Police Brutality

A few of these supposed "criminals" getting beaten by police were loud, obnoxious and disrespectful. However, under no circumstances should police react the way they did. Come on now, if you have anger issues that bad, don't be a cop.

I'll add a few things about the taser that cops think they can use so freely:

TASER® Weapons fire 50,000 volts up to 15 feet, with more stopping power than a .357 Magnum. [from

Electroshock weapons From Wikipedia, but you can check the references

Taser(again, from Wikipedia)

Police brutality...

at a drive through (seriously?! You think she cheated you ten frigging dollars and you want to arrest her?)

at UCLA

roadside

against Tibetan protesters

cop vs. skaters

 

at Reagan National Airport

Original Post by reila_and_my_chrome_heart:

Come on now, if you have anger issues that bad, don't be a cop. 

as far as i can tell, reila, that's why most cops are cops.

as for tasers, their use is under investigation here in canada, as a result of several deaths (police related).  the most high-profile incident was a potential immigrant from poland who ended up stuck in the customs area of vancouver international airport for several hours.  he didn't speak english, and nobody helped him.  eventually he became frustrated and agitated, security was called, then the RCMP.  the cops tried for about 15 seconds to talk the guy down before tasering him twice.  when paramedics arrived, he was dead.  it was all caught on tape, so...you know (you can find it on youtube.  it's awful).

Agreed PG, and/or they hate a certain race (in many cases every race but their own).

Oh so cops are only cops because they have anger issues? Don't ever call the police then.

You dont need weapons.  I got a call from an ex who had been arrested and was in jail.  He was arguing outside after a nightclub had started and ignored a cop who'd called him over (and probably was being rude).  When the cop headed towards him, he ran.  They caught and handcuffed him. 

While one cop drove, the other sat in the back with him beating him in the head.  When I got to the prison, I saw his face was bloated and purple. His eyes were the worst.  The was no white - not just bloodshot but entirely red where the white was.  I thought he not only "got it" for his behavior but probably every other guy who got away.  He sued but it never resulted in anything.

A good 15 years back and I can only imagine had that cop had a taser.

actually most cops are the exact opposite - they are usually much better equipped to deal with the rage they experience from drunks and drug addicts, without investing emotionally.

What looks like brutality is often the minimum amount of force required to subdue a criminal.

how about this?

i was there that night, we heard them firing off those things.

i am in not way anti-police, we need police obviously, but there are certain times when you wonder if they are too quick to use more force than necessary. 

Well i've yet to meet a cop that's polite and willing to help. In fact all i've had is rudeness and nearly ramming in to my car when they were speeding with NO lights or sirens on, sorry but if you don't let me know you need to get somewhere  don't expect  me to  jump out your way on the off chance.

In fact my other halfs brother was punched in the face by a police man, he had pulled over on the side of the road, police wanted to question him, he asked why before he got out the vehicle and the guy reached in the car grabbed him and hit him the face...

i've actually met some great cops!

when i got robbed, they sent two officers over to my apartment right away. they were two of the nicest guys i've ever met. they were so concerned for me, made sure i had someone to come stay with me, offered to give me a ride somewhere if i needed it. they even really liked my dog.   

the problem with a story like the sox game is that there were obviously people in the crowd going too far. cops are human. in a situation where their lives may be at peril, they are going to defend themselves.

The Sox game incident was also a horrible accident. What were the chances of getting hit directly in the eye?

i've met a few cops who were polite and willing to help.  most were either very young and idealistic or women (i've met women cops who were aggressive and unhelpful, too).  i met lots of RCMP through work, when i was a youth worker; it's not like i've been in adversarial situations with them.

i've never (ever!) seen a cop drive the speed limit on the highway. 

i think city police tend to be the bigger problem.  the employment prerequisites are lower, the screening less rigorous, the training tends to be less comprehensive, etc.  not too long ago, i went to visit an old friend in a major western-canadian city.  her husband is a city cop.  we were downtown, on our way to an event, and he was telling us about some of the real estate development he's involved with, and he pointed to some of the riverfront properties.  it was a run-down commercial district.  he pointed out a homeless shelter and refered to the people there as trash.  yep, trash, occupying prime riverfront real estate. 

and they wonder why people call them pigs.

sorry.

you're smart enough not to paint all cops with so broad a brush, Pg. :)

Lot's of people are pigs, regardless of their job descriptions.

