# 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:** 786
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15703 "2020-01-28T13:20:44Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Many departments don’t have rear cages. It sounds like a really bad idea to me but you work with what they give you. When there is no cage it’s generally considered safer to put them in the front seat rather than behind the driver. It’s not ideal but it is standard procedure in much of the country. I don’t know for sure if that’s the case with that department. Thanks for that info. I’m surprised that many departments don’t have rear cages. Ignorance fought. ---
**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:** [January 28, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15704 "2020-01-28T15:15:16Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > I’m not a cop, of course. But putting a suspect in the front seat of the cruiser and then getting in next to him sounds like not a great idea. Some bullshit can be smelled from a great distance, like driving near a cattleyard on a hot day. ---
**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:** [January 28, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15705 "2020-01-28T15:31:29Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > Thanks for that info. I’m surprised that many departments don’t have rear cages. Ignorance fought. [This site](https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/16571/Volume-II-Operations-PDF)says that if there is one officer, and no security partition, the arrestee will placed in front passenger seat. If there are two officers and no security partition, the arrestee will placed in the left rear seat. Why is anybody’s guess. ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15706 "2020-01-28T16:31:46Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > The Sheriff at the time of Nash’s detention was a man named Jackie Knight, [a guy who thinks non-Christians are going to Hell](https://www.newtoncountyappeal.com/columns-social/%E2%80%98i%E2%80%99m-still-here-blessing-lord%E2%80%99-declared-sheriff-knight#sthash.3yVgep3g.dpbs)… Pretty standard Christian belief, there. Doesn’t make him a “religious zealot”. The rest of what you said does make him a dick, though. ---
**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:** [January 28, 2020, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15707 "2020-01-28T20:11:34Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > [This site](https://www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/DocumentCenter/View/16571/Volume-II-Operations-PDF)says that if there is one officer, and no security partition, the arrestee will placed in front passenger seat. If there are two officers and no security partition, the arrestee will placed in the left rear seat. > > Why is anybody’s guess. Personally I think it’s a horrible idea. I don’t know that particular organization but it seems that usually it’s state police/highway units that they don’t bother putting cages in. I guess the feeling is they are less likely to have to transport prisoners. Mostly it’s putting cost above officer safety. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15708 "2020-01-29T01:09:38Z")
One cop has been charged with murder: > [@](#): > > Maryland police charged an officer with murder after he fired seven shots inside a cruiser, killing a man who was cuffed in the front seat with his hands behind his back [https://t.co/ib7fov91qZ](https://t.co/ib7fov91qZ) ---
**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:** [January 29, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15709 "2020-01-29T16:36:47Z")
[The AP has the story too (no paywall)](https://apnews.com/1d543171e011db452f30ada539e68a95): > [@](#): > > Investigators didn’t find any evidence of a fight between a Maryland police officer and the handcuffed man he is accused of fatally shooting in the front passenger seat of his patrol car, police said in a report on a murder charge against the officer. > > Prince George’s County Police Cpl. Michael Owen Jr. fired seven shots at William Howard Green and struck him multiple times, said the report on Monday’s shooting. > [@](#): > > Prince George’s County Police Chief Hank Stawinski said during a news conference Tuesday that he asked his special investigations response team to file the charges. Stawinski called the announcement the most difficult of his tenure as police chief. > > “I am unable to come to our community this evening and provide you with a reasonable explanation for the events that occurred last night,” the chief told reporters. “I concluded that what happened last night is a crime.” > [@](#): > > Owen a 10-year veteran of the force, was arrested Tuesday on charges of second-degree murder, voluntary and involuntary manslaughter, first-degree assault and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence. > > Owen, 31, of Accokeek, Maryland, is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday afternoon for a hearing on whether he can be freed on bail. The answer should be “no”. He is clearly a danger to the community, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15710 "2020-01-29T20:21:59Z")
