Update on a previous post.
Florida has filed no charges against the cop who shot a therapist laying next to his patient, repeatedly screaming, "It's only a toy truck" but Georgia has indicted the first cop in five years for shooting an unarmed person.
The War on Cops is apparently trying to remove the right of poor downtrodden police officers to roll into a neighborhood and shoot a random stranger.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...nta-officer-james-burns-indicted-caine-rogers

 

Florida has filed no charges against the cop who shot a therapist...

If – and I'm just saying IF for hypothetical reasons – the shooting was an accidental discharge by a twitchy cop, would there be charges? In other words, aren't cops somewhat immune to prosecution for mistakes while on the job?

 

If – and I'm just saying IF for hypothetical reasons – the shooting was an accidental discharge by a twitchy cop, would there be charges? In other words, aren't cops somewhat immune to prosecution for mistakes while on the job?

Why should they be held to different standards? There was also a time not so long ago that shoot to kill was a last resort. There oath of office doesn't include being judge, jury or executioner. Or at least it didn't use to be.

 

Update on a previous post.
Florida has filed no charges against the cop who shot a therapist laying next to his patient, repeatedly screaming, "It's only a toy truck"

It's still under investigation AFAIK so NO decision on charges have been made.

 

If – and I'm just saying IF for hypothetical reasons – the shooting was an accidental discharge by a twitchy cop, would there be charges? In other words, aren't cops somewhat immune to prosecution for mistakes while on the job?

First, that's not an accidental discharge, it would be negligence for a highly trained 'SWAT' officer. An accidental discharge would be from a broken weapon or something hitting the trigger other than your trigger finger without your knowledge. At least in the military there is ZERO tolerance for negligence leading to a weapons discharge that results in injury or death.

 

the shooting was an accidental discharge by a twitchy cop, would there be charges?

Gross negligence vs. negligence: if you are walking in a crowd and your gun goes off, you aren't responsible; if you smash your gun into the ground in a crowd - where a reasonable person would think it is likely to go off - you are responsible.

Civil liabilities always apply in either case.

 

Why should they be held to different standards?

My question wasn't about "should", just whether it's a fact that they are. Other state and local officials enjoy some immunity for mistakes made on the job. Same things we would be punished for.

 

My question wasn't about "should", just whether it's a fact that they are. Other state and local officials enjoy some immunity for mistakes made on the job. Same things we would be punished for.

For the cop in Florida his defense is that it was not from a accident or from negligence his weapon discharged. He intended to shoot the man with the toy thinking it was a gun being used to threaten the guy who was actually shot by the cop. The accident was that he hit the wrong person. For that he should enjoy some immunity for mistakes made on the job.

I don't personally buy into that defense but that's his story.

 

If – and I'm just saying IF for hypothetical reasons – the shooting was an accidental discharge by a twitchy cop, would there be charges? In other words, aren't cops somewhat immune to prosecution for mistakes while on the job?

I have no idea what the rules are. For instance, this news of today says , "By the book" procedure for finding a man nearly unconscious from a medical emergency is to beat him with clubs.

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/oklahoma-cops-beat-man-medical-emergency/

 

I have no idea what the rules are. For instance, this news of today says , "By the book" procedure for finding a man nearly unconscious from a medical emergency is to beat him with clubs.

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/oklahoma-cops-beat-man-medical-emergency/

Tells you something about the book... doesn't it?

 

Tells you something about the book... doesn't it?

It tells me to be very careful not to become unconscious in public. Apparently that is very frightening to, "Officer Safety".
Officer Safety might even fear for his life and kill me.
http://www.copblock.org/71845/deputy-steven-lyles-feared-for-his-life/

 

It tells me to be very careful not to become unconscious in public.

Finally, I've just learned why you don't drink ...

 

Finally, I've just learned why you don't drink ...

I don't drink because it makes me feel bad. After reading these reports about police killing people, I also don't sleep in my car.

 

This one looks bad.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/terence-crutcher-police-shooting-tulsa-oklahoma/story?id=42217812
Speaking of sleeping in cars.... If your a terrorist type in NYC you shouldn't sleep in doorways either.

 

This one looks bad.

Maybe, but is the video of the actual shooting not released? Whatever happened in the last second – how he moved, the cop's position, etc. – is critical. We only know he was unarmed in hindsight.

 

Maybe, but is the video of the actual shooting not released? Whatever happened in the last second – how he moved, the cop's position, etc. – is critical. We only know he was unarmed in hindsight.

So far we only know what the news will tell us. And they will ration the facts to the public little by little, so as to squeeze as much juice as possible out of the story, and to extend it for as long as they can, to keep the public's interest.
After all, their goal is not to inform the public, but to sell their stories and profit from them.

 

This one looks bad.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/terence-crutcher-police-shooting-tulsa-oklahoma/story?id=42217812
Speaking of sleeping in cars.... If your a terrorist type in NYC you shouldn't sleep in doorways either.

I as wondering why the guy was acting so weird until I saw this.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/loca...cle_d965a1f2-072b-57bf-a682-6b1cfb22b246.html

As previously reported, Crutcher has a criminal record that includes more than a dozen encounters with law enforcement. In at least four cases, officers employed use of force, including a Taser in 2012, according to records.

A 2012 probable cause affidavit in a misdemeanor case against Crutcher states that his father arrived at the scene in north Tulsa where Terence Crutcher was being arrested on public intoxication and obstruction complaints and told officers his son had “an ongoing problem” with PCP.

An officer used a Taser on Crutcher twice during that arrest while he was face down on the ground, based on the officer’s claim that Crutcher did not comply with at least three orders to show his hands.

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections told the World on Tuesday that Crutcher had been incarcerated on a drug-related conviction for nearly four years and was released on parole in 2011. His supervision ended in May of this year. Court records indicate that a judge issued a bench warrant for Crutcher’s arrest Sept. 1 for failure to pay fines related to his cases.

 

I think that is called, "blaming the victim".
"Bad guy did something bad in some other year."
Police say PCP was in the car. Police say gun was in the car in an open carry state.
and none of that was in the video and the "bad" guy was not in the car.

And...to put the cherry on top:
the Tulsa Police Department has acknowledged that officers weren’t aware of his background during the encounter.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/loca...cle_d965a1f2-072b-57bf-a682-6b1cfb22b246.html

 

Background, no. But there is such a thing as intuition when assessing risk. I think the cop in this case made a judgment based partly on intuition about the likelihood of a threat. This background info suggests the intuition was right.