# Controversial encounters between law-enforcement and civilians - the omnibus thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 10, 2014, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942 "2014-10-10T07:35:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 405
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8082 "2016-04-06T17:18:08Z")
This is why body cameras should be mandatory: > **[Man shot by police on I-75 said 'kill me' over 40 times](https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2016/04/05/prosecutor-discusses-video--75-police-involved-shooting/82650042/)** > > Javier Aleman repeatedly begged Glendale police Officer Josh Hilling to kill him, body camera video shows. Not just for the (many) situations where the public is justifiably suspicious of the actions of the officers involved, but for situations, like the one above, where an officer handles himself admirably in an incredibly tense and stressful situation. Good job, Officer Hilling. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8083 "2016-04-06T18:07:17Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > Something my city is trying for mental health related police calls is using first response teams that include a mental health crisis worker and a police officer responding together. So when the police shoot the mentally ill person, they have a therapist on hand to help them through the experience? ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8084 "2016-04-07T10:13:48Z")
There are already two stories about San Antonio police in just the latest page of this thread. [Here’s another one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__GRdC_J_ng) about a [San Antonio cop who slams a 12-year old girl to the ground.](http://www.ajc.com/news/news/national/texas-officer-appears-body-slam-middle-school-girl/nqz4X/) In defense of the cop, the 12-year old appears healthy and might have been as strong as a 14-year old. The cop had no way of knowing whether she was a Muslim, or carried a gun or some other weapon. And — the girl had black skin, the mark of thugs and hos. As many cop defenders know, blacks are coddled in this country by Obama’s racist policies; it’s only natural that persecuted whites should fight back. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8085 "2016-04-07T12:00:02Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > There are already two stories about San Antonio police in just the latest page of this thread. [Here’s another one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__GRdC_J_ng) about a [San Antonio cop who slams a 12-year old girl to the ground.](http://www.ajc.com/news/news/national/texas-officer-appears-body-slam-middle-school-girl/nqz4X/) > > In defense of the cop, the 12-year old appears healthy and might have been as strong as a 14-year old. The cop had no way of knowing whether she was a Muslim, or carried a gun or some other weapon. > > And — the girl had black skin, the mark of thugs and hos. As many cop defenders know, blacks are coddled in this country by Obama’s racist policies; it’s only natural that persecuted whites should fight back. He could have killed her with that take down. He need sot go to jail for assault. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8086 "2016-04-07T13:59:49Z")
Good god. That sounds terrible just reading about it and then seeing the video…That is pretty disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8087 "2016-04-07T14:46:51Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > And — the girl had black skin, the mark of thugs and hos. As many cop defenders know, blacks are coddled in this country by Obama’s racist policies; it’s only natural that persecuted whites should fight back. Well, the police are trying to step it up: [Study finds police fatally shoot unarmed black men at disproportionate rates](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/study-finds-police-fatally-shoot-unarmed-black-men-at-disproportionate-rates/2016/04/06/e494563e-fa74-11e5-80e4-c381214de1a3_story.html?hpid=hp_rhp-more-top-stories_no-name%3Ahomepage%2Fstory) > [@](#): > > In 2015, The Post documented 990 fatal shootings by police, 93 of which involved people who were unarmed. Black men accounted for about 40 percent of the unarmed people fatally shot by police and when adjusted by population were seven times as likely as unarmed white men to die from police gunfire, The Post found. > > Researchers, who used data collected by The Post, found that when other factors are considered the racial disparity persists, but it is lower — twice the rate for unarmed black men compared to unarmed white men. Researchers adjusted for the age of the person shot, whether the person suffered from mental illness, whether the person was attacking a police officer and for the crime rate in the neighborhood where the shooting occured. > > “The only thing that was significant in predicting whether someone shot and killed by police was unarmed was whether or not they were black,” said Justin Nix, a criminal justice researcher at the University of Louisville and one of the report’s authors. “Crime variables did not matter in terms of predicting whether the person killed was unarmed.” ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8088 "2016-04-08T12:08:03Z")
[Here’s](http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/crime-law/judge-finds-probable-cause-for-911-caller-in-crawf/nqzq4/) an interesting occurrence in the [Crawford](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_John_Crawford_III) shooting. > [@](#): > > Root found probable cause that Ronald T. Ritchie, the lone person to call 911 from Beavercreek’s Walmart before shots were fired Aug. 5, 2014, could be prosecuted for making false alarms, a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by maximums of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. > > There is uncertainty as to what legal steps may happen next, but Root wrote that the case should be referred to a prosecutor. > > … > > "… The video does depict Mr. Crawford swinging or waving an item in a casual manner while looking at a shelf at the time of the call. > > “The item appears to be a rifle. At one point the caller advises that it appears that Mr. Crawford is trying to load the rifle. It is difficult to discern from the video what Mr. Crawford is doing at this point in time. The court does note that at the time that Ronald Ritchie is relaying to dispatch that Mr. Crawford is pointing the gun at two children, the video does not depict this event.” I do not believe that Ritchie will be prosecuted. Ohio law requires “knowingly” making a false report, and I think that Ritchie was merely sadly mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8089 "2016-04-08T12:13:58Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > [Study finds police fatally shoot unarmed black men at disproportionate rates](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/study-finds-police-fatally-shoot-unarmed-black-men-at-disproportionate-rates/2016/04/06/e494563e-fa74-11e5-80e4-c381214de1a3_story.html?hpid=hp_rhp-more-top-stories_no-name%3Ahomepage%2Fstory) I just hope the fix doesn’t involve shooting more unarmed white dudes. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8090 "2016-04-08T12:22:39Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > [South Carolina cops perform roadside cavity search of a man and woman for no reason, and it is caught on video.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2016/04/01/video-shows-white-cops-performing-roadside-cavity-search-of-black-man/). This has got to be one of the most horrible things I’ve ever read :mad:☹ Can someone tell me an easy way to keep track of this case, or is periodic searching of the news the only way? ---
**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:** [April 8, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8091 "2016-04-08T17:14:18Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > [Here’s](http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/crime-law/judge-finds-probable-cause-for-911-caller-in-crawf/nqzq4/) an interesting occurrence in the [Crawford](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_John_Crawford_III) shooting. > > I do not believe that Ritchie will be prosecuted. Ohio law requires “knowingly” making a false report, and I think that Ritchie was merely sadly mistaken. > [@](#): > > Crawford picked up an un-packaged BB/pellet air rifle inside the store’s sporting goods section and continued shopping in the store. Another customer, Ronald Ritchie, called 911. According to Ritchie at the time, Crawford was pointing the gun at people and at children walking by, and messing with the gun.[6] Ritchie has since stated “At no point did he shoulder the rifle and point it at somebody”, while maintaining that Crawford was “waving it around”.[7] Two officers of the Beavercreek Police arrived at the Walmart shortly after their dispatcher informed them of a “subject with a gun” in the pet supplies area of the store and Crawford was shot. He was later pronounced dead at Dayton’s Miami Valley Hospital.[8] > > _ **A second person, Angela Williams, died after suffering a heart attack while fleeing from the shooting. Her death was ruled a homicide** _.[9] Can’t get my head around this. Shooting the unarmed kid was justifiable, but the woman who had a heart attack running away…THAT was a homicide? Are they gonna charge the dead kid? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8092 "2016-04-08T17:24:50Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8093 "2016-04-08T18:06:48Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Can’t get my head around this. Shooting the unarmed kid was justifiable, but the woman who had a heart attack running away…THAT was a homicide? Are they gonna charge the dead kid? Might there be insurance implications? ---
**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:** [April 8, 2016, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8094 "2016-04-08T19:30:15Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Can’t get my head around this. Shooting the unarmed kid was justifiable, but the woman who had a heart attack running away…THAT was a homicide? Are they gonna charge the dead kid? “Homicide” does not always result in charges, unless it is classed as “murder”. They could charge Ritchie as accessory, though. ---
**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:** [April 10, 2016, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8095 "2016-04-10T07:28:25Z")
> [@](#): > > A Louisiana woman is recovering after being run over by a police vehicle while sunbathing in Grand Isle. > > Lindsey Gordon, 24, suffered a shattered pelvis and internal bleeding in the Thursday afternoon incident, her mother, Suzanne Baggett, told WVUE. She is in stable condition after undergoing multiple surgeries. > > Grand Isle Police Assistant Chief Norris Esponge was patrolling the beach in a marked police truck, a Ford F-150, when he drove the vehicle over the woman, according to the report. Gordon’s friend was able to get out of the way. > **[Louisiana woman run over by police vehicle while sunbathing](https://www.al.com/news/2016/04/louisiana_woman_run_over_by_po.html)** > > A Louisiana woman is recovering after being run over by a police vehicle while sunbathing in Grand Isle. People should know better than go sunbathing on a beach. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8096 "2016-04-10T10:55:54Z")
The truck was just defending itself. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8097 "2016-04-10T21:07:24Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > The truck was just defending itself. Wait until they charge her with resisting being run over by a police vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2016, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8098 "2016-04-12T17:00:09Z")
[Two L.A. cops fatally shot an unarmed autistic man in the face.](http://fusion.net/story/108719/cops-shoot-womans-autistic-son-in-the-face-get-a-settlement-four-times-as-big-as-hers/) In civil suits, the victim’s mother was awarded less than $1 million. The two cops were awarded about $2 million each. ---
**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:** [April 12, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8099 "2016-04-12T17:25:55Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > [Two L.A. cops fatally shot an unarmed autistic man in the face.](http://fusion.net/story/108719/cops-shoot-womans-autistic-son-in-the-face-get-a-settlement-four-times-as-big-as-hers/) In civil suits, the victim’s mother was awarded less than $1 million. The two cops were awarded about $2 million each. So…much…wrong…in…that…overloaded…bzzzttttt. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2016, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8100 "2016-04-13T02:12:51Z")
Meanwhile, in Australia: [http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/nsw-police…09-go2f9g.html](http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/nsw-police-officers-caught-trolling-greens-mp-jenny-leong-on-facebook-with-racist-and-sexist-posts-20160409-go2f9g.html) Quote: Serving officers in the NSW Police Force have been caught trolling and harassing an MP with a slew of racist and sexist posts on social media. Police personnel at Sydney City Local Area Command, Kings Cross, Bankstown, Cabramatta – and even within senior management – have been implicated in an extraordinary attack on the Greens member for Newtown, Jenny Leong. The MP has been devastated by a string of Facebook posts that mocked her ethnic background and referred to her father as a “swamp monkey”. The cyber-bullying follows the Greens’ latest bid, in the NSW Parliament, to repeal the state’s controversial sniffer dog drug detection program. This appears to have been picked up by the media after the matter was referred to the Police Integrity Commission. It will be interesting to see what comes of it but if this is how the police treat a member of Parliament who criticizes a policy the general public who have a complaint don’t have much of a chance. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/8101 "2016-04-15T20:45:35Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > So when the police shoot the mentally ill person, they have a therapist on hand to help them through the experience? No, so the police have an additional target. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942.md?page=404) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942.md?page=406)