Critics' reflex is to blame the cops
By: JIM TRAGESER - Staff Writer | ∞
I find myself wondering just what planet some of these self-appointed "police watchdog" folks live on.
In the wake of a local man being hospitalized after deputies used a Taser to try to subdue him in Vista {Editor's note: He died Wednesday}, some of the Monday morning quarterbacking was at a ludicrous pitch this week.
Kevin Keenan, from the local office of the American Civil Liberties Union, told this newspaper that "the irony is that the people officers might want to use these on most are the ones they shouldn't be used on."
Actually, the irony is that people who don't know the first thing about police work are usually the first ones to offer advice on how best to do it.
Is the Taser a panacea for the dangerous work the police do? Of course not.
Are the cops perfect? No more than the rest of us.
Do we have the right to supervise the way the police go about protecting us? Absolutely.
Are some of the people who criticize the police the loudest a bit daft? You decide.
One Dawn Edwards of some group calling itself the "Bay Area Police Watch" up in Oakland told this paper that when police see someone is mentally ill, the police should call in mental health experts to handle the situation. "Why use a Taser when you can see a man is not lucid or in his right mind?" she asked.
Umm -- well, usually it's because the person is acting in a violent manner and the police don't have 30 minutes or an hour to wait for a shrink to be awakened, then get in a car and get to the situation. And how much good is a counselor going to do when they know nothing of the person's medical condition or history?
Look, we give the police broad powers to act in our collective authority, and back that authority with lethal weapons. That carries a grave responsibility, and those few police officers who abuse said authority must be held accountable. And arguments that the cops cover for their own are hard to dismiss.
But this "blame the cops" mentality prevalent among so many of the self-proclaimed "watchdogs," in which any officer accused of misconduct is considered guilty as charged and never mind the facts, is as wrongheaded and inane as the attitude of those who blindly support the police.
And the calls to further restrict Taser use, if implemented, will only result in more shootings.
Because unlike the Monday morning quarterbacks who seem to confuse real life with an episode of "CSI," police officers have to make life and death decisions in a matter of seconds. We years ago took away their billy clubs and saps because these nonlethal tools violated our sense of decorum and propriety. Now we want to take away their high-tech nonlethal alternatives?
Unless you can take away the reality that it is police we call when danger threatens, it's hard to see how stripping the police of nonlethal tools will result in anything but more lethality.
Which will, of course, give the police critics that much more to bray about.
-- Contact columnist Jim Trageser at (760) 631-6628 or jtrageser@nctimes.com.
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Floyd wrote on Feb 21, 2007 10:45 PM:The reason an officer is "considered guilty as charged" is because the officer is never tried in open court where the facts can be presented and a formal judgement can occur. Instead, there is an appearance of a coverup which tarnishes all of the police, not just the alleged wrongdoer. An off-duty officer who stalks somebody and then shoots them for hitching up their pants (the Steve Foley incident) deserves a day in court to answer the charges and to determine guilt or innocence.
Randy wrote on Feb 22, 2007 3:39 AM:The man who was tasered by the cops is dead. May he rest in peace. How is this author's "Monday morning quarterbacking" is more valid than anyone else's? The cops 'investigate' every shooting and never fail to find every shooting justified. Isn't that a little hard to swallow? This doesn't mean that the life of a police officer is not challenging. It just means that police officers, like soldiers, occasionally make mistakes.
Not Amused wrote on Feb 22, 2007 7:36 AM:Floyd, your predisposition of guilty as charged when it comes to officers shows your bias and renders you not to be credible as a fair minded citizen. All officer involved incidents involving a death are investigated as well as reviewed by the DA very thoroughly. The bottom line is people like you could never do the job of a police officer or deputy, but you never hesitate to second guess difficult decisions made in seconds.
Randy wrote on Feb 22, 2007 7:58 AM:What is so difficult about throwing a net over the man and transporting him to a hospital emergency room?
to randy wrote on Feb 22, 2007 11:10 AM:So when that net is thrown over him, and he hangs himself on a piece of it in his struggle to get out, will you then claim it wasn't safe to throw a net over him? And I would dearly love to see you subdue a violent person with a net!
esteban wrote on Feb 22, 2007 2:34 PM:Randy...I know FOR A FACT that the deputy DID try to throw a net on him. But his Spiderman wrist net throwing device malfunctioned. So I guess the guy's family has a lawsuit because the cops equipment malfunctioned.
esteban wrote on Feb 22, 2007 2:36 PM:Face it folks...the reason why mostly ALL of cops shootings are deemed justified by the DA's Office is because they ARE justified. That means the cops are doing their jobs. Crooks are doing their jobs too, but they are losing!!!!!! And that is good for us.
Alf wrote on Feb 22, 2007 3:28 PM:I agree with "esteban", especially the 2:36 post.
To Randy wrote on Feb 22, 2007 6:48 PM:Dude you are a crack up...a net?? Seriously...lol. I think the police should fly overhead and spray the area with laughing gas and blast "We are Family" over loud speakers.
A bit daft? wrote on Feb 23, 2007 11:32 AM:I disagree with you and most of you who are commenting on this blog. What is daft is the use of the phrase "Monday Morning Quarterbacking" to attmept to minimize a death at the hands of those hired to protect and serve. When called to do just that they end up killing the person. It is our responsiblity and our obligation to question those actions and I will continue to do so even if I get called names auch as "self-proclaimed watchdog". It think the tragedy here is the need for self-proclaimed watcherdogs!!! The Sheriff's deputies in Vista have tainted their reputation with past bad acts. If they were to begin to enforce the law within the confines of the law then I could retire my video camera unfortuntely it seems it still necessary for me to continue to observe the actions of the Sheriff's deputies.
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