I've seen a lot of stories lately on the Police in the US. This is by far the worst.

[Krion_Vark]

Strangely, lately I've seen an increase in people being arrested for video taping cops, cops being over enthusiastic with their firearms and jumpy over-all.

But this:

http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/09/13/39729.htm

In San Antonio two 14 year old boys got in a fight outside school, the school police officer stopped it and told one of the boys, Derek to freeze. Apparently the boy panicked and ran away. The cop gave chase but couldn't find him. Soon after he received a call that a little boy had jumped into a nearby garden and was hiding in the shed. The police officer arrived quickly, drawing his weapon as he exited his car. He swiftly entered the garden and promptly shot the boy dead.
Yeah.

Okay thanks to Eri we also have this:

http://www.ksat.com/news/25797958/detail.html

According to this piece, the officer slowly approached the shed saying police, the boy jumped out hitting him with the door and the officer accidentally fired his gun. I doubt however, he would be fearing for his life against an unarmed 14 year old.

I will say this again SINCE ITS COURT HOUSE NEWS. That the second source you have is probably the more accurate one. Court House news I have found to constantly be leaving shit out of the actual stories to make the US seem like a Police state and that the United States is.

And as Virinimus says in post 35 on page 1. Yeah they have cut the benefits of cops. A LOT. Seriously my dad is a state cop where I live and he only barely gets one of the benefits since he has been an officer for like 18 years now. They take away a lot of the benefits because quite simply behind Public Education, Public Safety seems to be the next on the choping block rather than the huge pay checks the politicians rake in. Yeah some politicians make around 600k A YEAR off of OUR tax money. Yeah think that one over when you want a good police, fire or medical.

Hell some Hospitals are turning into FOR PROFIT IE NO EMERGENCY ROOM and they can turn people away because their state and federal funding is being cut.

 

[Kopikatsu]

Moral of the story: Don't run away from police officers when they tell you to freeze.

 

[RaikuFA]

And he will probably not be punished.

I'm cynical enough to believe some asshole cop will give him an alibi, and the ranks will close.

You are right actually, I think he got to keep his job but now the state is being sued because he's getting away scott free and the county continues to half train their officers.

And people wonder why other people take the law into their own hands...

I've been assaulted in the street, and so have a number of my friends, and not one of them have reported it. When we all feel safer relying on ourselves instead of the law something is wrong.

Yes which is why a lot of people are for guns, but lets not start that argument now :/

What so you can shoot in an innocent man/woman/child in a moment of panic????
No of course not! You're a entirely rational human being who would never ever fear for his life and accidentally let your self preservation instinct kick in.........

THANK YOU!!! plus what if the kid slammed the door in his face to stun him then stab him with a gardening tool?

plus why is none of the news about the police about sting?

 

[Xannieros]

Both are at fault. Kid shouldn't have ran, or even be in a fight. Officer shouldn't have had a gun drawn, there are alternatives.

For the end result, Officers fault.

 

[Terminate421]

+1. School cops/Security should be armed with a baton and Mace with specially trained "Head of security" people being given Tazers. If shit gets out of control, call in a real cop.

Very disturbing trend lately with these trigger happy cops.

That's a god awful idea. What if someone comes to that school or mall WITH a gun? Batons and mace aren't going to do shit against an armed gunman. Even a tazer probably won't do very much. Are we just going to let the guy shoot up the place?

My school lets the cops carry unloaded Rubber Bullet guns.

That way if it gets stolen out of the holster, the theif is FUCKED.

Also, Rubber Bullets allow some form of defense from shooters.

 

[Krion_Vark]

Here's some of the story they "left" out.

The officer didn't see him at first, but "approached the storage shed to search further for the suspect announcing several times 'Police, Police.'"
The report also stated that the "(Lopez) lunged through the doorway at (Alvarado), intentionally knocking the shed door into (Alvarado's) face."
The report further details that "fearing for his life, (Alvarado) discharged one round striking (Lopez) in his torso."

http://www.ksat.com/news/25797958/detail.html

Dammit every damn time I post a story on here :/
Still he should not have had his weapon drawn, but he's not as Hitler as I make him out to be.

YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW POLICE WORK. Seriously. You say he SHOULD NOT have had his gun drawn? Say the kid found an axe or other weapon in the shed and the lunged at the officer. Not having his gun drawn the kid would kill the officer in the time it takes to draw the weapon. Its not an instant thing like in video games there is a 2-3 second delay from reaching for the weapon to actually pulling it out. That is why you need to have your weapon drawn while approaching a building or vehicle with a suspect inside.

