Archive for the 'Police' Category

Reason.

On a chilly December evening in 2017, a group of Wichita cops surrounded a modest house on West McCormick Street. They were there in response to what was purportedly a gruesome hostage situation: a father shot dead, a mother in danger, and a son threatening to burn everything down.

When Andrew Finch opened the door to his home, a sniper rifle killed him within seconds. Thirty minutes passed before anyone rendered emergency aid. Cops handcuffed his mother, sister, niece, and two friends outside in 24 degree weather for over an hour. But Finch was not the son the police were after, nor were he and his family involved in any crisis.

That’s because there was no crisis. Around 5:00 p.m. that day, in a prank known as “swatting,” a California caller had dialed the Wichita Police Department (WPD) and reported a work of fiction, doling out the address and setting the chaos in motion.

The officers involved failed to do the basics before exercising lethal force on an innocent man, according to a lawsuit filed by the family. The suit says the officers subverted department policy by declining to call a SWAT team, opted not to conduct any sort of inquiry despite “obvious warning signs” that the call was a farce, and did not try to negotiate with Finch before ending his life, among several other missteps.

“After Defendant Officers…surrounded 1033 West McCormick, they made no attempt to determine whether an occupant of the house was in a mental health crisis; had shot someone; had threatened to hold or was holding someone at gunpoint; had threatened or was threatening to burn the house down; had threatened or was threatening to commit suicide; was in possession of a firearm; or posed a danger to themselves or others,” reads the suit, which was originally filed against the city of Wichita and officers Justin Rapp (who fired the shot) and Benjamin Jonker (who organized the response).

Whether the family will see anyone face accountability remains uncertain.

“The argument from the police officer seems to be basically: because they thought a heinous crime had been committed…it was fine to shoot Mr. Finch onsite as soon as he opened the door,” says Easha Anand, an attorney at the MacArthur Justice Center who is representing the family. “That’s just not how our justice system works. You don’t get to just shoot someone onsite because you think they committed a heinous crime.”

Anand recently made that argument to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, pushing back on Rapp’s contention that he should be protected by qualified immunity. That legal doctrine allows certain government officials to violate your constitutional rights without having to face a jury in civil court, so long as there are no preexisting court precedents explicitly declaring the specific conduct unconstitutional. Overcoming qualified immunity does not guarantee a settlement; it merely gives victims the right to state their case.

Yet that’s often a tall order for plaintiffs to meet, no matter how shocking the behavior in question. Consider an adjacent case: At 78 years old, Onree Norris was put under arrest after more than two dozen cops broke into his home, destroyed his door, and set off explosives in his house as part of a drug raid. They had the wrong residence. Though Norris survived the skirmish, he cannot sue the officers who left his home partially in ruins, because he was unable to locate an identical court ruling outlining his experience to a tee.

Well, shooting an innocent woman was what Lon Horiuchi did to Randy Weaver’s wife as soon as she stepped into the doorway, and Bill Barr defended the practice.  You’re never in more danger than when cops are around.

There is no system of justice in America.  The judges are corrupt, and the juries are packed with idiots who’ll do what the judge tells them to do.

And make no mistake, if told to confiscate firearms, they’ll obey orders and do it, just like the military will turn on the American public if ordered to by the corrupt generals.  You can bet your bottom dollar on that.

A lot of cops are liars, and the media is their willing partners in that enterprise (or too stupid to call them out).

Referring to statistics released by SLED in June and confirmed by the FBI this month, Keel cited a 51% increase in homicides statewide the past five years, including a 25% surge in 2020.

“It’s important that our legislative priorities reflect this, and we take immediate legislative steps to stem the violence,” Keel said, noting state and local law enforcement agencies said the measure would allow them to arrest more felons illegally carrying firearms.

Keel’s comments echo Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook’s letter to legislators in February that suggested “commonsense solutions” to reconcile variations in state and federal code.

For instance, Holbrook wrote, a conviction for strong arm robbery doesn’t preclude a South Carolinian from legally owning a firearm although the individual cannot legally purchase one under federal law.

