Did This Officer Act Poorly.. or Properly .. Opinions?

I found this on a couple of the blogs I lurk around on and thought it might make for a nice discussion piece here

http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/handcuff...-81088092.html

Now I know there are two sides to every story.. and that this opinion piece in the paper may be "selectively" leaving out some information.

IF all of the facts were in the article then I think the officer was well out of line and needs to be "punished" in some manner.

But if the article left out some fact like.. the guy was just being a jerk to the officer.. or was being excessively aggressive or angry to the point he made the officer uncomfortable with his mental state.. then she probably acted ok all in all ...


opinions?

I'd love to hear from LEO's what they think of the officers action

and lets keep it friendly folks ...

The officer may have been within her rights, but that doesn't make it right.

IMO (worth precisely what you pay for it), she need not necessarily be disciplined for her actions, rather she should be educated about the process necessary to obtain a CCW permit. If she had a real idea what was involved in the process, she might develop the attitude that CCW holders are at worst not a threat (related to their firearms, anyhow), at best they are relatively easy to accept as good guys. In my experience, most cops that actually know the process tend to regard CCW holders that way.

here's a follow up article by the same author I just found ...

I after reading this no longer just lean to the officer acted poorly but to the fact the officer flat out screwed the pooch ...


http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/do-we-th...numComments=41

The fact that she went to talk to him speaks volumes for me. It would be easy to argue this both ways, and I certainly feel that she made a few mistakes during this procedure.

1) One of the best things I've ever heard an officer say was that "Everyone knows who wear are, because of our uniforms. We don't know who ANYONE is though." I think the "was treated like a common criminal" saying gets thrown around a lot more than it should. She didn't rough him up like a common criminal, she put him in cuffs until she could figure things out. What he said about shouting from the roof tops about his permit is true, but at the same time, everyone acts as innocent as possible around the police.

2) If I were charged with the task of critiquing her performance, I would have told her that she should never leave someone in an unknown area like she did. She could have taken him outside at least and put him in her car as well to talk to him. It might not have been less embarrassing for him, but it would have been safer.

I don't like having spotlights and flashlights pointed in my face and car when I get pulled over, or having more than one officer arrive either. At the same time though, I know who they are, but they don't know the first thing about me; other than that I'm driving a beat to shit Honda Accord around in Aurora. It might make me feel embarrassed, but it doesn't mean they are treating me like a common criminal.

If it wasn't for her coming to talk to him and trying to explain her actions to him, then I'd probably have a tone closer to the article, but in this case, this is an event that doesn't really upset me at all.

That's my take. If you'd like to check my credentials, see my avatar.

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Originally Posted by TFOGGER

IMO (worth precisely what you pay for it), she need not necessarily be disciplined for her actions, rather she should be educated about the process necessary to obtain a CCW permit. If she had a real idea what was involved in the process, she might develop the attitude that CCW holders are at worst not a threat (related to their firearms, anyhow), at best they are relatively easy to accept as good guys. In my experience, most cops that actually know the process tend to regard CCW holders that way.

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It seems that is what her Captain has done... which I would include going back for more training as a " punishment" no one likes to go back to school .. esp if it is cuz you screwed up and I think this fact will show up later in her career.. maybe not tho .. I guess that depends on how Vegas Metro writes up an officers jacket.

I read the second article and I'm too irritated with how whiny and bitchy it is written to take it very seriously.

If she's so small that handcuffing a willing subject is beyond her capability, then she probably does not belong on the street patrolling alone. Think about it: Her only response to a violent or agitated subject would be to apply escalating force from a taser on up to a handgun or shotgun. The chances of her taking down a large, male subject on an adrenaline kick with control or disabling tactics are nil. Add to this her apparent fear of a calm, law abiding 61 year old man, and maybe she'd be better suited to dispatch or some other desk position.

See, that's where I think the article goes off track. Who are they to say what she was having trouble with? Maybe she was trying to hold in a fart.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Stuart

That's my take. If you'd like to check my credentials, see my avatar.

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Yer a Jackass![Tooth]

I agree there's 2 sides to every story, but it sounds as if she's undertrained....

Yeah the second article was a bit "whinny" but with the added facts it pointed out brought me to the officer screwed up

This guy is standing there with his wife and a paid security guard.. He's got a CCW.. he's highly unlikely to be a bad guy.

But yeah I'll agree it's a training issue, that SHOULD have been covered in her training BEFORE this incident. Not after it comes out in the paper.