I am trying, with an almost complete lack of success, to come up with a story that Officer Owen can tell. I can understand his not talking to anyone, especially the press, except his lawyer. But what can he say? “I accidentally fired at him seven times”? “He attacked me from the passenger seat”? “He tried to grab my gun with his hands cuffed behind him”? “I thought he was somebody else”? “Oops”? “What the hell were you thinking” seems inadequate, but I can’t come up with anything else. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15711 "2020-01-29T20:56:30Z")
Green committed suicide with Owen’s gun. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2020, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15712 "2020-01-29T21:55:50Z")
“_He said_ [redacted] _about my mother!_” ---
**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:** [January 29, 2020, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15713 "2020-01-29T22:35:08Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > The answer should be “no”. He is clearly a danger to the community, IMO. [Bond denied for officer in handcuffed man’s fatal shooting](https://apnews.com/1d543171e011db452f30ada539e68a95). > [@](#): > > A judge denied bond Wednesday for a Maryland police officer who has been charged with murder after being accused of fatally shooting a handcuffed man in his patrol car. > > Judge Robert Heffron Jr. said he found convincing evidence that Prince George’s County Police Cpl. Michael Owen Jr. posed a danger to the community. Owen’s defense attorney had asked for him to be freed without bond. This part is hilarious: > [@](#): > > Defense attorney Jonathon Scruggs said Owen is an ordained minister who is active in his church. He argued his client doesn’t pose a danger to the community. > > “This is not somebody off the street who is alleged to have committed a violent crime,” he said. Uh; yes he is that. He is exactly that. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15714 "2020-01-30T00:02:12Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [Bond denied for officer in handcuffed man’s fatal shooting](https://apnews.com/1d543171e011db452f30ada539e68a95).This part is hilarious:Uh; yes he is that. He is exactly that. Yes, you’re right. He is EXACTLY that. And the ordained minister part is ironically funny. Because ministers, priests, rabbis and imams have NEVER been known to be criminals. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2020, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15715 "2020-01-30T01:16:53Z")
The entire 2019 graduating class of the Georgia State Patrol’s Trooper School has resigned or been fired after it was discovered the class cheated on an exam. One graduate of the class of 33 was accused of cheating on the exam in October 2019. He admitted it and implicated other members of the class. Ultimately all 33 members were found to have cheated on the exam. One trooper resigned, and the others were fired. > **[32 GSP troopers fired for cheating on online exam](https://www.wrdw.com/content/news/30-GSP-troopers-fired-for-cheating-on-online-exam-multiple-reports-say-567397441.html)** > > The Georgia State Patrol says an entire graduating class of its Trooper School has been fired or resigned amid a cheating scandal. Kudos to the State of Georgia for holding them accountable. ---
**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:** [February 1, 2020, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15716 "2020-02-01T00:11:06Z")
Seems there was a [fuck the police](https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-nypd-prepares-for-massive-protest-in-nyc-20200131-ksszmcdc2bawfpyrp3bp7d5kbe-story.html) protest in New York, objecting to profiling on the subway. Officers appear to have shown some restraint in dealing with it. Not sure the protesters employed the but possible tactics. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15717 "2020-02-06T15:24:42Z")
[L.A.s Finest](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/ex-los-angeles-sheriff-reports-to-prison-for-corruption/ar-BBZGMFT) > [@](#): > > Ex-Los Angeles sheriff reports to prison for corruption > [@](#): > > Agents had been secretly looking into allegations of bribery and inmate beatings by jail guards in 2011, when Baca and his top lieutenants learned that an inmate was acting as an FBI informant. > > Baca and top brass hatched an elaborate plot to hide the informant in the jail system by booking him under false names and moving him to different locations. They also tried to intimidate an FBI agent by threatening to arrest her. > > Their interference scuttled the investigation into civil rights abuses by guards but exposed corruption among the highest ranks of the department, snaring Baca and his top lieutenant. SOB was able to stay out of prison for 3 years while appealing his conviction. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2020, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15718 "2020-02-06T16:12:11Z")
