Monday, July 28, 2008

Don't shoot, I'm dangerous AND crazy

Officers weigh many factors in use of force

I'm going to stop at the headline. There is only one factor in the use of deadly force: does this person have the means, motive and opportunity to cause me serious injury or death and do I belive that is his intent.

When a Silverton police officer fired five bullets into an unarmed man who was charging toward him and defying orders to get down, he followed the basic premise of deadly police force: he shot to kill.

And this first sentence shows the bias in the media. Instead of saying "when a Sivlerton officer defended himself from and illegal alien who threatended him" they say "unarmed man" who "defied orders."

Gonzalez reportedly fired his gun as he was backing away from Hanlon, who was screaming, kicking and swinging his arms at the officer.

Despite the grand jury's finding of a justified shooting, Hanlon's family remains adamant that deadly force wasn't necessary. As they tell it, Hanlon was agitated on the night of the shooting and possibly in the throes of mental illness.

What does "possibly in the throse of mental illness" even mean? And how does that differ from "possibly in the throes of drug addiction" or "possibly in the throes of a murderous rampage" when an officer (or civillian) is threatened?

We can't ask our police to inquire if suspects who threaten them had a troubled childhood or are feeling a little crazy before making a decision that they think is neccessary to protect their lives.

If you have a family member that is mentally ill perhaps you yourself should make some financial or time sacrifice to get that person some help before you ask a cop to sacrifice his life.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

GODS WAY OF BIRTH CONTROL. you do it or we do it for you. we must weed the garden of the stupid morons that cause trouble. Jail is not the best option.

Anonymous said...

Too many stupid fucking people in this state. I suspect a clear majority of these assholes would have been scared shitless had this dude been banging on their door late at night. Hindsight is 20/20 and hindsight in this mother fuckin' state always works against the police - always, at least when it comes to the mouth-breathers running their fucking mouths. Luckily, enough people have sense (grand juries) not to charge the cops when shit like this happens.

My suggestion is to ignore all these stupid fucks, get a gun, and be locked and loaded in your home and ready to go. Same with your car. Where I am from, it is legal to carry a weapon in your car as an extension of your home, and if any of these mother fuckers on bikes tried to attack me while I was driving, I'd blow their fucking heads off.

Bobkatt said...

One aspect of this case is very underplayed. That is that the man shot was here illegally. He had overstayed his Visa by 6 months. His relatives state that he was possibly mentally ill and it was normal for him to wander the night and bang on the door when he wanted in. My question is why is a disturbed 20 year old with no means of support allowed to come to this country and become a threat to himself and others?
That said, it troubles me that so many of these altercations end up in death. Armed with a club, pepper spray, taser and training it seems that a 250 lb. cop shouldn't have to resort to his gun. It is also troubling that the officer involved is being investigated for sexual assault.

Anonymous said...

Hindsight is 20/20 Until someone has had to face the decision whether to shoot another human being or not, they simply cannot understand the complex thought process that goes into making that split second decision.

All these folks who say silly things like "they could have shot him in the leg", weren't there and I can guarantee you that they have never before been faced with the threat of being attacked by another person.

Police officers deal with the fear of death every night on duty. When they pull over a car simply for speeding, the first thing they are thinking when they get out of the patrol car to speak with the driver is "where are this guy's hands; if there is a threat, where is my closest cover; and what would I do if X,Y, or Z occurs"

Those who don't have to deal with this daily have not got a clue what happens on patrol every day, or what goes on in the mind of a Police Officer every day.

Cops die every day in this country. Every day. I would encourage you to visit ODMP.ORG and have a look at all of the brave men and women who have given thier lives in the defense of others.

Anonymous said...

12:48, you sound like law enforcement. I feel for you if so. No respect for the job done. No appreciation. I am sure any appreciation you get is from individuals you have likely helped. I wouldn't want to be a cop anywhere near the Portland metro area, I'd probably end up shooting some of these assclowns out there.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of the law....what ever happened to the "Respect For Law" act? Did enough people sign the petition to get it on the ballot? I can't find a peep about it on any news source. Does anyone know?

Anonymous said...

note that the cop is named Gomez and that Silverton is full of illegal aliens.
So I would like to know the immigration status on this Mexican cop. anchor baby of illegal aliens.?????
just like an hispanic to murder a non-hispanic.
it's their culture.