Welcome to the Colorado AR-15 Shooters Club Discussion Forums.
If I showed so much as a gun in a holster because somebody nailed my car with a snowball, I'd be in jail facing felony menacing charges. Why should a plainclothes, apparently off duty cop be any different?
I get that he was pissed, but a gun is never the right response to a snowball....
LE personnel are obligated to protect citizens and themselves. You as a private citizen have no obligation to protect either. The key is the cops are obligated weather they want to or not or they can face action that would not apply to you. Hence, escalating to a show of force (pulling a handgun from it's holster) for LE is within acceptable levels. LE personnel are allowed to escalate force to one level above the oppositions. A private citizen can essentially escalate force to the level of opposition. A group of dozens against one cop standing in the middle of what could obviously turn precarious, drawing may seem extreme but I wouldn't start comparing his obligations to non LE's over it.Originally Posted by TFOGGER
DC is probably the toughest cop gig in the USA. Had a buddy that was a DC cop when I was stationed at Andrews back in the mid 90's. He quit after shooting and killing two kids that rushed him out of nowhere with guns; trying to get their tear tattoos... He was in uniform and on foot patrol. DC isn't even as nice as the worst part of CO on a bad day. Cut the guy some slack. After watching the vid, I could see that situation going real bad long before he ever got to the intersection. He diffused it. It's hard to prove his actions may have saved someones life, but it's too easy to criticize.
Not that I'm faulting anyone for their opinion, but it's really easy to armchair quarterback things like this after it's over. Especially somewhere like DC. Places like that, it might as well be open season on law enforcement. I think it's a good thing that nobody, officer included, came out of it with a toe tag. I find it amazing that police are willing to do their jobs at all in these days of video cameras in everyone's hand, where it's easy to edit any context at all right out of it. I'm not excusing bad cops, but it's damn hard for the good ones just to do their jobs.
SI VIS PACEM, PARA BELLUM
Herding cats and favoring center
Your statement is inaccurate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_...ct_of_Columbia
From my point of view, everyone involved in this is in the wrong. While the cop is out of line for pulling his weapon (IMHO), the crowd throwing snowballs at him and then continuously yelling out 'Fucking Pig' show a complete lack of common sense and respect for police. Antagonizing an armed individual when your only weapon is a snow ball is a special kind of stupid even after you know he's a cop let alone before.
And am I the only one who thinks throwing snowballs into traffic is stupid too? You should never throw things into traffic, again total lack of common sense. I can see the general population in our nation's capitol are the poster children for stupid. While I agree with a previous statement that banning guns only arms the police and the criminals, I wouldn't trust any of these dumb asses with a squirt gun let alone real iron.
OK, then why do cops ever protect anyone? Apparently, they have no obligation. Why oh why did I give a shit for those 11 years...
What the police are legal required to do, and what their company police may be are different things though. Legally required or not, de facto, they are obligated to protect people.
When I went on a ride along with a friend I asked him about the rumor of police cruisers driving around with their search lights being pointed down as being, "off duty." He (correctly) responded, if you are in a marked vehicle, you are never off duty."
"There are no finger prints under water."
And I hope every dumbass who touched a snowball gets a friggin huge fine/ticket or drop kicked in the junk.
We werent there. Two sides to every story.
You know I like my coffee sweet in the morning
and I'm crazy about my tea at night
This is one of those were everyone should get into trouble. While I think that pulling a gun was uncalled for, and deserves a snowball to the face, that doesn't excuse the thrower from the "assulting an officer" charges. Would that make everyone happy?
also, it shows the thrower on the video, I think at the end they grabbed the wrong guy, but I would have to watch the video again.
"There are no finger prints under water."
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote