# 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:** 52
**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:** [March 8, 2015, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1021 "2015-03-08T13:55:38Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > [Another fucked-up law sends a black man to jail in suburban Atlanta](http://www.wspa.com/story/28257002/sanitation-worker-jailed-for-starting-work-too-early). I wonder what would happen if his coworkers showed some solidarity and struck/blue flued for thirty days. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1022 "2015-03-08T15:31:50Z")
> [@get\_lives](#): > > The thing that bothers me is that the officer LIED about why he shot the horse. Shoot my pet and then lie? Who does that? it’s someone’s PET, for fuck’s sake. A miniature horse like that is not a danger to anyone. And the officer then refused help from the vet, who offered to come over and help him with the horse. > > I sure wish they’d let some sociopaths be cops. Oh, wait… TBCF, equines, even the smaller ones, are potentially dangerous. An old pony still has legs and teeth that are capable of delivering serious injury. But whipping out ones gun to deal with unknown large dark shapes in the night shows a signal lack of restraint. If the police are exhibiting increasing lack of restraint, as appears to be the case these days, the sensible thing to do is to take their dangerous weapons away until they calm the fuck down and demonstrate that they, as a group, can behave reasonably. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1023 "2015-03-08T16:18:33Z")
> [@get\_lives](#): > > So can I get my garbage collectors thrown in jail when they wake me up before 7 am? WTF? Getting woken up by the garbage truck is just part of city life. Don’t like it? Move farther out, to where there’s no garbage service. On the surface, this one just sounds indefensible - if he was scheduled to work at that hour, then it’s the garbage company that should be getting punished, not the driver. You wouldn’t respond to a restaurateur not paying his taxes by garnishing the line cook’s wages. If he took it on himself to start work early, that’s another matter. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1024 "2015-03-08T16:23:05Z")
Can confirm, having been a garbageman. Its revenge. We hate you, pure and simple. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1025 "2015-03-08T16:24:17Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > TBCF 😕 ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1026 "2015-03-08T16:31:04Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > On the surface, this one just sounds indefensible - if he was scheduled to work at that hour, then it’s the garbage company that should be getting punished, not the driver. You wouldn’t respond to a restaurateur not paying his taxes by garnishing the line cook’s wages. > > If he took it on himself to start work early, that’s another matter. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been woken up before 7 by a garbage truck. I never called 911. IMO, that’s abuse of the 911 system. I might complain to the city, if it was really bad, but…people can invest in earplugs. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1027 "2015-03-08T16:36:35Z")
> [@Steken](#): > > 😕 “to be completely fair” ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1028 "2015-03-08T16:49:59Z")
> [@get\_lives](#): > > I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been woken up before 7 by a garbage truck. I never called 911. IMO, that’s abuse of the 911 system. I might complain to the city, if it was really bad, but…people can invest in earplugs. If it’s covered by the city noise ordinance, then I don’t see that there’s a difference between a loud garbage truck and your neighbors blasting heavy metal music at 6 AM. Arresting the driver is silly, though, because unless he’s gone rogue this is an issue that should be worked out between the city and the garbage company. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1029 "2015-03-08T16:57:47Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > If it’s covered by the city noise ordinance, then I don’t see that there’s a difference between a loud garbage truck and your neighbors blasting heavy metal music at 6 AM. Firstly, if you get woken up by a garbage truck, you know that the noise will be gone in a couple of minutes, when the truck moves down the block. There is no such predictability with loud music. Second, even if the two are similar, neither requires calling 911. As **get lives** says, this is something that should be dealt with as an abuse of the emergency line. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1030 "2015-03-08T17:18:25Z")
> [@get\_lives](#): > > So can I get my garbage collectors thrown in jail when they wake me up before 7 am? WTF? Getting woken up by the garbage truck is just part of city life. Don’t like it? Move farther out, to where there’s no garbage service. But this is in the suburbs north of Atlanta. If our lives aren’t kept nice, all the terrors that 21st century civilization can inflict will be brought to bear. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1031 "2015-03-08T17:31:52Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > And guys trying to grab the cop’s gun. Is that a somewhat recent development, doesn’t seem like I heard much about idiots trying to grab a cop’s gun before recently. Must be video games. No it is not new. It happens all the time. It is just not publicized especially in the many instances when it is resolved without gunfire. Here is an article from 2005 about officers being killed with their own guns. [http://www.policeone.com/close-quarters-combat/articles/100228-Cases-of-Officers-Killed-by-Their-Own-Guns-Likely-Will-Not-Change-R-I-Policies/](http://www.policeone.com/close-quarters-combat/articles/100228-Cases-of-Officers-Killed-by-Their-Own-Guns-Likely-Will-Not-Change-R-I-Policies/) ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1032 "2015-03-08T17:55:08Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > No it is not new. It happens all the time. It is just not publicized especially in the many instances when it is resolved without gunfire. > > Here is an article from 2005 about officers being killed with their own guns. > [http://www.policeone.com/close-quarters-combat/articles/100228-Cases-of-Officers-Killed-by-Their-Own-Guns-Likely-Will-Not-Change-R-I-Policies/](http://www.policeone.com/close-quarters-combat/articles/100228-Cases-of-Officers-Killed-by-Their-Own-Guns-Likely-Will-Not-Change-R-I-Policies/) All the time? Your cite says the opposite. > [@](#): > > “But if you look nationwide, the frequency of a police officer’s gun being taken by a suspect is extremely rare.” ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1033 "2015-03-08T18:21:20Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > All the time? Your cite says the opposite. Which is why it’s news when it happens. ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1034 "2015-03-08T21:55:09Z")
Good de-escalation largely removes the need to worry about someone taking a cop’s gun. Sure you’ll always have the occasional incident, but even as things stand, it’s pretty rare. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1035 "2015-03-08T22:43:12Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > All the time? Your cite says the opposite. Attempts happen often. Successfully killing an officer with his own gun is somewhat rare. But it is certainly nothing new since that cite is 10 years old. ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1036 "2015-03-08T23:18:22Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Attempts happen often. Cite? What’s your definition of often? ---
**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:** [March 9, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1037 "2015-03-09T02:46:42Z")
How do we gather information on suspects grabbing policemen’s guns? Oh, right, from the police, who write in their reports, “_I had to get rough because the suspect grabbed for my gun_.” Hmmm. Yeah, sounds to me like a reliable source of [del]excuses[/del] information. ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1038 "2015-03-09T02:55:46Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > How do we gather information on suspects grabbing policemen’s guns? Oh, right, from the police, who write in their reports, “_I had to get rough because the suspect grabbed for my gun_.” Hmmm. Yeah, sounds to me like a reliable source of [del]excuses[/del] information. There seem to be a lot of discrepancies between citizens’ videos and officer reports, I would agree, based on the cases that come to my attention. If I pay more taxes, like Europe, can I have less shooty cops? ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2015, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1039 "2015-03-09T03:04:09Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Attempts happen often. Successfully killing an officer with his own gun is somewhat rare. But it is certainly nothing new since that cite is 10 years old. The quote I pulled from your cite is not about successful killings. It says that it is rare for someone to take an officer’s weapon. It says nothing at all about attempts. ---
**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:** [March 9, 2015, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/1040 "2015-03-09T03:12:33Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Attempts happen often. Successfully killing an officer with his own gun is somewhat rare. But it is certainly nothing new since that cite is 10 years old. You know that nothing in what you wrote refutes the quote that **Hentor** posted _from your own cite_, right? I would also like to hear how you define “often”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942.md?page=51) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942.md?page=53)