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When Cops should shoot or beat the hell out of a suspect

calamity said:
No, they are only human. And, humans have emotions. Very few things would stoke those emotions more than seeing a grown man hurl a baby through the air. Like I said, I'd never vote to convict a cop who lashed out at this jerk.
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And I, unhesitatingly, would.
 
Mixed feeling on this. I expect absolute professionalism from law enforcement, but at the end of the day, we are all human beings…
 
calamity said:
Well, we all know it likely would go to court.
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Oh, I think we've seen how it goes in court, over and over again.

There must be extremely blatant evidence of misconduct, everything about the victim's past is somehow relevant, and the police are given every benefit of any possible supposition.

You are basically giving cops a blank check to commit police brutality when their sense of outrage as a human is somehow offended.
Do you then give cops a pass for beating someone up or kill them because they are accused of heinous crime?
I'm betting that you'll be in favor of people who are accused of child rape, right?
Adult rape?
How about spousal abuse?
How about because they personally offended the cop in some way -- like say filming them?

Where exactly do these excuses of "being human" start and stop?
 
Drowning Man said:
Oh, I think we've seen how it goes in court, over and over again.

There must be extremely blatant evidence of misconduct, everything about the victim's past is somehow relevant, and the police are given every benefit of any possible supposition.
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Dude, we are talking about an asshole throwing a baby. No jury on earth is convicting a cop for beating his ass.
 
calamity said:
Dude, we are talking about an asshole throwing a baby. No jury on earth is convicting a cop for beating his ass.
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I'm sure you believe that.

But I hope you're wrong.

I like accountability from my government officials.
 
calamity said:
I suspect it goes beyond mere belief. Have you ever heard of jury nullification? Prosecute a cop who used excessive force on a guy who threw a baby; you're likely to see an example of it play out live.
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I'm sure you believe that.

calamity said:
I rarely am...I bank on it.
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I'm sure you believe that.

calamity said:
I like people who don't throw babies.
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So far as I know, Charles Manson didn't throw any babies. In any event, I like the rule of law....especially when it applies to LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS
 
Drowning Man said:
I'm sure you believe that.



I'm sure you believe that.
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It goes beyond belief.
Drowning Man said:
So far as I know, Charles Manson didn't throw any babies. In any event, I like the rule of law....especially when it applies to LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS
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No one said it was right. I said that it was the way it is.
 
Drowning Man said:
Maybe, but cops are not judges, they are not juries, and they are not executioners. It is never justified for them to do as retaliation.
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People usually feel different when it is a member of their family being assaulted. Then they would want police to step in.
 
Queen Margo said:
People usually feel different when it is a member of their family being assaulted. Then they would want police to step in.
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Step in...sure. I'm not saying that police shouldn't be able to detain and arrest. I'm saying that they shouldn't be able to beat up and shoot people, unless it's absolutely required to do their jobs. And their job is to follow the law...that doesn't include beating up or killing people because they are outraged about what someone has done.
 
Drowning Man said:
Step in...sure. I'm not saying that police shouldn't be able to detain and arrest. I'm saying that they shouldn't be able to beat up and shoot people, unless it's absolutely required to do their jobs. And their job is to follow the law...that doesn't include beating up or killing people because they are outraged about what someone has done.
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My bet if it was a child of yours being abused or under life threatening circumstances, you would not question this. Again, people usually are great armchair quarterbacks about the police until they need the police, or it involves an incident that hits home.
 
Queen Margo said:
My bet if it was a child of yours being abused or under life threatening circumstances, you would not question this. Again, people usually are great armchair quarterbacks about the police until they need the police, or it involves an incident that hits home.
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Good thing justice and the rule of law is blind, right? That's why we don't allow mob rule...but courts to determine guilt and punishment.
 
Nilhus said:
This must be an American concept - a pretty bad one.
There are at least two big problems with this concept:
1. how do you determine that a cop "sincerely thinks" than his life is in danger(and he doesn't falsely claim so)?
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Being shot at or someone charging me with a knife would make me think my life was in danger
Nilhus said:
2. why should cops decide based on their personal and subjective beliefs whether they should take someone's life or not?
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Because I want to live to see another day.
Nilhus said:
Would like to be beaten or killed based on what people sincerely think about you?
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Would I like to? No. But if I'm shooting or stabbing the police, my like or dislike of the consequences of my actions has no bearing on the matter.
 
Maccabee said:
Being shot at or someone charging me with a knife would make me think my life was in danger
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Yeah, but a lot of times cops shoot when someone is holding a cell phone or running away...

So the standard isn't just that a cop thinks that his "life was in danger", but that the cop REASONABLY thought their life was in danger. Granted, this is about a half step difference...but there is a difference.
 
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