Felons who violate South Carolina’s 2010 law can be charged with illegal possession with a maximum punishment of a $2,000 fine and/or up to five years in prison. Law enforcement officials want escalator tiers to increase penalties for repeated violations.

This information is just not true.

SECTION 16-23-500. Unlawful possession of a firearm by a person convicted of violent offense; confiscation; return of firearm to innocent owner.

(A) It is unlawful for a person who has been convicted of a violent crime, as defined by Section 16-1-60, that is classified as a felony offense, to possess a firearm or ammunition within this State.

(B) A person who violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than two thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

And the chief of SLED worded his speechery to neatly avoid telling lies overt like Holbrook did.  He’s just not telling the whole truth – and your mother would have called that a lie too.

You see, he uses words like “the measure would allow them to arrest more felons illegally carrying firearms.”  What does he mean by this, that it would be more illegal to be a violent felon in possession of a firearm?  No, that’s not a rational position to take.  There is no such thing as more illegal.  He just made that up.

What he means is that SLED can go on boy’s outings with FedGov (ATF, FBI) to make arrests, bust down doors, etc., and feel all manly while they “get some,” if there is a hint from an AFT agent that there may be a firearm in the hands of a felon which SLED didn’t know about.

You see how he did that?  “Arrest more felons.”

The chief of SLED wants to partner with FedGov, the entire point of which second amendment sanctuary laws are in place to prevent.

Because illegal firearms may one day be a rifle with a brace, or an AR-15, or a pistol with a magazine capacity of more than ten rounds, or any semiautomatic firearm.

Constitutionalists in South Carolina have a problem on their hands, namely, law enforcement.

And rather than focus on anything South Carolina law enforcement says, the legislature should go ahead and pass second amendment sanctuary laws that prevents their own LEOs from working with FedGov, and maybe even give it more teeth, where their own LEOs arrest FedGov agents for infringements on the 2A.

Law enforcement should be your servants, not your rulers.

So I have a suggestion to the cops.  If you don’t want to be hated, and if you don’t want to be on the receiving end of things like this, then don’t be a tyrant.

That’s simple enough.

News from Colorado.

When police in Idaho Springs, Colo., saw a vehicle roll through a stop sign on a September evening in 2019, they followed it into a laundromat’s parking lot and turned on their flashing lights.

The driver, Brady Mistic, parked his car and stepped out of the vehicle.

He later said he did not understand what was happening, or even that he was being pulled over — Mistic is deaf and communicates primarily through American Sign Language.

In the confusion, the situation escalated. According to a new lawsuit filed by Mistic, the officers threw him to the ground, stunned him with a Taser and put him in handcuffs. Unable to fully communicate, he tried to use some of the few words he is able to speak: “No ears.” It seemed to make no difference.

After the encounter, Mistic was charged with resisting arrest and assault on a police officer. He was jailed for four months, during which time he said he continued to struggle to communicate the misunderstanding. The charges were later dropped.

Two years after the incident, Mistic has filed the lawsuit against the city of Idaho Springs and the two officers involved, alleging excessive force, unlawful arrest, malicious prosecution and discrimination against a person with a disability. The suit also accuses Clear Creek County of failing to properly accommodate his disability in jail.

“This is a civil rights action seeking justice for the shocking use of unnecessary police force and wrongful incarceration of a deaf man whom the Defendant officers rashly attacked after failing to recognize his disability and misinterpreting his non-threatening attempts to see and comunicate as challenges to police authority,” the lawsuit states.

In a statement, the Idaho Springs Police Department said the two officers, Nicholas Hanning and Ellie Summers, did not know Mistic was deaf. The department said the police chief had reviewed the incident and found the officers acted appropriately in the situation.

Of course the chief found that they acted appropriately.  They’re geniuses, one and all.  Top IQ, cops are.  Top boys and girls.

All of their procedures are perfect, the cops are smart, and it’s customary to slam people around.

