisions. People owning firearms is much more common with your folks, so much so that an American officer may very well have just gone straight for the shot if the situation was more confused.

On Point

I'm a bit biased because this is legitimately an outfit I've wanted a high-quality version of for years so I already put thought into how/when to wear it. I think being aware of the public's interpretation of your costume is something to consider if its connected directly with armament. That said, I'm not going to be completely afraid to wear it either. The fact this story happened is going to stick with me when I eventually do get the full cosplay up and running.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Dammit! Unit 43 to base, scrub Operation Annex Mooseland. Repeat, scrub Operation Annex Mooseland. An operative jumped the gun.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Is it too mean to say it's a good thing he wasn't here in 'Merica or he might have just been shot?

Eh, you get USAliens wandering round in public with semi-automatic weapons clearly visible, just so they can provoke confrontations with police and films themselves saying "I have a right to do this" at people.

For ONCE the cops react appropriately without overreacting. They get a call which they have to take seriously, then they get everyone out of the building instead of running in guns blazing, then they release the guy without arresting him or putting him in jail for 10 years.

In this day and age, those cops deserve a medal!

Is that unusual for Canadian police, though?

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

Eh, it's dumb to not realize this may easily cause alarm and so it's a really poor choice on his part