[More of L.A.s Finest](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/ex-lapd-officer-found-guilty-of-murder-in-fatal-shooting-outside-pomona-bar/ar-BBZHFuC) > [@](#): > > Ex-LAPD Officer Found Guilty of Murder in Fatal Shooting Outside Pomona Bar > [@](#): > > A former Los Angeles police officer was convicted Wednesday of gunning down a 23-year-old man after picking a fight outside a Pomona bar in 2015, prosecutors said. > [@](#): > > He was a probationary officer at the time of the shooting, but was fired by then-Chief Charlie Beck after being named a suspect in the killing. He faces 40 years, Who knows how a sentence he will get. But can anyone explain this to me? > [@](#): > > A jury deliberated more than two days before finding 32-year-old Henry Solis guilty of second-degree murder with **a sentencing enhancement for personally firing the gun** that killed Salome Rodriguez Jr., the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. Seriously. That makes no sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Anxious\_Squirrel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anxious_squirrel/32/1083_2.png) [@Anxious\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anxious_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15719 "2020-02-06T18:17:27Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > [More of L.A.s Finest](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/ex-lapd-officer-found-guilty-of-murder-in-fatal-shooting-outside-pomona-bar/ar-BBZHFuC) > > He faces 40 years, Who knows how a sentence he will get. > > But can anyone explain this to me? > > Seriously. That makes no sense to me. Regarding the jury taking so long to convict the cop, I think it must be very difficult if you’re someone still living under the delusion that the cops are the good guys who are here to help us. It must cause a ton of cognitive dissonance to be sat on a jury where someone you’ve been indoctrinated to believe is a hero is being accused of being a criminal. I bet their poor little brains have to exhaust a shit ton of excuses and pretzel logic tricks before they can finally admit that the cop is in the wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15720 "2020-02-06T18:23:54Z")
> [@TheMysteryWriter](#): > > \*\*Regarding the jury taking so long to convict the cop, I think it must be very difficult if you’re someone still living under the delusion that the cops are the good guys who are here to help us. \*\*It must cause a ton of cognitive dissonance to be sat on a jury where someone you’ve been indoctrinated to believe is a hero is being accused of being a criminal. I bet their poor little brains have to exhaust a shit ton of excuses and pretzel logic tricks before they can finally admit that the cop is in the wrong. Not every cop is bad. We need police----we cannot abolish police forces and have anarchy There needs to be better police officers and punishments for those that abuse their power. It is ironic, that people who advocate for bigger government also believe in anarchy when it comes to public safety----it doesn’t mix well, to me. And I’m not no Republican, I’m middle of the road. It is not black and white in everything. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15721 "2020-02-06T18:33:40Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Seems there was a [fuck the police](https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-nypd-prepares-for-massive-protest-in-nyc-20200131-ksszmcdc2bawfpyrp3bp7d5kbe-story.html) protest in New York, objecting to profiling on the subway. Officers appear to have shown some restraint in dealing with it. Not sure the protesters employed the but possible tactics. Pouring glue and/or honey into card readers sure showed the cops. /s While there is plenty to complain about regarding NYPD tactics in the subways. there were quite a few chanting **NO** police on subways. Those are the type of protesters who don’t really think through their ideas thoroughly. Or at all. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942/15722 "2020-02-06T18:37:06Z")
**Typo Negative** , I suppose it’s a matter of the law or guidelines explicitly prescribing a requirement for extra sentencing for the person actually shooting in a murder. It just sounds odd when there is only one person involved. > [@TheMysteryWriter](#): > > I bet their poor little brains have to exhaust a shit ton of excuses and pretzel logic tricks before they can finally admit… Way to go. The jury makes the right decision, let’s insult them for not doing it in ten seconds… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942.md?page=785) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controversial-encounters-between-law-enforcement-and-civilians-the-omnibus-thread/700942.md?page=787)