Community Chat

[chrystaltree]

No one should be executed for a traffic offense!

[jellyBEAN]

I haven't been pulled over by the police in many many years, but as I recall all those years ago, I opened my window, the policeman asked me for my credentials - driver's license, registration, and insurance card and I proceeded to collect the documents from my purse and glove compartment.  And I had all my documents.  I had a valid driver's license.  My car was insured and up to date on being registered with the state.  No erratic behavior.  No arguing.  No playing dumb or cute or making any jerky movements.  Just did what I was told. Wouldn't have even thought to do anything else.   I was given my ticket and that was that.  I didn't like it, but chances are I knew I WAS speeding, or I knew I DID make that illegal turn or whatever the infraction was.

I think thats the same with most people then and even to this day.  The amount of equipment these officers have to carry on them, not to mention the heavy bullet proof clothing - its almost like the officers of today have to be prepared for war. If you watch even a tiny bit of news you see the lawlessness - EVERYWHERE.  Police always have to assume the worst case scenario when doing a routine traffic stop.  She made a terrible error and will have to pay for that error, but I sure wouldn't want that job.

(I'm sure the actor who made a fatal blunder and feels no remorse for his actions will have better representation and most likely won't do any time at all, yet the outcome was the same.)

[Kachina624]

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@Zernia Rose wrote:

@decaf She hurriedly resigned before being fired.  It allowed her to retain her pension.

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@Zernia Rose   Good for her.  She earned it.  I wish I could give her a big hug.

Unless one has been in the chaos and confusion of the situation she was in, they are in no position to judge what she did.

We're lucky agencies can still even recruit cops considering the their potential liability and the krap they must tolerate.

[occasionalrain]

Alec Baldwin didn't make a mistake, didn't pull the trigger and has a witness to prove it.

[hckynutjohn]

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@occasionalrain wrote:

Alec Baldwin didn't make a mistake, didn't pull the trigger and has a witness to prove it.

@occasionalrain 

Haven't heard that part. Who is the witness? First, was he on a live horse?

hckynut 

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[Mindy D]

To me, this was a horrible accident, made by an officer that had no intention of shooting and had taken the correct preventative actions according to her department protocols. Even with that, accidents do happen. Although there is no comparison in the gravity of the situation, I have an example that only speaks to the way our minds can work when grabbing for things that have similarities when in our hands. She did what many of us do when we grab the portable phone when we mean to grab the remote. Our brain has a moment of mix up, only for her, and the victim, this mix up has had tragic consequences. I liken this to a legitimate medical error made during surgery, when the error is not due to a lack of proper following of all procedures and methodology. I also feel that had there not been so many prior acts toward arestees that were made with bad intentions, racism and lack of procedural adherence, things might have turned out differently. I cant tell you how many times i open the doir to my builtin white handled pantry when I had meant to grab tne white handle to my revrigerator door which is right next to it. Ive done this without being in the middle of a struggle or under any stressor. Ive done this while directly looking at the handles too. Some good testimony from neuroscientists might have presented the information necessary for the jury to understand how this accident could have hsppened despite taking precautions against it. Wish she had Mark O'Mara as her attorney. 

[kitcat51]

Complying is the best option, you run, fight back, try to grab an officers gun & it isn't going to end well...it's hard for me to believe that everyone doesn't know this & defends resisting. Of course there are horrible officers that break the law, they should be brought to justice & thankfully in most cases they are. It's easy to have your butt in your recliner second guessing with the luxury of hindsight what an officer should have done but they don't have that luxury...for them it's seconds in chaos. I watch breakdowns of police shootings, they re easy to find on youtube & I encourage everyone to watch...you won't forget them. Be well @Zernia Rose.

[occasionalrain]

@hckynutjohn 

I believe it was the man who handed him the gun and said it was safe who was standing next to Baldwin while he was practicing the scene. The woman photographer who was shot was telling him where to hold the gun after pulling it from his shoulder holster. 

[Zernia Rose]

Yes, she earned her pension. She still has her life. She will be free in time.

You aren't in her shoes either although adjacent through your spouse.  So, I'd say we each are allowed to make some judgments.  I strongly believe in restorative justice.  She was convicted in much the same way that the Somali American officer was found guilty and imprisoned when he accidently shot the Australian American. Both officers received punshishments for their crimes. I don't know they I would hug either one.

Being an officer is difficult and, unfortunately, some who assume the job are not suitable just as unsuitable persons are found in many occupations. We hold officers to a different standard because the power of life and death rest in their hands (conversely, others hold their lives in their hands).  Policing in a multiracial, multilingual society requires special people along with mandated sabbaticals away for officers, constant mental and physical health care, and other measures to keep them well.  They also need to know how to interact with others.  

It is difficult to recruit officers; I wouldn't do the job. They need support. Prior to Covid, the leading cause of death among them was suicide and then other morbidities such as heart attacks.  Nonetheless, some of argument that current conditions are producing mass losses is overgeneralized.  Check statistical data maintained by local, state, and the federal government..  

[febe1]

She had to be convicted. There's a huge difference in weight between the tazer and a gun, the tazer being light. A mistake is a mistake, but you have to be accountable for killing a person. However, I do believe if she had one of those high-priced attorneys, they could have gotten her off. We've all seen it too many times.