# Fire chief shot in court by cops **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 5, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919 "2009-09-05T00:04:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2009, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/21 "2009-09-05T14:29:11Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > That only reinforces my assertion. Backbone-less citizens who can’t seem to say to a police officer “I dare you.” Um, a town official got shot in a \* courtroom\* for complaining about the police. If that could happen to him, in that setting, I shudder to think what “I dare you” said by Joe Sixpack out on the road somewhere could bring. I swear, citizens sometimes can’t win for losing. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/22 "2009-09-05T14:44:00Z")
> [@Form the Article](#): > > Mayor Helen Adams declined to speak about the shooting when approached outside her home, saying she had just returned from a doctor’s appointment and couldn’t talk. > > “We’ll get with you after all this comes through,” Adams said Tuesday before shutting the door. > A white Ford Crown Victoria sat in her driveway with “public property” license plates. A sales brochure advertising police equipment sat in the back seat of the car. This little town has the funds to buy the mayor a Crown Vic? I say, sic the State BI on them and let the IRS descend. Let no document or coin go unturned. After about a three year investigation, let them go to jail for a good 10 years and be a lesson to the other pissants that take power and abuse it. I work for the Gov, and this type of shit pisses me off to no end. It makes all public employees look bad. Perhaps the town is full of a bunch of drunken speeders that feel they are above the law. Perhaps not. That the Mayor has a personal Crown Vic for such a small town speaks volumes. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/23 "2009-09-05T16:37:18Z")
> [@wierdaaron](#): > > **Seven police officers for 174 residents??** That’s what I came in to say. Good grief. I live in a small town with 2,300 people, and we don’t have seven police officers. > [@wierdaaron](#): > > It sounds like a renegade sheriff realizing he can give out tickets for any damn reason, and pocketing all of the fines. He needs to go to federal jail. I didn’t see any indication that the sheriff is involved in this at all. It sounded to me like it’s just the police chief. Did I miss something? ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/24 "2009-09-05T17:11:47Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > Um, a town official got shot in a \* courtroom\* for complaining about the police. If that could happen to him, in that setting, I shudder to think what “I dare you” said by Joe Sixpack out on the road somewhere could bring. > > I swear, citizens sometimes can’t win for losing. That’s because it was alread out of hand. Daring a cop after they’ve gone completelly mad with power would definately have bad results. Daring them to push their legal abilities is supposed to be done before it spirals into near chaos. Then if they actually do something they’re not allowed to, fight back. Prevent it from ever getting so bad so as someone gets shot in public and only gets “disciplined”. It’s all moot of course, I’m just saying, this poor city must be enormously populated by sheep to have let it get this bad. ---
**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:** [September 5, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/25 "2009-09-05T17:21:19Z")
I don’t think the corruption stops at the police level. From the OP’s link: > [@](#): > > Prosecutor Lindsey Fairley said Thursday that he didn’t plan to file any felony charges against the officer or Payne. Fairley, reached at his home, said Payne could face a misdemeanor charge stemming from the scuffle, but that would be up to the city’s judge. He said he didn’t remember the name of the officer who fired the shot. No charges for the officer? Possible charges against the citizen who was shot? “Didn’t remember the name of the officer”? WTF??? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/26 "2009-09-05T18:18:00Z")
> [@wierdaaron](#): > > Seven police officers for 174 residents?? Jericho needs _more_ cops. Clearly, they have an out-of-control gang problem. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/27 "2009-09-05T19:58:23Z")
> [@wierdaaron](#): > > It sounds like a renegade sheriff realizing he can give out tickets for any damn reason, and pocketing all of the fines. I’ll be very surprised if that’s not what is happening, or something very similar. I wonder if the courts have been upholding these fines, because that would also be screwed up. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/28 "2009-09-05T20:15:20Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > W > Heh. All seven of the towns (pop. 128) officers where in court. And they could not contain one unarmed man. So one drew a weapon and shot him. In the back. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/29 "2009-09-06T05:03:20Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I don’t think the corruption stops at the police level. From the OP’s link: > > No charges for the officer? Possible charges against the citizen who was shot? “Didn’t remember the name of the officer”? WTF??? I’d say that was a pretty good bet. Any honest prosecutor who got some of the stuff he probably would have gotten would have told them to stop the crap or be prosecuted. And I’d wonder about the judge also. The line from the Stones “All the cops are criminals” is true in that town for sure. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/30 "2009-09-06T07:22:47Z")
According to the story, the town has ZERO industries and businesses, not even a grocery store, and a tiny, poor population. I bet they were having problems paying for necessary services. I can imagine a town sort of sliding into a situation like this – at first it being an ‘honest’ attempt to raise money for the town. So what if we soak a few outsiders with expensive tickets? They can afford it, we need the money, and they shouldn’t have been speeding. And once you make the deal with the devil… ---
**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:** [September 6, 2009, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/31 "2009-09-06T08:29:57Z")
That’s not a town. That’s a bandit stronghold. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/32 "2009-09-06T10:22:11Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > That’s not a town. That’s a bandit stronghold. Exactly. Sounds like a plot for a modern western or maybe something in the vein of Mad Max. ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/33 "2009-09-06T10:33:22Z")
Sounds like hawg heaven! ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/34 "2009-09-07T05:33:43Z")
I am sure there was a thread here about a similar town, may be a year ago , where passing drivers were fined for overspeeding etc… ?? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/35 "2009-09-07T05:38:02Z")
> [@indian](#): > > I am sure there was a thread here about a similar town, may be a year ago , where passing drivers were fined for overspeeding etc.. ?? It’s not an unknown problem. But cops who then shoot the fire chief in court when he complains? THAT’S unusual. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/36 "2009-09-07T05:45:06Z")
Oh ! Yes, it is UNUSUAL . I was trying to locate earlier link ! ---
**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:** [September 7, 2009, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/37 "2009-09-07T11:55:18Z")
The place is like an ultra-violent Hooterville, run by a despotic Mr. Haney. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/38 "2009-09-07T14:11:17Z")
This is an extreme example, of course, but that part of the country is dotted with places like this, where the local sheriff tries to make a few (and often times more than a few) extra bucks by hosing drivers. In the Piney Woods of East Texas, especially, you better be mighty careful if you’re driving around with out of state plates. I know from experience. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/39 "2009-09-07T14:29:19Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > The place is like an ultra-violent Hooterville, run by a despotic Mr. Haney. That’s damned scary. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919/40 "2009-09-07T15:06:14Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > The place is like an ultra-violent Hooterville, run by a despotic Mr. Haney. With Eb as a police officer, Mr. Douglas as the crusading fire chief, and Alf and Ralph as terrorized townies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-chief-shot-in-court-by-cops/508919.md?page=3)