true screening police officers should be improved the same goes for soldiers and politicians
On Nov 2, 12:21 pm, Hollywood <[email protected]> wrote: > Plain, > > Well certainly not in this incidence. > > On Nov 2, 11:56 am, plainolamerican <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > NEVER Seek “Help” from the State’s Armed Enforcers > > --- > > not good advice > > > remember, they are the good guys, most of the time > > > On Nov 1, 12:57 pm, "M. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > NEVERSeek “Help” from the State’s Armed EnforcersPosted byWilliam Griggon > > > November 1, 2009 08:03 AM > > > Niles Leo Meservey, a 51-year-old resident of Stanwood, Washington, was > > > drunk and belligerent when he slumped into the seat behind the steering > > > wheel of his Corvette last June 10. > > > Meservey had been cut off by the bartender after he had inflicted his > > > unwanted attention on a couple of women at a nearby club, briefly > > > dragging one of them onto the dance floor. > > > Several people were worried about the prospect of the intoxicated man > > > attempting to drive home when he clearly presented a risk to himself and > > > others. One of them, Trisha Tribble,called 911. > > > “We’re really concerned about a guy leaving the parking lot of Chuckwagon > > > [Inn] on Evergreen Way in a white Corvette, he’s extremely intoxicated,” > > > Tribble told the dispatcher. > > > Several officers from the Everett Police Department soon arrived; among > > > them were Troy Meade, an 11-year-veteran, and Officer Steven Klocker. > > > Meade arrived at about 11:39 PM; Klocker reached the scene a little less > > > than five minutes later. > > > At the time Officer Meade arrived, Meservey was hedged in by cars on > > > either side of his Corvette, and cut off by a parking lot fence in front > > > of him. Meade pulled up behind Meservey’s car, effectively boxing him in. > > > Joanne Hancock, who was smoking outside the Chuckwagon Inn when the > > > police arrived, went inside to tell others concerned about Meservey that > > > “They’ve got him!” The news prompted a small group of people to go > > > outside to watch the arrest. > > > By the time Klocker arrived to provide “backup,” Meade had spent perhaps > > > five minutes trying to convince Meservey to get out of the car. Klocker > > > would laterreportthat Meade’s tone and attitude toward the intoxicated > > > man were “belligerent,” and that he “used language which made him > > > [Klocker] uncomfortable because of the nearby civilians.” > > > “I don’t know why the f**k I am trying to save your dumb ass,” Meade > > > snarled at Meservey, according to Klocker’s account. > > > Both Meade and Klocker withdrew their portable electro-shock torture > > > devices (more commonly called Tasers). Meade, who was closest to the > > > driver, shot Meservey with his Taser through the open driver’s side > > > window, inflicting two separate strikes one five seconds long, the other > > > six seconds’ duration. > > > “Why in the f**k did you do that?” muttered the drunken man, who > > > predictably enough didn’t want to stick around for any more abuse. He > > > reached for his keys and started the car, but he had nowhere to go: It > > > lurched over a concrete curb and ran into an unyielding chain-link fence. > > > Bear in mind, once again, that Meservey was entirely boxed in. It was > > > possible, albeit with some difficulty, for Officer Meade to reach through > > > the window and seize the car keys, rather than escalating the situation > > > by using potentially deadly force. > > > But Meade’s pointless escalation didn’t stop with the two Taser strikes. > > > After Meservey’s brief attempt to drive away, Meade according to the > > > official police account took up a position near the left rear wheel of > > > the Corvette, and pulled his gun. > > > “Time to end this,” bellowed Meade, according to Klocker. “Enough is > > > enough.” From a distance of six to seven feet, Meade fired eight shots > > > into the car, murdering Meservey. > > > When several other police officers arrived a few minutes later, Meade was > > > seen pacing back and forth near the murder scene. > > > “I’m out of it,” he exclaimed to one of the new arrivals. “I want my > > > Garrity.” > > > The“Garrity Rule”adapted from the 1967 Supreme Court rulingGarrity v. New > > > Jersey, which involved a ticket-fixing scandal triggers an enhancement of > > > the right against self-incrimination that only the government’s armed > > > enforcers enjoy: Any statements made after the magical Garrity > > > incantation is uttered can only be used for the purpose of a departmental > > > investigation, not for criminal prosecution. > > > Klocker, who witnessed the entire incident, pointed out to investigators > > > that when Meservey’s body was pulled from the car, the prongs of Officer > > > Meade’s Taser were still firmly embedded in his shoulder. > > > “I’m thinking as I ‘m dragging him … why didn’t we [shock] him > > > again?”Klocker told investigators.If escalation had been “necessary,” > > > Klocker thought, Meade would have used the Taser again, or resorted to > > > pepper spray. “I would never have shot [Meservey]… I don’t think we had > > > reached that level of force yet,” Klocker concluded. > > > What seems obvious to someone not indoctrinated in the state’s view of > > > discretionary killing is this:There was no reason to use force of any > > > kind in this situation, beyond the minimal amount necessary to take the > > > keys away from Meservey. Once that was accomplished, the intoxicated man > > > had nowhere to go, and it would have been a matter of patiently waiting > > > for him to leave his car, or fall asleep. > > > Rather that choosing an approach of that kind, Meade (who was involved in > > > a prior lethal shooting a few years ago) went up the escalation ladder > > > very quickly vaulting from confrontational and abusive language to lethal > > > violence within a matter of minutes. > > > Meade did provide an ironic service of sorts by offering such a > > > compelling display of the fact that citizens face the risk of lethal > > > violence ineveryencounter they have with law enforcement personnel. > > > Making that point was obviously not worth the price of a man’s life. > > > Meservey’s daughter has filed a $15 million wrongful death claim against > > > Everett.Meade has been charged with first-degree manslaughterand placed > > > on paid vacation (aka “administrative leave”); unlike a private citizen > > > charged with lethally shooting an unarmed man six times in the back, > > > Meade is loose on his own recognizance.Meade’s attorney defends the > > > murderas the result of a “split-second decision” (it wasn’t, as we’ve > > > seen) and predicts, with tragically justifiable confidence, that the > > > officer will be acquitted in court.It’s entirely likely that Meade > > > wouldn’t have been indicted if it weren’t for rising public concern over > > > recent police shootings in Everett. > > > Trisha Tribble, who called 911, was mortified by the death of Meservey, > > > whom she described as “this drunken guy, [who] was obviously out of his > > > mind.” > > > “There was no reason for him to die,” she commented after the slaying. > > > And that was the trouble with Tribble’s actions the night of June 10: Any > > > time we seek “help” from the state’s armed enforcers, we’re effectively > > > inviting them to use lethal force. > > > (Thanks to LRC reader J.C. Warren for the tip.)- Hide quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
