I have apparently struck a nerve with at least one Nony Mouse — maybe two, I’m not sure yet — in regards to yesterday’s post.
The first of such takes umbrage at my assertion that LAPD had murdered three people (so far!) in the manhunt for Chris Dorner. My bad.
To be fair, the Los Angeles Police Department only managed to wound one Hispanic woman with two shots to the back from vehicle ramming range, and injure her septuagenarian mother by way of broken glass…
… do keep in mind that Chris Dorner is neither Hispanic, nor female. Not in his 70’s, either, come to think …
… multiple officers, multiple gunshots — two non-fatal (so far) GSWs to the back.
Well played, sir. The LAPD did not, in fact, kill those two people whilst multiple officers were Swiss-cheesing their car. At ramming distance.
The sheer number of “Only Imperial Stormtroopers are this precise” memes and posters springing up around the Internet would be making my inner science-fiction nerd giggle if the circumstances weren’t so sad. And quite frankly, unnecessary.
The third person (so far) not only wasn’t killed, but it wasn’t the LAPD who did the shooting. Apparently it was Torrance PD who rammed a truck driven by a white dude (Dorner is male, however he isn’t exactly pale of complexion) and then opened fire, giving the driver a shoulder injury and a concussion, according to his lawyer. None of which were bullet-inflicted.
So, I am mistaken. LAPD has NOT murdered as many people as Dorner has during the manhunt.
“It’s two Hispanic females! Delivering papers!”
“It’s Dorner!” BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM … ad infinitum.
“Oh, it’s not. Ah, well. We didn’t kill them.”
Hrm.
Very well, oh Anony Mouse of the Internet, you have caught me out. Consider me chastised.
The second commenter seems to … well, I’m not sure.
He seems to have a laundry list of things he wants out of me — mostly he seems to want me to respect people — and he’ll generously not lump me in with Chris Dorner. I think.
Huh.
New around here, aren’t you?
Tell you what. Over on the left of your screen there are several years worth of archives. A lot of those archives deal with me interacting with people on a professional basis.
Why don’t you read those archives before you start nattering about respect. That way you won’t be (metaphorically speaking) stepping on your wedding tackle in front of the average Gentle Reader who has been reading me from the start of this blog, and — I hope — already knows what sort of person I am.
Take your time, there are a lot of them. You can start with this one.
Nothing but love,
LawDog
Screw them all who don't like what you write, I have read you from the start of your blog and if they don't like what they read, Alt+F4 works wonders….
It is by a combination of luck and ineptitude that the LAPD didn't kill those people. It changes nothing in regards to your previous post.
I found nothing to complain about in this post or the previous. I am somewhat puzzled that some could, but then again there is a reason I avoid the comments on news sites.
On a semi-related topic, are you familiar with the strange goings on in Cleveland last November? http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/02/cleveland_police_chase_and_shooting_scene.html
I've been reading your blog since 2008, LD. First time to comment. With the exception of the murder thing, I agree with you 100%. the LAPD hasn't exactly covered themselves with glory over this, but that scumbag still deserves a date with a tall tree and a short rope
Meh, some people can get all butt hurt by a crayon drawing of a gold fish bowl.
BGM
You sir, are a peace officer. LAPD are the Police.
I need to chastize u also; needed a beer warning before the wedding tackle comment.
Ben
Seconding Well Seasoned Fool. May the Lord bless America with more Peace Officers and less Goons.
SPEMack:
Looks like Officer Willie Pete made the "arrest", finally.
I was surprised by your mistakenly reporting deaths in the manhunt. But having read your blog, I attributed it to the strength of your feelings on the topic. Those of us who have some understanding of your character know that there was no malice intended.
Now I would have sent Anony Mouse here:
http://thelawdogfiles.blogspot.com/2008/08/pink-gorilla-suit.html
I laughed, I cried, I shared it with the local Sheriff. If the internet had to be invented, this was the reason.
With the audio now released of the cops yelling "send in the burners" "set it on fire" "like we discussed before", I find their response to be exactly what I expected.
I seriously doubt their response would have been any different if he had had a room full of school children as hostages. The police were bent upon killing him at any cost.
Dorner was evil, but at least he followed some rules (leaving hostages alive, which resulted in his discovery). The cops hunting him appear to be both evil and following no rules at all.
I wonder how many people objected to their searches of cars and homes, to no avail.
Eby:
Although this is 20-20 hindsight;
If I had been in charge, I would have used a national guard tank to knock down the house with HE, and THEN thrown the willy pete grenades into the wreckage.
They were being too gentle with him, and got a cop killed, and a bunch wounded.
Eby:
And police are allowed to set up a perimeter and search vehicles in an exigent emergency like this one.
They can't use any accidental evidence found against people, but they do get to nab the suspect if found.
Kristopher, can I get a cite for that?
Police chasing a suspect into a house is one thing. Going several days after a sighting searching houses and cars seems a completely different matter.
The police can set up roadblocks if they are looking for a suspect in an area.
They can't generally can't use roadblocks for fishing expeditions, although there are conflicting court cases concerning sobriety check points.
Police can stop traffic, and they can look in car windows. They can ask permission to look inside closed off areas of vehicles.
As for houses, if the home-owner refuses to come to the door, or refuses to let them in, they still need a warrant.
And since you are apparently too lazy to do your own web search, I suggest searching for "police search and seizure roadblocks looking for fugitives" if you want more info on the matter, as well as the current judicial fights over what is admissible if found during a fugitive dragnet.
It appears that ex-cop and mad-dog killer Christopher Dorner out-shot every California police officer with whom he had a "fire fight". I suggest that those agencies contract with some independent and non-government organization (eg The National Rifle Association) to evaluate their current training programs and set-up such programs as will yield competent shooting by those departments' officers.
If, and only if, some government entity is required I suggest that the SEAL training facility which is in Southern California which produces this nation's best shots.
Along with "shooting" such training must include "decision making" as was apparently unknown to those California and "trigger happy" officers who shot innocent citizens (Much like the New York PD officers at the "Empire State Building Shootings").
you know, I'll agree on Dorner being a mad-dog.
But I suspect that the take-away lesson for a lot of people, (especially in LA which has no love for the police) isn't 'cops heroically kill evil villain'; it is either 'the cops only give a s— if it is one of their own' or 'look, you only need one guy to make the entire CA law enforcement loose their minds!', along with 'burned cabin? awfully convenient that'
Frankly, the whole thing looks like something from a particularly bad episode of a made-for-tv cop drama. Only the accidental shooting of various bystanders wouldn't play well with the ratings.
Somehow, I missed your blog this past week. Yet, as usual, you and I are of a mind, as peace officers.
I've seen a lot of law officers, for whom I have a lot of respect, bending themselves over backwards to excuse the LAPD's actions in these cases. It's nice to see someone admit from the inside that Dorner can be a dog who needed put down without saying that excuses any and all collateral damage by the dog wardens.
Lawdog, I read you before this blog existed, back in your forum days, most readers do not question your integrity. Those that do, well….
and james, I would ever suggest police need more training. but I do not agree that they need "SEAL" or any other "militarized" training. We already have enough various "response" teams running around our major cities acting like they are in baghdad for my tastes.
See, and when I think of your professionalism the first thing that comes to mind is a giant pink gorilla… 😉