I have the utmost respect for law enforcement. Their job sucks, and they get minimum pay to do it. at least here in the US and A

Original Post by pgeorgian:

Original Post by reila_and_my_chrome_heart:

Come on now, if you have anger issues that bad, don't be a cop. 

as far as i can tell, reila, that's why most cops are cops.

as for tasers, their use is under investigation here in canada, as a result of several deaths (police related).  the most high-profile incident was a potential immigrant from poland who ended up stuck in the customs area of vancouver international airport for several hours.  he didn't speak english, and nobody helped him.  eventually he became frustrated and agitated, security was called, then the RCMP.  the cops tried for about 15 seconds to talk the guy down before tasering him twice.  when paramedics arrived, he was dead.  it was all caught on tape, so...you know (you can find it on youtube.  it's awful).

 Well now PG make up your mind. Are cops only cops because they have anger issues or not.

kathy, people were definitely getting rowdy and out of hand, but not to the point of endangering the cops. if you could have seen how many cops there were that night it was unbelieveable.  even if someone was throwing bottles, they had big huge shields and helmets.

Relia and PG I suggest you go on a ride-along with the evening or midnight shift of your local police department. Get a taste of what these men and women have to deal with every day.

Original Post by kimne:

Original Post by pgeorgian:

Original Post by reila_and_my_chrome_heart:

Come on now, if you have anger issues that bad, don't be a cop.

as far as i can tell, reila, that's why most cops are cops.

as for tasers, their use is under investigation here in canada, as a result of several deaths (police related). the most high-profile incident was a potential immigrant from poland who ended up stuck in the customs area of vancouver international airport for several hours. he didn't speak english, and nobody helped him. eventually he became frustrated and agitated, security was called, then the RCMP. the cops tried for about 15 seconds to talk the guy down before tasering him twice. when paramedics arrived, he was dead. it was all caught on tape, so...you know (you can find it on youtube. it's awful).

Well now PG make up your mind. Are cops only cops because they have anger issues or not.

I will let PG speak for herself but I thought I would mention the word "most" is not an absolute, if you know what I mean. "Most" does not mean "all".

I can't think of a time that I haven't disliked cops.  My uncle was drunk in public, with a beer in his hand and tight jeans with no shirt.  An officer drew a weapon on him and told him that if he didn't lie on the ground with his hands behind his back, she would open fire.

Another local incident involved a man being shot 7 times for "advancing on an officer with a pitchfork," when he was clearly maced and stumbling around because he couldn't see.

I was pulled over doing the speed limit on interstate 81, told (not asked) to exit my vehicle, and was marched 20 feet away from my car, placed on the ground, and searched.  My vehicle was then searched, and when I was finally told why this was occuring, I was told that I had a brake light out.  On inspection of the vehicle, all lights were functioning properly.

I now carry the number of a lawyer in my pocket, and I am considering adding the number to the local Internal Affairs office as well, to protect myself from the injustice that runs rampant throughout our nation.  They claim to be protectors of the masses, and servants of the people.  They are no better than the people who sell drugs to kids.   (Edit:  Maybe that was a bit harsh, but having talked to two cops in my family, most people are looked down on and treated like garbage.  It is almost like class separation, but generally they have this view about anyone that isn't a cop or something of the like.)

While I am sure there are some decent officers out there (I know of one locally, who studders =D), I think it is safe to say that the general populace of police officers is rife with injustice and a lack of moral compass.

'gator and kimne, nowhere did i say "all."

I stand corrected.

 

Obviously there are some good cops, but IMO there shouldn't be any bad cops. There are WAY too many that use excessive force. There are way too many examples, but the one that sticks out for me is the Sean Bell case (the man who shot at 50 times by police on his wedding day).