On The Latest Lunatic Spree Killer

[Shellhead]

Everyone is tense and on edge because several cops have already been shot and / or killed by this guy. Someone radios in that a suspicious truck that might be the suspect is rolling at them. Probably just one cop with slack trigger finger discipline panicked and fired. At this point a well known problem issue called sympathetic shooting occurs.

Isn't all of that a fancy way of saying trigger-happy?

[Donald M.]

Isn't all of that a fancy way of saying trigger-happy?

Oh Shellhead, that's not being sympathetic enough to the cops who are shooting at random cars and endangering civilians!

[Donald M.]

Of course now of this really matters as anyone with a brain knows this whole thing is just a justification to start using drones on US soil, perfect timing what with them just about to take arrrrrrrrrr guns!!!11!1

[mikekerrIII]

And Cops just shot up another truck, the driver was 100 pounds lighter, White and in a different kind of truck.

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/arti...taken_Identity

"Serve and protect" my ass.

[Shellhead]

Normally I am supportive of the police. They have a tough job to do, and we would have a crappy society without them. But the LAPD is different. For all practical purposes, it sometimes functions as little more than the biggest and best-equipped gang in southern California. They need new leadership, somebody who will seriously clean house and bring in some real police.

[7thangel]

[Jabare]

Of course now of this really matters as anyone with a brain knows this whole thing is just a justification to start using drones on US soil, perfect timing what with them just about to take arrrrrrrrrr guns!!!11!1

The governments been using drones for years. Usually more to monitor things like crops or farm fields. In this particular instance I don't see why the would use drones, but drones are nothing new. Its just the publics become more aware of them in the last few years

[Spike-X]

I was actually directing that at the guy before you. I didn't even see you had used the same term til now.

I know, but after I saw how you responded to him, I realised my poor choice of wording.

[Hound of UIster]

This guy seems rather well educated and sane politically compared to most spree shooters. He also has decent taste in movies.

[Chiasm]

Isn't all of that a fancy way of saying trigger-happy?

Not at all. As I said earlier trigger-happy is a term that many use when they want to bash the police by saying that cops want to shoot people, that cops want to kill people, etc. As a cop who has shot and killed someone let me just say it was one of the worst experiences of my life and I hope I never have to go through it. There are about ten other cops on my department who at some point have shot someone as well and in some cases killed them. One of my fellow cops just last year was shot near point blank in the chest by a bad guy. The cop's vest stopped the bullet and he and another cop then fired back killing the guy. Yet many cop bashers in letters to the editor were screaming about "trigger happy" cops who just want to kill someone as if they weren't justified in shooting back at a guy who just tried to murder one of them.

Now if you want to change your terminology to trigger-sloppy then I'll completely agree with you. As I explained in my prior post the whole problem of sympathetic shooting basically can be solved with proper trigger discipline.

Now at any given time there are about one million cops in the country and thats not counting all the retired ones and former cops who either quit or were fired. Of course with human nature being what it is there is going to be the occasional one who does get a hard on at the thought of killing someone. That doesn't describe the other 99.9% of us though despite what many think.

[Jabare]

@Chiasm terminology aside, what are your thoughts on the 3 trucks that have been shot and the two civilians have been shot. Just given what we know so far.

[Kees_L]

Not at all. As I said earlier trigger-happy is a term that many use when they want to bash the police...

I feel foremostly foreign to such, since where I'm at more rather than blaming officers on the street it would mostly work much more systematically, I'd say.
Like instead of street cops, the top-end or the management as implemented or the facilitating budgets as implemented, or the governing bodies like the cities would get blamed or be put under scrutiny the most. As through protests or by seeking audience both as by means of voting - or denying future votes onto those deemably responsible. As well as making those that did get voted upon to be taking steps to be enabling any such.

In my country you mostly wouldn't see protests like just picketing through streets or in front of abortion clinics - but more any such would see its way into some organized or actual democratic process of sorts. A place like city hall would see protests or audience-seeking for events like these.

Plus at schools or at any political meetings stuff like this would be to come up.
But if any heads would need to roll, it would certainly need to be leading ones instead of just guys and dolls in the street.

I'd feel inclined to take your word on your angles as being a cop yourself. Sounds pretty intense.

I met and spoke with Joe Jusko a few years back when he came to Holland. He used to be a New York street cop for some time I heard, which might be why his Tarzan or Conan or Punisher can seem pretty butch. He didn't appear overly keen on donuts or such 'though, or either he must be keeping himself pretty fit. He did seem to wear pretty sturdy shoes, if I remember right.

[Chiasm]

@Chiasm terminology aside, what are your thoughts on the 3 trucks that have been shot and the two civilians have been shot. Just given what we know so far.

Pretty much what I said earlier in my first post in the thread, the cops screwed up badly. I believe my words were idiotically overreacted. All I've tried to do in the thread is explain why the screw ups happened. Explaining why it happened and why it didn't happen is not the same thing as trying to justify it or excuse it. What I think probably happened in each case is what I described - one cop panics and shoots and then the rest have sloppy trigger discipline and start firing in response to the first cop firing. Understanding that paints a far different picture than the suggestion that the cops are just out there willing to kill anyone to get this guy. Neither situation is good but but they are much different. In my situation of what I believed happened you've got cops who want to do the right thing but screwed up very badly. In the other situation people are assuming cops are inherently evil and who don't care who they hurt in the process.

[7thangel]

or people have an opposite view to what you hold and maybe, just maybe one of those cops that lit up those trucks doesn't belong to the '99.99999999999999...and another 9%' we're told are good cops. just maybe.

[Jabare]

cops are people plain and simple; some are bad some are good. I don't think it does anyone any good to generalize, in my mind you've got to look at the individuals in question and the situation. Put them under a microscope if you have to. I respect the badge and the gun until I'm given reason to think otherwise, but I won't assume someone is an inherently good or bad person without getting to know them first.

I mean there doesn't really seem to be any love lost with the LAPD and historically that department has had its share of scandals.

In this case in particularly it doesn't look like things have been handled well. My roommate just told me a few hours ago that there have been complaints made because of over 100 illegal home searches performed by the LAPD in the last few days, where the officers did not have warrants.

So as I've said before, it seems like the LAPD is desperate to catch this guy and doesn't really know where to look.