Some folks, like this chief, still tell fairy tales like little children are listening.  And others love to hear them, like for example, if you vote for Mitt Romney, or write at the National Review and consider yourself a “law and order” type.

Via WiscoDave, a followup to the conversation we had a few days ago.

Australian Citizen: "Why r u doing this? Policies are killing people."

Australian Police: “I agree with u, I'm just doing my job…I'm just as over this lockdown as you are mate, but this is my job. Im not skilled to do anything else.” pic.twitter.com/Dmaaa9LW6r

— מאק (@beingrealmac) September 21, 2021

News from the land of geniuses.

Penfield, N.Y./Perinton, N.Y. — An investigation is underway following an incident Wednesday that reportedly began after a New York State Police trooper’s personal vehicle was rear-ended in Penfield.

According to State Police, a sergeant was reportedly driving to work in his personal vehicle around 8:15 p.m. when the vehicle was struck while stopped at a traffic light on Penfield Road at State Route 441.

They allege the driver of the other vehicle fled the scene.

That vehicle was reportedly followed to the Pines of Perinton, where troopers say the vehicle became stuck.

State Police say the trooper approached the vehicle, identified himself as a member of the State Police and told the driver to exit the vehicle. Investigators say the driver didn’t comply.

At that point, State Police say the sergeant hit the side passenger window with his personally-owned handgun in order to break it open. As this happened, they say one round was accidentally discharged. The bullet reportedly lodged in a door frame. No one was hurt.

Troopers say the suspect was treated for minor injuries at the scene. The sergeant was taken to the hospital for minor hand injuries.

So a guy jumps out of an unmarked vehicle and starts making demands of somebody.  I wouldn’t roll the window down either, and most assuredly wouldn’t get out of the car if he was displaying a firearm.

Then be beats the window in with his pistol, causing a discharge.  I guess cops are the “only ones beating enough.”

Listen.  A gun is not a hammer.  Do not use it that way.  I had to say the same thing when I saw a complaint about the stock of an AR-15 breaking when somebody used it to bang in tent pegs.  The complaint was that it must not have been a Milspec part.

Good Lord.  Like the design engineers considered use of the AR for banging in tent pegs.

Don’t do that.  Your AR is not a hammer.  Your pistol is not a hammer.  Do not beat things with firearms.  No design engineer can undo the second law of thermodynamics.

This cop is fortunate he didn’t do that somewhere in N.C. or S.C. where people carry guns.  He might have been shot.

Seen at Ken’s place, this ridiculous report.

Cops who returned fire after gunshots erupted outside of a high school football game in the suburban Philadelphia area last week likely killed an eight-year-old girl and wounded three others.

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer released the preliminary findings of the investigation into Fanta Bility’s death on Thursday.

Bility’s sister, who was cheerleading during the game, was also shot. She is in stable condition after a bullet grazed her arm.

Eh, who needs a backstop when you’re throwing lead if you’ve got a badge?

As we’ve observed so many times before, you’re never in more danger than when the cops are around.

News from Nevada.

The Nevada trooper first told Stephen Lara the highway patrol was educating drivers “about violations they may not realize they’re committing” and that he’d been pulled over for following a tanker truck a bit too closely. After some small talk, the trooper admitted an ulterior purpose: stopping the smuggling of illegal drugs, weapons and currency as they crossed the state.

Lara — a former Marine who says he was on his way to visit his daughters in Northern California — insisted he was doing none of those things, though he readily admitted he had “a lot” of cash in his car. As he stood on the side of the road, police searched the vehicle, pulling nearly $87,000 in a zip-top bag from Lara’s trunk and insisting a drug-sniffing dog had detected something on the cash.

Police found no drugs, and Lara, 39, was charged with no crimes. But police nonetheless left with his money, calling a Drug Enforcement Administration agent to coordinate a process known as “adoption,” which allows federal authorities to seize cash or property they suspect is connected to criminal activity — without levying criminal charges.

“I left there confused. I left there angry,” Lara said in an interview with The Washington Post. “And I could not believe that I had just been literally robbed on the side of the road by people with badges and guns.”