 

[Berethond]

Where i'm from this is called murder.

Where I'm from this is called "The Fuck!"

Where I'm from, this is called "against the law".

Where I'm from this is called total and utter bullshit.

I don't supposed a riot has broken out?

No riots, we're all too scared the cops will shoot us dead.

 

[emeraldrafael]

Now, I'll beleive the cop misfired his gun. It happens, ask any cop/soldier/peacekeeper/etc. especially since this is texas, and at that San Antonio Texas, which is less then 300 miles from Mexico's Nuevo Leon. And we all know the shit that Mexico's been dealing with. I wouldnt go anyhwere in texas without at least a Nine and maybe some kevlar if I could spring it. Also considering that the boy hid in a shed, and thinking to the shed on my uncles property containing all of the following (but not limiting to):

- 3 axes
- 4 rakes
- 2 tire rims
- 5 separate brand name pesticides
- 3 different types of rifles (with no less then 200 rounds of ammo for each)
-

*blink*

In a garden shed?!?

I was gonna quote that too. We have all kinds of guns here, but we don't keep them in a garden shed...that just seems wildly unresponsable =/

Why? its got a lock on it? plsu guns are easier to get then sneaking onto the ex vietnam vets yard where he something of a fence, two rather large and imposing dogs, and has been recorded to have subdued the last few people who tried to steal from him.

hes not a bad guy, he just keeps 3 guns in a shed. he has more in the house. Its better then keeping a meth lab like someone a few counties over did.

 

[Asmundr]

Well, You arm your police force, bad stuff happens.

Either amend your constitution or quit your whining.

14 year old gets shot? Wouldn't have happened if he had not had a gun.

It is a pity that a child was killed by a moron. Truly a pity. And the cop in question should rot in jail for a very, VERY long time. But what else can be said.

Mourn with the family over his death, reading the article genuinely made me feel sick. But do not be surprised that mistakes occur when people walk around with weapons.

You do realize an unarmed police force can be pretty much useless in many cases. An armed officer always has the option and ability to protect himself or others. Unarmed officers don't have any options other than being non-lethal. If non-lethal force doesn't work on a criminal, what then eh?

Guns also give you more options than a taser and pepper spray can my friend. Officers that carry both have all option available.

 

[EHKOS]

the cop had been reprimanded 16 times in the previous 4 years, suspended without pay 5 times, and "recommended for termination for insubordination," but the school kept him on the force "without remedial training."

Thats all I need to read right there.

When the cop gets charged I think they should also charge whoever kept him in employment. It's just as much their fault.

My Lord, how do you even keep your job through THAT?!

 

[Kopikatsu]

Here's some of the story they "left" out.

The officer didn't see him at first, but "approached the storage shed to search further for the suspect announcing several times 'Police, Police.'"
The report also stated that the "(Lopez) lunged through the doorway at (Alvarado), intentionally knocking the shed door into (Alvarado's) face."
The report further details that "fearing for his life, (Alvarado) discharged one round striking (Lopez) in his torso."

http://www.ksat.com/news/25797958/detail.html

Dammit every damn time I post a story on here :/
Still he should not have had his weapon drawn, but he's not as Hitler as I make him out to be.

YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW POLICE WORK. Seriously. You say he SHOULD NOT have had his gun drawn? Say the kid found an axe or other weapon in the shed and the lunged at the officer. Not having his gun drawn the kid would kill the officer in the time it takes to draw the weapon. Its not an instant thing like in video games there is a 2-3 second delay from reaching for the weapon to actually pulling it out. That is why you need to have your weapon drawn while approaching a building or vehicle with a suspect inside.

This is true. I've actually gone through a bit of training myself, and I forget the exact distance, but it was something like 'If an armed assailant is within 25 feet of you and your gun isn't already drawn, don't bother. You'll be dead before you get a shot off.'

If you're going into a building or an area with a number of sharp turns (Like an alley), then you should have your gun drawn but your finger off the trigger.

Where i'm from this is called murder.

Where I'm from this is called "The Fuck!"

Where I'm from, this is called "against the law".

Where I'm from this is called total and utter bullshit.

I don't supposed a riot has broken out?

No riots, we're all too scared the cops will shoot us dead.

End result being...there are no problems. Woo. Victory.

 

[Berethond]

End result being...there are no problems. Woo. Victory.

No, there are definitely very many problems. The main one being that we're too scared of police brutality to make our voices heard.

