Thursday, April 25, 2013

PUBLIC SAFETY

The article is weasel worded throughout but the language itself, pretty clear. Two citizens were hunted down and killed by the police after a 19 mile chase by 100 police officers through downtown ending in a hail of bullets. 13 police officers fired 137 bullets into the car and the bodies of Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell; aged 30 and 43. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner ruled their killing at the hands of their police was homicide. They didn't even have a gun.
They should have armed themselves.

I wonder where the other 90 bullets the police fired ended up? Other police shot and killed a man outside the Empire State Building a few months ago. No big deal. But those two cops also shot 9 innocent bystanders in the process. For the public safety that was in it. It seems there is no end to the firepower police seem to need; everything from machine guns, shotguns, extended high capacity magazines, tactical gear, etc. Would some pass/fail weapons training and fire discipline go amiss? If they shoot this badly it's no wonder they want a few hundred rounds on each patrol but perhaps instead we ought to limit them to black powder muzzle loaders instead and thus enhance the public's safety. 
A Police SWAT armed with the Public's Safety in mind....

3 comments:

Buck said...

Good Lord... that Cleveland article reads like real-life Keystone Cops.

Anne Bonney said...

The ruling of homicide does not have a value judgment embedded in it, such as "criminal" or "unwarranted." It just means one person killing another person. For example, when the state carries out a legal execution that is homicide.

The ruling relates to the forensic definitions of cause, mechanism and manner of death. More here: http://www.crimemuseum.org/library/forensics/mannerofdeath.html

However, whether or not you deplore the actions of the police officers reported in your post - or condone or condemn capital punishment - is a different kettle of fish.

HMS Defiant said...

Back when I was on sci.mil.navy I used to correspond with a man who signed his posts: "There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable and praiseworthy." I find it inexcusable that 99.999 percent of all police homicides are ruled justifiable but huge numbers of these, 'justifiable' homicides net the victims families enormous $ settlements from the civil courts who disagree and find them to be entirely unjustifiable legally sanctioned killing. By and large, police officers brought before an actual court of law are essentially found guilty of murder but without any personal penalties attached. They are cleared of commission of a crime by the police investigation, never brought before a Grand Jury, and then found guilty in court with taxpayers liable for the million $ awards...and back at 'work' the next day. Zero accountability.
Do I believe that many police shootings fall into the 'excusable, justifiable and praiseworthy' camp? Oh Yes! But the ones that aren't should result in dismissal and a mark in the permanent record saying, "don't give this one a gun anywhere".