Should police be allowed to stop adults from retrieving items from their flooded hom

[TGO David]

Can someone clearly define what cop bashing is? Is it questioning police actions? Is it bad mouthing cops in general because of one particular cops actions? Is it bad mouthing a particular cop because of the treatment you received (deservedly or not)? Is it <fill in the blank>?

To be clear, I am most definitely not trying to sound like a jerk here. I am just trying to understand what is and is not considered cop bashing.

Seriously? What would you consider to be bashing of any profession or individual? It's really not that hard to extrapolate what we mean by "cop bashing" and I cannot help but wonder why a clear cut definition of the term is necessary. Are we trying to establish guidelines?

How about: Be respectful of each other. Attack issues instead of individuals. Keep to the facts and don't allow discussions to become emotional, argumentative or inflammatory. Basically, refer to Rule #2.

[dariks]

Seriously? What would you consider to be bashing of any profession or individual? It's really not that hard to extrapolate what we mean by "cop bashing" and I cannot help but wonder why a clear cut definition of the term is necessary. Are we trying to establish guidelines?

How about: Be respectful of each other. Attack issues instead of individuals. Keep to the facts and don't allow discussions to become emotional, argumentative or inflammatory. Basically, refer to Rule #2.

understood

[Guest canynracer]

During a flood, there are SEVERAL health risks, i.e. your POOP floating around, because of the overflowing sewer for one....they had a barracade, he tried to go around, the area is a disaster area therfore dont go there.... he hit an officer with his truck, he is lucky he is not dead.

I can see the emotional part of this, but its just stuff....if your house is flooded, the food is no longer good, probably the same with the electronics. This is why I have a copy of important papers (insurance) near the guns, cash and the bag in my safe that is big enough to carry it all....everything else is stuff...that probably doesnt work under sewer water, and if covered, will be replaced with your insurance.

Kudos to the cop for having the cool enough head to understand the emotions of the dude and not firing.

[molonlabetn]

While it is not against the law to enter a flood zone, it is against the law to breach a roadblock.

Put simply, this fellow should have found another way around the roadblock. The cops were truly just doing their jobs, even though the justification for a strict roadblock is questionable.

[Guest Abominable_Hillbilly]

http://gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080615/NEWS/570880217/1002/NEWS

[Punisher84]

Reading the comments on that story make my head hurt. I understand now why people think conservatives and gun owners are nuts. Most of them are.

The guy who said a first responder could choose not to save him, what an ass. I think we need to come up with a no help list. Like the do not call list, but this way instead of being bothered by the firefighters, police, paramedics, and military you can do whatever the hell you want and then lay there in the street and die of a heart attack, because remember now kids, you can do it on your own!

What a pile of $*#@

[Guest nraforlife]

During a flood, there are SEVERAL health risks, i.e. your POOP floating around, because of the overflowing sewer for one....they had a barracade, he tried to go around, the area is a disaster area therfore dont go there.... he hit an officer with his truck, he is lucky he is not dead.

I can see the emotional part of this, but its just stuff....if your house is flooded, the food is no longer good, probably the same with the electronics. This is why I have a copy of important papers (insurance) near the guns, cash and the bag in my safe that is big enough to carry it all....everything else is stuff...that probably doesnt work under sewer water, and if covered, will be replaced with your insurance.

Kudos to the cop for having the cool enough head to understand the emotions of the dude and not firing.

Just stuff is right! However, if one is bound and determine to enter an area, just drive off a bit, park and walk in.

[DaveTN]

Securing an area in a disaster is sometimes required.

Cops, firemen, paramedics and other rescue workers are required to save people even if they are doing something stupid; this puts those first responders in unnecessary danger.

The good news is that it usually is not a problem. I didn’t read everything about what this guy did, but from scanning through the story he tried to use force to go through a roadblock and ended up in jail. It’s too bad that cooler heads could not have prevailed; but that sometimes happens.

As far as the cop bashing…. I think it’s worse here than on most forums; but I don’t think it is any worse here than any other gun forum. There’s a lot of reasons for that.

As a former cop I love a good discussion/argument on the law, vehicle stops, search and seizure, etc. I also think it serves a purpose. But just like with firearms; it doesn’t take long to figure out who has a clue and who doesn’t. But it is really sad when you have those that want to turn it into personal attacks because you may not be saying what they want to hear.

[Marswolf]

I personally think once it is verified that the person lives there, if they accept responsibility for the danger, then they should be allowed to return to their homes.

Yeah, but what if you let someone through who robs his neighbors blind while they aren't there to protect their stuff.

I'll have to go with either everyone returning or no one returning.

The situation in NO was a bit different. The public didn't expect the levees to break. The folks who stayed would have been OK if that hadn't happened. The folks this time knew they would be flooded out of their homes. I would have been moving my stuff to higher ground a couple of weeks before the flooding happened.

