# Controversial encounters between law-enforcement and civilians - the omnibus thread #2 **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 23, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531 "2020-06-23T20:29:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 100
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/1986 "2021-08-02T13:22:11Z")
> [@tofor](#): > > The aesthetics do not make the rifle more deadly. No, the better ballistics, increased accuracy, larger magazine size and reduced recoil make the rifle more deadly. All things being equal, I’d much rather be shot at by a guy with a pistol than a guy with an assault rifle. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/1987 "2021-08-02T15:15:38Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > No, the better ballistics, increased accuracy, larger magazine size and reduced recoil make the rifle more deadly. Yes, absolutely. But I meant “more deadly than other rifles”. All things being equal I don’t care if the rifle shooting at me is “military looking” or not. ETA: On rereading my post, I realize your interpretation was utterly rational given the way I wrote it. I didn’t mean what it sounded like I was saying. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/1988 "2021-08-02T19:05:46Z")
It should be kept in mind that before they had AR platforms you’d find yourself looking down the barrel of a 12ga shotgun . . . and I don’t think that that’s any better than an AR for survivability. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/1989 "2021-08-02T21:39:17Z")
First there was this: > **[Decherd officer charged in road-rage incident](https://www.manchestertimes.com/news/local/decherd-officer-charged-in-road-rage-incident/article_cbc4613a-ceb8-11eb-bb6f-d33f0f423302.html)** > > An off-duty Decherd police officer was charged with aggravated assault after he allegedly pointed his department-issued handgun at a driver Sunday in Murfreesboro, a Rutherford County supervisor said. Then there was this: [https://www.wsmv.com/news/decherd-officer-allowed-to-resign-after-murfreesboro-road-rage-incident/article\_bdc502c0-cdf4-11eb-83db-a75c89273e5f.html](https://www.wsmv.com/news/decherd-officer-allowed-to-resign-after-murfreesboro-road-rage-incident/article_bdc502c0-cdf4-11eb-83db-a75c89273e5f.html) Then this happened: > **[Decherd police road rage drama continues unfolding](https://www.tullahomanews.com/news/local/decherd-police-road-rage-drama-continues-unfolding/article_53400b0e-e657-11eb-bba0-7b478c825021.html)** And then this happened: > **[Decherd Police Chief submits resignation following fallout from officer's...](https://www.newschannel5.com/news/decherd-police-cheif-to-resign-following-fallout-from-officers-road-rage-incident)** > > Decherd Police Chief Ross Peterson has submitted his resignation after NewsChannel 5 raised questions of the department's hiring practices following a road rage incident involving an officer. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/1990 "2021-08-02T23:42:27Z")
Sounds like Chief Peterson will soon be able to spend more quality time with his family. He expressly ordered the hiring officer to NOT do any background checks, even though there was a formal process in place to do just that, and all required forms had been signed. (Peterson apparently thought he could just lie to the press about that last one - they caught him out) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2021, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/1991 "2021-08-03T06:14:49Z")
Overall this thread gives a slanted view of the police: that it doesn’t realize how helpful the police can be. In the following case a man’s [David Ordaz] sister called because he was suicidal. The police thoughtfully provided suicide by cop. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDme3Jch5wk) ---
**Author:** ![mistymage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mistymage/32/459_2.png) [@mistymage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mistymage)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2021, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/1992 "2021-08-03T12:06:15Z")
Here’s the video of the incident: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg31i2qznSg&ab\_channel=CopNarcs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg31i2qznSg&ab_channel=CopNarcs) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2021, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/1993 "2021-08-03T23:12:50Z")
Cops often suck at relationships. Sometimes because they are terrible people. [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/officer-fired-for-allegedly-using-police-database-to-stalk-harass-women/ar-AAMTYVC?li=BBnbfcL](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/officer-fired-for-allegedly-using-police-database-to-stalk-harass-women/ar-AAMTYVC?li=BBnbfcL) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/1994 "2021-08-04T01:30:59Z")
😱 > **[Black man assaulted at Indiana lake faces criminal charges](https://apnews.com/article/indiana-f2180a47d9eae2bbae104cfc00c5ddf3)** > > INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A Black man who said a group of white men assaulted him and threatened to “get a noose” at a southern Indiana lake is facing criminal charges more than a year after the confrontation that earlier led to charges against two of the... ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/1995 "2021-08-04T15:55:29Z")
I am sure that arresting them was the way to go. I mean, they ARE black and therefore criminals: [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/black-realtor-client-handcuffed-by-armed-cops-while-trying-to-sell-home/ar-AAMTwPq?li=BBnbfcL](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/black-realtor-client-handcuffed-by-armed-cops-while-trying-to-sell-home/ar-AAMTwPq?li=BBnbfcL) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/1996 "2021-08-04T19:50:58Z")
Louisiana, continued: > **[AP: Police brass eyed in probe of Black man's deadly arrest](https://apnews.com/article/arrests-death-of-ronald-greene-017487c5dddbc8643d12885451939717)** > > MONROE, La. (AP) — Federal prosecutors are investigating whether Louisiana State Police brass obstructed justice to protect the troopers seen on long-withheld body camera video punching, dragging and stunning Black motorist Ronald Greene during his... > It marks [a significant expansion of the federal inquiry](https://apnews.com/article/death-of-ronald-greene-e9474dfffbe1d37f7e1ff711a32f2e2d) that began as a blow-by-blow examination of the troopers’ violence against Greene and their apparent efforts to cover it up. Investigators are now moving up the chain of command, probing allegations that supervisors disregarded the video evidence, quashed a recommendation to arrest one of the troopers and recently pressed a state prosecutor not to bring any charges, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press and a half dozen people familiar with the case. > “Their investigation is far beyond just use of force,” said Ron Haley, an attorney for Greene’s family, who met with federal authorities at length last month. “They’re casting a very wide net.” ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/1997 "2021-08-04T23:06:32Z")
