Chucktshoes

The TBI investigator’s testimony casts doubt on Delke’s story regarding the chain of events. I’m not able to say one way or another as I don’t view a badge as an automatic signifier of trustworthiness. Cop or not, anyone in his position has an overwhelming incentive to frame events in as positive of a light as possible. So, I’m of the opinion that at this point he and The People are entitled to their day in court. Now, here’s something where I know we will never agree on, but I’m going to lay it out there anyway. You say you “don’t see how anyone can expect a cop or a citizen to wait until the gun is pointed at them.” I don’t think a citizen can be expected to be held to that standard. The “reasonable person” standard is just and appropriate for the average citizen. A police officer absolutely should be held to a higher standard. If US soldiers in an active war zone are required by their ROE to take fire before engaging with the enemy, I don’t see why it is so unreasonable to require officers to have conclusive proof of imminent threat before killing someone. I don’t doubt the testimony that Delke acted as he was trained to do. Cops are trained not to hesitate because as you finished the above quoted statement, “you are trained that can get you killed.” That’s the problem. The training elevates officer safety over public safety. (If you’re wondering why respect for law enforcement is declining, I’d start looking right there.) I’ve often heard that the first rule of law enforcement is “to go home at the end of your shift.” Well, to use a turn of phrase from our friends from across the pond, that’s utter bollocks. We arm and empower police to use violence up to and including deadly force on behalf of, and for the ends of ensuring public safety. Public safety, not their own personal safety. If law enforcement is really the noble profession that it is purported to be then that means officers actually accepting the responsibility and inherent dangers of putting the safety and well being of all others over their own. That means not opening fire at the first sight of a 12 yo kid with a toy gun, or a lawfully armed citizen following instructions to produce his license, or a man in a Walmart holding a BB gun, or a multitude of other examples of officers freaking out like a scared cat and innocent folks ending up dead. Some of y’all like to complain about folks like me having an opinion on how cops do their jobs while not choosing to wear the badge. Well, as a member of the general public who has to live (or possibly die) with the consequences from their actions, good or bad, from training or mistakes, I (we) damn well do get to have an opinion on the matter. Don’t like it? I don’t care. Know what I don’t like? I don’t like that some guy who’s been trained to be afraid of his own shadow can kill me because my eyes twitched the wrong way and he gets to go home at the end of his shift with no lasting consequences. If the police actually work on behalf of the public, then the public gets a say on how that work is done, even on Monday morning. Now, my words may be a bit harsh on this matter, but don’t mistake me. I don’t have an issue with cops as individuals, but I do have a problem with the job they are expected to do and the way they are trained to do it. I believe that policing in America is fundamentally broken in many ways. If there is to be any hope of fixing it, then all the stakeholders have to be at the table and open to frank and honest discussion.

Well done folks. Well done.

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Dave, thank you for sharing that story. I’m glad that you didn’t have to kill that kid that night for myriad reasons. (I suspect that killing that kid that night would have long weighed heavily on your heart no matter how justified.) You do raise some points that I do want to discuss, but I’m going to hold off on them for the moment. (Several others of you also bring up some general issues regarding policing that I have thoughts about. I am not ignoring your posts, but I am holding off for the time being as I have concerns about drifting this topic too far afield as well as some other personal concerns regarding appropriateness.) I do however want to circle back to the question I originally asked. I haven’t seen where it was alleged that the deceased pointed his gun, only that he ran while holding it. (Since he most likely wasn’t using a holster, it’s not surprising it would end up in his hand, no matter how fatally unwise.) Am I misreading your posts or are you intentionally stating he aimed his gun, and if so where did you see that? I am genuinely curious because that would go a long way to answering my questions and greatly calm my concerns regarding this death.

As long as they’re headed towards your end of the state and not mine!

You might be into something here.

Gridlock I can believe in.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/01/08/she-bragged-man-dating-app-about-poaching-deer-he-was-game-warden/ The link text pretty much says it all, but damn. She bragged about poaching to her dating app match and he turned out to be an OK game warden. That’s bloody hilarious.

What do you think the odds are he tries to tie this in as a trade off for his priority, the wall. He is after all, King of The Deal. I wonder how the faithful on either side would handle that trade off.

I’ve seen you mention the deceased pointing his gun at the cop more than once. I don’t remember that being part of Delke’s story at the beginning and the video doesn’t show that happening. Can you direct me to where you got that bit of information? That has always been my hurdle with this case. If the deceased did point his gun at Delke, then it’s absolutely a good shoot, but if he didn’t, that’s where it becomes questionable to me and why I think it should go to trial. If I am misreading your posts, please correct me. As far as that trial goes, if the history of these types of trials is any indicator, he will get acquitted and the union will get him his job back. There are roughly 1000 officer involved shootings per year** and between 2005 and 2017 80 officers were indicted for on the job homicides but only about 35% of those were convicted. It is exceedingly difficult to convict an officer for an on the job shooting. **https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://amp-cnn-com.cdn.ampproject.org/&httpsredir=1&article=1077&context=crim_just_pub *I also feel it is incumbent upon me at this time to make my usual reminder that contrary to propagandist efforts from inside the LE industry, policing in this country isn’t an especially dangerous job. It doesn’t even make the top 10 for on the job fatalities. Truck drivers like myself are more than twice as likely to die on the job as a police officer and we aren’t even top 5. Your trash guy has a statistically more dangerous job than a cop.*

Eh, it could, but I can’t imagine it being reversed by the senate. I also can’t imagine him staying past the next election either.

Here’s the map from the MDWFP site for this season.

This article from earlier in the year describes the pressure that was being put on former Governor Scott to remove Israel and mentions the statute that covers the power of the Governor to do so and prior removals he has made. https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/02/26/uncharted-territory-could-rick-scott-suspend-the-broward-sheriff/ Here is the statute in question. http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0112/Sections/0112.51.html So the governor can suspend him, at which point the Senate would have to review that removal and either make that removal permanent or reinstate him.

Damn it.

Gotta agree with @Magiccarpetrides here. Skip the cetme, and anything else from Century. It’s worth the extra money to know you’ll have a working rifle.

But there’s no substitute for meatspace.

Let’s just say that they will require making sure your headlights are properly aimed very important. That reminds me folks, ensuring your headlights are properly aimed and adjusted is a regular maintanence item. If you find yourself getting flashed with brights a lot while you don’t have yours on, maybe it’s because you’ve got one cockeyed bulb blinding the hell out of everyone. At least once a year, take the time to ensure that your headlights haven’t come out adjustment. Just another friendly PSA from your local truck driver.

I’m all about the LED bulbs. The newer kits are usually pretty easy to convert as well.

I love me some FAL goodness.

I’m not kidding or making fun. I’m 100% serious. The rumors I’ve heard are that the Glock 44 is going to be a .22. They are rumors and could be totally wrong, but it’s just what I’ve heard.

That’s interesting.

When I was leaving San Diego to move back to TN in early 06 or was like 70 or 80 degrees in Memphis while San Diego county had snow. It happens like that sometimes.