What to do in a riot?

Let's be real here...if the vote was along racial lines...one of the three black jurors would have already come forward to complain about the outcome of the grand jury deliberations. Yes...in doing so, they'd risk up to a year in jail, but they would have weighed that possibility against the possibility of getting paid $500k+ from a major news network. Someone would have talked.

The race issue. That is what we keep coming back to as a society. Until we can at least attempt to analyze a criminal case without bringing race into the equation, we'll never be able to have an intelligent dialogue on the matter. i.e. Michael Brown was a thug. There's video evidence of that fact. This wasn't someone's little baby boy gunned down in cold blood by a racist cop (as many have claimed...without even seeing the evidence). Until there's an indictment in the mainstream on thug behavior, these kind of shootings will continue to happen.

People (the mob) don't REALLY want a trial. They want payback. The only thing that would have appeased people would have been that cop strung up by a lynch mob. Even then...they would have still said "meh" and opted to "burn this ***** down.

The bulk of the protests have nothing to do with what occurred...and everything to do with what race baiters (that weren't even there) said happened. Do you think anyone would be protesting if Al Sharpton stood up and said "Michael Brown was a thug...he got what was coming to him?" I doubt it very much. Until people are capable of stepping back and seeing that race relations in the U.S. are being intentionally sabotaged, we won't see a further improvement.

Another thing...there are PLENTY of cases of racial bias in the criminal justice system. I honestly believe that it's a serious issue in many areas. My issue is that attempting to apply racial bias where none exists (i.e. This case and the Henry Louis Gates arrest controversy) serves only to inflame tensions and cause distrust of the system, which does no one any good.

 

It's great that everyone who has never suited up in Blue has the answer for everything. I usually agree with a lot of your posts pattyj, but this is one I'll have to go in the other direction based on personal knowledge and experience.

Big Don made mention of this earlier. I'm going to throw in my .02 and change.

Officers are taught and train in the "Escalation of Force" and "Use Of Force Continuum." Anytime any kind of force is used, whether it be O/C, Taser, Baton, Strong Hand etc, you have to fill out (At least most, if not all departments) a "Use Of Force" form and explain/articulate "Why."

Officers are also trained in the use of Deadly Force as well, learn it early on and continue to.

We are also trained in what's known as "Weapons Retention." The last thing an officer needs is to have their own service weapon used against them. And yes, many a LE Officer has died at the hands of their own gun. You go after my weapon and all bets are off. Period.

One night when I was on patrol, a drop yard sent a silent alarm signal to the Central Station and I was dispatched on it as I was closest and other units were tied up with a traffic accident. I was familiar with this location as Hi Value items were being stolen from the containers and no one as of yet had been caught. (This later turned out to be an inside job)

I made my approach, blacked out without any backup, and asked if the Central Station had received any more alarm trips. I was told they were still receiving motion in the yard. I got out of my unit and made entry into the yard. I stopped for a few minutes in the dark, looking and listening. I then heard metal to metal contact, looked in that direction and saw a vague outline in the shadows of someone that appeared to be moving. I made a wide flanking approach to the rear of one row of the containers, and observed a large male climbing down from the back of one several containers away. I made contact with my dispatch, notified them what I had and re -requested backup.

I stayed where I was at and he then began to move in my direction. I had no choice at that point and lit him up with my maglite, announced who I was, not to make any sudden moves, and keep his hands where I could see him. As I could now see him better, I knew who this individual was and his background. He was about 6' 8" and weighed in excess of 300 lbs. Now, I'm no small guy. I'm 6' At the time, I weighed 210, and was ripped like a brick "s" house. Even with that, I knew I had my hands full. He had been O/C'd in the past and tasered, with little to no effect. It took several officers to take him down the last time he was arrested. He continued to walk towards me. I then drew down on him and told him "Stop now or I'll drop you right where you stand." "As big as you are, there's no jury in the world that will convict me based on your size and mine." I think he knew by the sound of my voice that I mean't business. I held him at gunpoint until I finally got my backup.