You can believe it.  It happens all over America, every day.  They confiscate whatever they want and buy guns, ammunition, body armor, expensive Dodge Chargers, and other toys to keep them occupied.

And all over America, they’ll come for you if you use a firearm to defend yourself, which they stand and allow Antifa to assault people with impunity.

Now people are learning that they are thieves too.  This is no different than a carjacker stealing your vehicle, or someone breaking into your home to burglarize it.

Honestly, cops are beginning to wonder why people hate them.  Why should they wonder?

Oh, and also remember that the awful Jeff Sessions highly favored civil asset forfeiture laws and spoke on their behalf.

Taliban.

“All girls over the age of 15 and widows younger than 40 should be married to the insurgent fighters,” a Taliban commander was quoted saying by The WSJ.

They demand the children and abuse people.  Thank God no government in the Western world behaves that way.  Oh wait.

They are herding thousands upon thousands of children in stadiums, without their parents, to perform (allegedly) voluntary mass vaccinations, despite the possible dangers. The army has been deployed to check papers and vaccine status at road checkpoints.

[ … ]

Generally speaking, the Australian police have taken to their role as fascist enforcers with remarkable ease in the past year. They’ve been sending threatening letters to independent journalists, hitting protesters with their cars, stamping on their heads, pepper-spraying teenaged girls and performing dangerous chokeholds with genuine enthusiasm.

So who’s worse?

And I’ll say it again, both to the Afghanis and the Australians.  Never give up your guns.

News from Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The Myrtle Beach Police Department obtained AR-15s, sniper scopes and a military tactical vehicle from the Pentagon through an obscure program that provides surplus military equipment to law enforcement, an open records request reveals.

Although officers maintain the program is essential for meeting threats on the ground, critics say it contributes to the militarization of the police at a time when many are asking for more restraint from law enforcement.

“Patrol rifles are rifles carried in cars for Patrol Rifle-certified officers,” said Cpl. Tom Vest, spokesperson for MBPD. “If an officer is describing a threat that is bigger than the pistol can handle, then they can be used.”

To obtain the equipment, MBPD submits applications to the S.C. Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO), which determines whether the agency meets the right criteria.

Since the equipment is already paid for, MBPD is only responsible for covering the cost of transportation and maintenance.

Controlled items — like the the Mine-resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) military tactical vehicle and the 18 AR-15s — are audited by LESO every year. Other controlled items include infrared scopes and medical supplies.

Over its decade-long participation in the program, the department has acquired nearly 150 controlled items collectively worth over $2.7 million.

Uncontrolled items only have to be tracked through the first year.

“Things like boots, t-shirts, multi-tools, sunglasses, watches, etc., are not controlled items and were issued to officers, and are no longer tracked based on the time frame,” Vest said in an email.

[ … ]

To some, an MBPD recruitment video from 2019 showcasing some of the equipment plays into that criticism.

In the clip, posted to the department’s YouTube page, officers wearing camo fatigues file out of an MRAP and brandish M16s as they carry out a raid of a dilapidated warehouse, throwing a flash bang before storming a room on the top floor. An action movie score plays in the background.

Several in the comments section call out the militaristic image put forth by the department.

“This makes your department look like a military assault unit,” wrote Michael Ferrini.

Vest said this was intentional.

“When we were looking at video, we were looking at recruitment bases,” he explained. “One of them was military, from one of our local bases. Some aspects of this job speak to different people.”

Are you ready for the best part?

According to NBC News, Obama banned “tanks and other tracked armored vehicles, weaponized aircraft and vehicles, firearms and ammunition measuring .50-caliber and larger, grenade launchers and bayonets.”

But in August 2017, then-President Donald Trump repealed the ban.

“We will not put superficial concerns above public safety,” then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions told the Fraternal Order of Police at a conference. “We have your back and you have our thanks.”

The Trump Justice Department argued that concerns around the program were cosmetic and that the program deterred crime and protected officers.

Well there you have it.  Jeff Sessions.  Militarized police.  The GOP and militarized police go hand-in-hand.