What in the actual fuck does it take to get a cop fired in LA?
I believe the official language is, “Move along, folks, nothing to see here.”
Usually it implies that the presence of crowds will impede an investigation. In this case, however, the problem is that there seriously needs to be an investigation.
No kidding. I’m on the other side of the country and this story continues to piss me off. If I recall, the officer(s) who shot at the surfer in his pickup truck (who they mistook for Dorner) also got out of any charges because, and I’m paraphrasing, “the fear caused by the Dorner situation justified the officer’s response”. Well shit. I’m sure I’ll be exonerated if I shoot at the cops. There’s real fear because they’re out of control and face little to no accountability for their actions.
I really wish the feds would step in and start slapping some of these police departments around (even as big as the LAPD). What they really need is a mayor who will simply fire brass whenever others skate like this.
It’s not like LA doesn’t have a history with police brutality ending badly for the city either…
The defense of “the cops were flipping out because TERRORIST” doesn’t fly for me either.
Killing other officers seems to do the trick.
The only way this would be fine is if all of them were never allowed to carry firearms. Period. Their price for being trigger-happy should be to always walk^Wdrive the beat with someone else who is allowed a gun.
Ask Chris Dorner.
Ratting out his fellow cops, of course!
It was a somewhat rhetorical question. I am aware of the specious reasons why Dorner was fired. What boggles the mind are the endless array of otherwise criminal actions that an LA PD* officer can commit without repercussions.
*This seems to hold true for entirely too many jurisdictions. I pick on LA here because it’s the subject at hand, but he same wonderment can easily be applied to departments from Bangor to San Diego, Vancouver to Key West, and every last bit between.
What’s it take to get a cop fired? In Seattle, it takes a Federal DOJ investigation. There was a cop just fired merely for intimidating and lying to a reporter and then lying about the incident!
LA does deserve some additional credit for having an elite anti-gang unit turn into a drug gang while on the job. That takes moral turpitude above and beyond the call of impunity, of the kind that lesser dirty cops can only aspire to.
Yeah, exactly the “program” I had in mind when writing my first comment.
Certainly not Rodney King…well, if you try them in LA County. Took a federal jury to get that one done…but only after the entire city rioted.
Apparently, lying about OJ Simpson is what it takes for a cop to get a pink slip from the city. Of course, then said cop can become a reporter on Fox News…so there’s that. Almost makes you like them better when they’re anonymous, doesn’t it?
prosecutors found that the officer was “justified in using force to stop the vehicle and in discharging his firearm”
This is as much a problem with the LA DA’s office than it is with the cops. Don’t get me wrong, the cops involved here should be put in jail for endangering the public they had sworn to protect.
Hey, you can’t spell “slapdash” without L-A-P-D.
(Also “lapdance,” but that’s less applicable in this case.)
Maybe instead they can receive [a live explosives exercise][1]? (Fuck. The. Police.)
[1]: http://boingboing.net/2014/02/11/militant-commander-accidentall.html
Ancient History / Mythology:
Now dear, remember, if you feel scared, you can always trust a police officer. Police officers are your friends, and would never do anything to hurt you.
Modern Times / Reality:
Now dear, if you see the police, be very careful and don’t draw any attention to yourself. Get away as quickly and quietly as you can. Also, snitches get stitches, so keep your mouth shut.
*** Your mileage may vary depending on ethnicity, socioeconomic status, clothing and a variety of secret factors outside of your control. *