Moral? The only recourse I knew I had with this man was deadly force. If he had gotten my weapon, I have no doubt he would have used it against me. And chances are I would have been in the fight for my life. I ain't scared of dying. What I am scared of is dying for no good reason when I would have had another choice.

And as an officer, we don't use warning shots like you see in the movies. We are also taught when using deadly force, you don't shoot to wound, you shoot to stop the threat until they are no longer a threat.

Summation. How does this apply to Officer Wilson?

Simple. As big as Michael Brown was and based on the size of Wilson, Wilson learned first hand:

How big Brown was and how strong Brown was. He also learned he was willing to try and make a grab of Wilsons service piece.

He (Brown) was able to get it out of the holster, but Wilson was able to maintain retention of it and it then went off as they struggled. According to a Grand Jury witness and Wilson's own testimony, Brown began walking away. Wilson then knew he couldn't just let him go and did what most police officers do and tried to get him to stop. Instead, Brown turns around, looks at Wilson with his weapon aimed at him and says words to the effect of "What, you think I'm scared of that?" and begins walking back towards Wilson and then begins to bum rush him.

At that point, Wilson made what he thought was the only choice he had, using what he already summed up so far by his encounter, and that was deadly force. Had it been me, I most likely would have done the exact same thing. Most service weapons that are department issue are Glock 22's, .40 cal semi automatic pistols. They have a capacity of 14 and one. 14 in the magazine and 1 in the chamber. Wilson used 6 and then stopped. Could he have used more? yes. But I believe he stopped just like he was taught....shoot until the threat is no longer a threat. Had Mr. Brown just complied with Officer Wilson's requests, he'd still be here today and none of this mob mentality would have surfaced. Instead, Brown did exactly what he did to the store owner (When he committed the strong arm robbery) to Officer Wilson and used his size as an intimidating factor. And if in fact, he had gotten to Officer Wilson, I know this for a fact. He would have gotten his gun and used it against him and killed him with it. AND NO ONE WOULD HAVE GIVEN THAT KIND OF OUTCOME A SECOND THOUGHT. NOT AL SHARPTON, ERIC HOLDER OR THE PRESIDENT. He thought it would work a second time and it didn't.

The jury agreed. Those are the armchair quarterbacks I'll listen to and it's a shame there are some in this world that won't or still wouldn't care otherwise once their mind is made up from rumors, lies, innuendos, and mistruths and not facts.

Below - Me on the right.

 

And FWIW, no Officer I've ever known, NONE, goes into work thinking "Gee, I wonder who I'll shoot today."

 

I was wondering when and if someone brought this up. Seems like in all 3 of these cases gone on a national spectrum thanks to our administration. What's even sadder is we have a Attorney General, the NAACP, Al Sharpton and the President himself, who, not knowing all the facts (Much like the exact same circumstances when Sergeant Jim Crowley, Cambridge PD, MA, arrested Henry Louis Gates a couple of years ago) did the same once again, and all rushed to judgment and jumped to conclusions.

The very same people, who obtained the position in life where they are today, because they expected to be treated fairly and equitably based on the content of their character and not the color of their skin and their so called "Ability" to do their jobs fairly and effectively. So exactly how are you Mr President, and the rest, acting here? As you would expect to be treated?

But, nowadays, it seems like whenever the shoe is on the other foot, it's the other way around.

I thought by this president being elected, it would pull the country together even more and we would all think of ourselves more as Americans than ever before. Unfortunately, over the last couple of years, the opposite has proven to be the case. I have seen more division between us when it comes to cultural diversity than I ever have.

 

Anyone remember the Reginald Denny case?

Denny was a truck driver who was driving through LA during the 1992 riots. He was nearly beaten to death.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Reginald_Denny

 

Why do you think thousands are protesting?

 

Cop cams would show what really happened......all officers should be equipped with them , no excuses .

 

I strongly agree and there is talk that cops will be required to wear them.

 

You going to pay for them?? The Miami PD can't afford dash cams!