Monday, August 18, 2014

America, I Love You, But Your Police Are Out of Control

A 19 year old American was shot and killed by police because a power drill was "mistaken" for an Uzi machine gun. 

 Via Reason:

"We had a call, somebody with an Uzi, threatening to kill family members -- a very, very serious situation, very dangerous situation for our officers. We had communication with this person. Unfortunately, I guess at some point those communications either broke down or the officers felt threatened in some form or fashion."

Isn't that helpful? 

There was some kind of weird break down of communications, and someone is now DEAD and that's really unfortunate.

The only problem is that:

"There was no one else in the home outside of which the 19-year-old was shot so it's unclear how the 911 call was so botched."

There were eyewitnesses: 

"Richard Garcia, 34, didn't see the shooting but heard it and saw the woman being loaded onto a gurney by first responders afterward."

"I heard the shot, it went 'Boom!'" Garcia said.

"He said police officers were very aggressive in seeking potential witnesses who might have filmed or photographed the incident."

Imagine that.

Do you think that the aggressive pursuit of witnesses and their photographic evidence is to assist in the possible prosecution of trigger-happy, paramilitary police or to exonerate the officers or worse-to possibly tamper with evidence?

Related: 

Why won't Toronto police release the suicide note of one of its officers? 

This is disgraceful:

"The grieving mother of a Toronto police officer who took his own life in March is still desperate to read the suicide note investigators are keeping secret from her five months later."

"Clinton Cibulis, a Toronto police constable at 14 Division, hanged himself at home on March 16, four days after his 34th birthday."

"It was a Sunday. He had been temporarily suspended from work on Friday, allegedly for harassing a female officer, according to his mother, Lynda Cibulis."

"In an interview with the Star, Cibulis said police at the scene of her son’s death seized his personal computer, his cellphone and the suicide note, none of which she has been allowed to see."

Why is this legal?