Actually, I wouldn't be living on a flood plain. I live half way up a ridge. Let it rain torrents and have all of the dams break. I'll have a nice view of Lake Mars.

[TGO David]

I'll have a nice view of Lake Mars.

How's the fishing there?

[Guest Hyaloid]

Yeah, but what if you let someone through who robs his neighbors blind while they aren't there to protect their stuff.

I'll have to go with either everyone returning or no one returning....

I don't disagree that it would be very possible, maybe even likely that there would be theft of property.

I will submit that a determined thief can make it around police blockades easy enough, so I'll wager that there is likely theft already happening. If you were given the option of returning to your property, then maybe those thieves would think twice.

I don't know the answer, and I can understand the reasoning behind both sides of the issue. Maybe they could allow a police escorted trip to your home, and give you a finite time limit to retrieve your personal property. I don't know. It has got to suck from both ends.

[Marswolf]

How's the fishing there?

Last year, the creek dried up.

I don't disagree that it would be very possible, maybe even likely that there would be theft of property.

I will submit that a determined thief can make it around police blockades easy enough, so I'll wager that there is likely theft already happening.

They need a chopper with thermal imaging capabilities. They also need to castrate the caught before arresting them.

[Guest rj8806]

While I cannot relate to what is happening there, nor will I pretend to, I can understand both sides.

Growing up in South Florida, I have had my fair share of hurricanes. When Andrew was on it's way, the police drove through my neighborhood telling everyone to leave. My parents refused and so we stayed. They did not force us, they were not being dicks about it, they simply asked for our next of kin and advised us that if we ended up in trouble and in need of help, there would be no one available to help us until it was safe for them to come back in.

The Police have a job to do and IMO, they do it very well. I read in alot of threads here and on other gun forums about the "one bad cop" and how the rest are asshats because of it but no one has said anything to the effect of "one bad citizen". Think about this....one asshat citizen makes the rest of us look like asshats to the LEO pulling us over and maybe that's why they treated you the way they did when they stopped you?

Richard

Edited June 19, 2008 by rj8806

[TGO David]

WThink about this....one ******* citizen makes the rest of us look like asshats to the LEO pulling us over and maybe that's why they treated you the way did when they stopped you?

Richard

Tremendously good point, Richard.

[Guest Engloid]

I'm surprised they didn't shoot him for driving toward a cop and say he was using the vehicle as a weapon. Nevermind that the cop stepped into his way.

What if we walked out in front of cars on the freeway and shot at them, because they were heading towards us?

Somehow things are different for cops.

[Guest Engloid]

The theives have likely already gotten into the residential areas. The cops are only keeping the good citizens from being there to protect what is left of their belongings.

[strickj]

Road blocks for cops = driving on the freeway for HCP's

Good analogy

Like I said(and others) its not for property,but for safety.Your property will become useless after a flood.All of it!

[Guest jackdog]

wait a minute. As I understand it, this guy attempted to go through a legal road block.

So explain how the officer was at fault for stepping in front of this guy to try and stop him. I think the officer did the right thing in this case and the home owner was flat wrong. And If thieves have already gotten in then what's left to protect.

[Guest 270win]

If you have been ordered to stop at a roadblock by a police officer stepping in front of the vehicle and you keep trying to press the gas and run over the officer, that is not too smart and a good way to end up dead. A car can and often is used as a weapon against people.

A case happened in the North Little Rock area not too long ago where the police had a roadblock set up on a major freeway in North Little Rock to stop fleeing violent felons. The felons would not stop, kept speeding towards the police, forcing the police to open fire on the car and from my memory at least one of the fleeing felons was killed. Thankfully none of the police on the roadblock were hurt by the car. The case never went to trial because the county prosecutor ruled it justifiable homicide.

[Guest Engloid]

There's a big difference in trying to reduce the risk of an injury versus removing all risk by injuring somebody. The difference is one of a risky situation vs a definite one.

You guys think it's right to protect a person from their own home, because the danger is greater than the gain... but you think a cop should put their life in front of a person that wants to go to that home?

Come on!! That's crazy!! If a cop walks in front of my car while I'm moving, it's no different than walking in front of me while I have a gun leveled and taking aim at something other than him and then claiming I was trying to shoot him.

Edited June 20, 2008 by Engloid

[Marswolf]

Back to the topic....

The evacuation of the flooded area wasn't something that was unexpected. It's not like the dam broke and people are ordered out within five minutes. The river rise gave people plenty of time to get out what valuables they could stick in the car. Whatever is left in the homes is ruined or probably stuff like furniture that was moved upstairs or personal items that aren't worth much monitarily. They are either OK or ruined.

There are a lot of reasons to keep people away from their homes until the flood water disappears from their street.