They will apologize for [shooting your son](https://www.dailykos.com/story/2021/7/29/2042708/-Dallas-police-chief-apologizes-48-years-after-cop-playing-Russian-roulette-shoots-kills-12-year-old), but come on, be fair,an apology is an apology, even if it takes them half a century to get around to it. > [@](#): > > Santos Rodriguez had been pulled from his bed, handcuffed with his brother David, and held in the back of a Dallas police car early on July 24, 1973, when officer Darrell Cain resorted to (“russian roulette”) in the hopes of getting the children to confess to stealing $8 from a vending machine at a local gas station, [_The Washington Post_](https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/07/26/santos-rodriguez-dallas-police-apologize/)reported. The boys, both Mexican American, said they did not steal the money even after Cain pulled the trigger of his .357 Magnum once. “I am telling the truth,” Santos said in what were reportedly his last words. > > Although Cain, who died in 2019, was convicted of murder with malice, he was only **sentenced to five years in prison** , and he ended up serving half of the time, [_The Dallas Morning News_](https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2021/07/24/dallas-police-chief-eddie-garcia-apologizes-to-mother-of-santos-rodriguez-murdered-in-1973-by-a-cop/)reported. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2021, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/1998 "2021-08-04T23:27:26Z")
It was not Cain’s first kill. > **[Murder of Santos Rodriguez](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Santos_Rodriguez)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > On the morning of July 24, 1973, in Dallas, Texas, 30-year-old Dallas Police Officer Darrell L. Cain murdered Santos Rodriguez, a 12-year-old Mexican-American child. Officer Cain and Officer Roy R. Arnold were investigating reports of a burglary at a Fina gas station when they took Santos Rodriguez and his 13-year-old brother David Rodriguez from their home for an impromptu interrogation over the burglary. Cain shot Santos Rodriguez while conduc... Cain had been previously involved in the controversial death of 18-year-old Michael Morehead[[11]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Santos_Rodriguez#cite_note-:4-11) (also spelled Michael Moorhead) on April 20, 1970. At around 3:10 a.m. Cain and another officer, Jeffery L. Kirksey, were investigating a silent burglar alarm that had been set off at the Empire Bar & Grill at 3307 Munger Ave.[[10]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Santos_Rodriguez#cite_note-:3-10) They found Morehead and a relative burgling the restaurant.[[12]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Santos_Rodriguez#cite_note-12) Morehead and his 26-year-old relative fled the scene, but Morehead was shot three times as he fled,[[13]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Santos_Rodriguez#cite_note-:7-13) leading to his death.[[14]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Santos_Rodriguez#cite_note-:5-14) In total, Cain had fired five shots and Kirksey fired eight.[[10]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Santos_Rodriguez#cite_note-:3-10) Morehead’s grandmother produced recorded statements from witnesses claiming that Morehead had been shot while he was on the ground, and that he had begged the officers not to shoot him.[[14]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Santos_Rodriguez#cite_note-:5-14) While witnesses to the shooting later changed their statements following questioning by the [FBI][[10]] investigations of the shooting revealed that the officers had shot into the grassy field where Morehead lay.[[15]] No charges were ever brought against Cain or Kirksey ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/1999 "2021-08-05T13:33:58Z")
> **[Forest Hill officer arrested after fatally shooting man who authorities say...](https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2021/08/04/forest-hill-officer-arrested-after-fatally-shooting-man-who-authorities-say-wasnt-a-threat/)** > > The officer who fatally shot a man near a Forest Hill gas station in June faces a felony charge after the Texas Rangers determined that the slain man did not... ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/2000 "2021-08-05T15:22:10Z")
Posted by Dangerosa in the Britney Spears thread, I think this is relevant here: > **[Mistaken identity lands man in Hawaii mental hospital](https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-10ef5663e67a8fa01636763cd0fd025d)** > > HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii officials wrongly arrested a homeless man for a crime committed by someone else, locked him up in a state hospital for more than two years, forced him to take psychiatric drugs and then tried to cover up the mistake by quietly... ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/2001 "2021-08-05T16:03:24Z")
So, cops can be evil…AND stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/2002 "2021-08-05T16:19:26Z")
Well, possibly evil and stupid, but I think a lot of it is “lazy” (which can lead to mostly inadvertent evil). They had a guy arrested and didn’t want to take the time to verify anything. Plus a healthy dose of “never admit you’re wrong”, which easily leads to evil outcomes. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/2003 "2021-08-05T16:26:29Z")
A very successful person once told me “Remember: cops aren’t stupid; they’re _lazy_.” ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/2004 "2021-08-05T19:02:04Z")
I think they’re also stupid. Many cops these days seem to have no idea that there is surveillance footage, cell phones and other methods for recording what they do. The days of lying about what happened when you shot someone are over. But many of them have not figured this out yet. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2021, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531/2005 "2021-08-05T19:42:36Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Many cops these days seem to have no idea that there is surveillance footage, cell phones and other methods for recording what they do Oh, they know. They just don’t care. Chauvin knew damn well he was being recorded and didn’t think it would matter. Why not? After all, way back in 1991, there was clear video evidence of the Rodney King beatdown, and they got acquitted. The only change since then is juries are once in a blue moon occasionally more willing to convict. Most cops are willing to roll the dice. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531.md?page=99) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread-2/912531.md?page=101)