Better And Better

If you don't draw yours, I won't draw mine. A police officer, working in the small town that he lives in, focusing on family and shooting and coffee, and occasionally putting some people in jail.

Friday, February 08, 2013

By the way, Los Angeles PD? We're distancing.

As with the Rampart scandal, and with the Rodney King thing, the vast majority of us police are distancing from the Los Angeles Police Department's actions.

I would LOVE to read that report, in which the officers shot two paper delivery ladies, who happened to be driving a pickup similar to the one that  a former-LAPD-officer-turned-rogue-murderer had been driving.
You read the story, and you understand that things are tense in LAPD right now. But that doesn't excuse violating The Four Rules:

Click to embiggen.
Rules 2 and 4 of this list are applicable. But mostly Rule 4.
We don't shoot at sounds in the dark. We don't shoot at the BoogieMan. We don't shoot someone because he MIGHT be dangerous. And I'll throw you one more bombshell out there: We don't even shoot positively-identified murder suspects to apprehend them, absent imminent threat to human life.

Perhaps Tennessee v. Garner (1985) rings a bell? The use of deadly force to apprehend a fleeing felon is not a constitutional seizure.

Now, I realize this guy (I still hate to use his name, because he's gone nuts putting out a manifesto, in which he gives shout-outs to Joe Biden, Ellen Degeneres, Tim Tebow, and Martin Sheen. Unstable, much?) has said some scary stuff, such as:
"The Violence of action will be HIGH. I am the reason TAC alert was established. I will bring unconventional and asymmetrical warfare to those in LAPD uniform whether on or off duty. ISR is my strength and your weakness. You will now live the life of the prey. Your RD's and homes away from work will be my AO and battle space. I will utilize every tool within INT collections that I learned from NMITC in Dam Neck. You have misjudged a sleeping giant. There is no conventional threat assessment for me. JAM, New Ba'ath party, 1920 rev BGE, ACM, AAF, AQAP, AQIM and AQIZ have nothing on me. Do not deploy airships or gunships. SA-7 Manpads will be waiting. As you know I also own Barrett .50 s so your APC are defunct and futile."


He describes various groups within the LAPD that he declares high-value targets. He mentions knowing their routes to and from work.

So, scary, right?

That's part of the job. We get threats. It sucks. You go to work, and you do the job professionally, and you try to protect the citizens. And if your number comes up, then it sucks, but that's the job.

If there was ever a time to NOT oppress the citizenry, this is it. There are people that will actually take this kook seriously, and question everything about the LAPD, and declare that the LAPD is now trying to assassinate him to suppress "the truth." And if you gun down occupants of a similar pickup, they'll use that for fodder.

I remember looking for the participants in the Texas Seven gang, who murdered Officer Aubrey Hawkins about 30 miles down the road from where I was working. I remember how tense that was. I remember how we who worked deep nights checked the backs of vans, and trailers, and trucks, working alone.

I have felt that tension.

And still I say that we must now more than ever function with complete professionalism. It is at these times when it is most called for.

Labels: , , , ,

11 Comments:

At Friday, February 08, 2013 8:24:00 PM, Anonymous Jennifer said...

I was hoping you would weigh in on this one. And you did not disappoint. Thank you

 
At Saturday, February 09, 2013 7:26:00 AM, Blogger Mikael said...

And that truck wasn't the only one they opened fire on.

They've shot up two trucks that DON'T FIT THE DESCRIPTION OF THE SUSPECT'S VEHICLE.

Him driving a grey Nissan Titan.

They shot up a blue Toyota Tacoma and a black Honda Ridgeback.

To quote Jay G: Wrong make, wrong color, wrong model, wrong size.

 
At Saturday, February 09, 2013 10:12:00 AM, Blogger Griffin3 said...

"Law enforcement sources told The Times that at least seven officers opened fire. On Friday, the street was pockmarked with bullet holes in cars, trees, garage doors and roofs."

"Kathy Merkosky, 53, was outside her stucco home pointing out the six bullet holes in the bumper and grill of her silver Acura MD-X."

Might be a rule 4 violation.

--> Details emerge in LAPD's mistaken shooting of newspaper carriers h/t Radley Balko

 
At Saturday, February 09, 2013 1:32:00 PM, Blogger Old NFO said...

Well said Matt, but if I had a blue Toyota pickup, I'd be parking it for a while... There are ALWAYS the 10% that don't get the word...

 
At Saturday, February 09, 2013 5:51:00 PM, Blogger charlotte g said...

The only reason ever to use his name is if his actions cause a response so healthy, so active, that it forever is named for him as he was defeated, and that police action becomes classic.

 
At Sunday, February 10, 2013 7:01:00 AM, Blogger Don said...

You say what needs to be said, Copper.

Now how do I distance myself from the people rushing out to declare this psycho some kind of folk hero who fights corruption Django-style? Offer 'em all $5 to sit down and actually read his ramblings?

 
At Sunday, February 10, 2013 11:23:00 AM, Blogger Kristophr said...

Training problem.

As Old NFO noted on another blog, poorly trained men shoot at shadows when the shit hits the fan.

They are too used to being the ones doing the hunting, and always outnumbering the criminals when they track one down to make an arrest.

Being the fox instead of the hounds is making the ones with inadequate training lose their shit while carrying a firearm.

 
At Sunday, February 10, 2013 11:26:00 AM, Blogger Kristophr said...

charlotte g: The only reason they released his name was because he was now a fugitive.

I agree, that active killers need an anonymous fate and their screeds need to be archived and deleted.

No 15 minutes of fame for violent nutters.

 
At Thursday, February 14, 2013 11:20:00 AM, Blogger SewerDweller said...

Once again, you set the standard that all officers should strive for. Kudos, Officer.

 
At Tuesday, February 19, 2013 7:13:00 PM, Blogger J.R.Shirley said...

I laughed at "shooting at the bogeyman".

I should point out that LEO are authorized to fire on a fleeing felon that may reasonably be believed to still pose a continuing mortal threat.

 
At Wednesday, February 20, 2013 1:07:00 AM, Blogger Matt G said...

Yes, yes, and given his statements and actions, that was a low standard to meet. Basically, if they challenged him and he did anything OTHER than surrender completely, he was a good shoot.

But their actions indicated that the LA LEOs felt that it was appropriate simply to shoot him upon identifying him... the standard for which they set entirely too low.

 

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