plain, Random and frequent drug testing as well. Who gives a fucK if the french fry salter at McD's is high? I want to make sure that heavily armed cop isn't higher than a Georgia pine.
On Nov 2, 11:05 pm, plainolamerican <[email protected]> wrote: > 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 -- 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. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