 

[Jodah]

Wow, 10 posts without some moron spouting out "I lost my faith in humanity!". That's probably a record.

OT: That's a shitty cop.
After seeing the post with the explanation, I take back what I said. The cop was pretty much in the right.

Eh, I don't agree.
A 14 year old boy slams a door open, the cop shoots him.

Why's a school cop even have a gun? Why would the cop draw his gun rather than a taser?

+1. School cops/Security should be armed with a baton and Mace with specially trained "Head of security" people being given Tazers. If shit gets out of control, call in a real cop.

Very disturbing trend lately with these trigger happy cops.

They ARE real cops. School police are sworn officers.

 

[Snake Plissken]

Another reason why I believe that all cops within a jurisdiction need to be voted into their position by the general public who they claim to protect.

We pay their salaries, and we pay for the tools which they use to murder innocent children. We should at least get a say in who gets to be a cop.

 

[Death God]

Sadly, nothing surprises me with police officers anymore. The majority of the ones in the news are always either power hungry or killers.

That's because no one reports cops who do good things. You're mostly only exposed to stories about corrupt cops, and start to think that they're the average cop. You have to see both sides.

I've seen quite a few stories with cops doing good things but they are out weighed by stories of corruption. I still think highly of police officers but the good ones are far and few between in this day and age.

You know, I've been struggling with this lately. It really hit me today. I work in a lot of stores, mostly convenience stores, so I see cops all the time. And I mean that. ALL THE TIME, every single day. I've even gotten to know a few of them, and the ones that will bother to talk to me are pretty good people. The ones that won't talk to me are working, and I generally don't want people to strike up a conversation with me when I'm working either.

And yet, see the same cop at the same store in their car/truck/suv as I'm pulling out of the parking lot and my heart races as I check my mirrors to make sure they're not flashing me or following me or generally coming after me. The same cop I might have JUST been talking to not five minutes before. It's hard to draw the line between what makes them people and what makes them police when you have cops like this who seem to go out of their way to make sure the people FEAR them. I know I do.

The cops here aren't that bad to try and force people to fear them since they are so laxed in their work but we do have one guy who I swear, makes up for the tickets his other district officers are lacking.

Sadly, nothing surprises me with police officers anymore. The majority of the ones in the news are always either power hungry or killers.

That's because no one reports cops who do good things. You're mostly only exposed to stories about corrupt cops, and start to think that they're the average cop. You have to see both sides.

I've seen quite a few stories with cops doing good things but they are out weighed by stories of corruption. I still think highly of police officers but the good ones are far and few between in this day and age.

That's because a cop running in taking out 5 terrorists and saving a group of people (the type of good cop activity that gets into the news) is a lot harder to do than a cop accidentally shooting an innocent (the type of bad cop activity that gets in the news).

And headlines like "Police officer arrests a man trying to rob a department store" or "Police officer prevents a catastrophic traffic incident by pulling over a drunk driver" are reserved for REALLY slow news days, but the bad ones are always popular news.

It is sad, but true. Good cops are shuffled off because it is "their job" and their job doesn't need to be praised (according to some article a while back). But if some officer is going out of his way and beyond his job, he should be recognized rather than a back up story when they have run low on news.

 

[godofallu]

On the one hand a child is dead, on the other hand he wasn't exactly the brightest or most law abiding fellow.

 

[twistedmic]

Yup I am a fairly reasonable human being and if I had a gun I wouldnt be waving it around or leaving it in retarded places.
Like in this situation I know it's a fucking kid and I wouldn't even need my gun let alone having it ready, loaded and with the safety off.

Because no child or teenager in America has ever had a gun, knife or other weapon that they brought to school. And it's completely outside the realm of possibility that the kid could have picked up an object that could be used as a weapon (shovel, axe/hatchet, sledge hammer, post-hole digger,lawnmower blade, hammer, chainsaw, nail-gun etc.) from the shed or even a rock/brick/chunk of concrete from off the ground.
And there's no possible way for a teenager, who was just in a physical fight, could possibly pose a threat to someone.

 

[thiosk]

the important thing to remember is that police are people, and just like there are horrible people, there are also horrible cops.

Each police organization should look at these events, and see what they can do to stop internal threats before they do something bad.

That being said, American schools are looking less like educational institutions and more like warzones. I would never work in a US public school.

I also hear lots of stories about cops shooting unarmed men in darkened alleys-- life tip: do not pull your hand out of your pocket and point it aggressively at a uniformed officer. They are trained to tripletap you to the chest if you do that.