Since when is this ok?

[D Chapman]

I'm more concerned on why police departments have bombs in the first place. Seems a bit bizarre to me. Do they also have grenades? Landmines?

Don't get me wrong, they did what they needed to do. I'm just not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of police officers having bombs - especially bombs that can be detonated remotely if that was the case.

 

[D Chapman]

If you think that only criminals have to interact with the police and that honest citizens have nothing to worry about you are ripe to be the next statistic.

This!

 

[Paul Grant]

Well if you aren't a drug dealer or a terrorist, you won't have to worry about either happening to you.

You know, there's Godwin's Law for arguments about Hitler but is there an internet law about the "Nothing to hide argument?"

How about the Kennedy Law based on one of his speeches where he said the following:

“The great enemy of truth is very often not the lie--deliberate, contrived and dishonest--but the myth--persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the cliches of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations.
We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."

 

[Drillbit]

I'm more concerned on why police departments have bombs in the first place. Seems a bit bizarre to me. Do they also have grenades? Landmines?

Don't get me wrong, they did what they needed to do. I'm just not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of police officers having bombs - especially bombs that can be detonated remotely if that was the case.

Agreeing with Dan makes me feel like I need a shower but I agree. Why did Dallas PD have a pound of C4 and blasting caps?

 

[Ballah06]

I'm more concerned on why police departments have bombs in the first place. Seems a bit bizarre to me. Do they also have grenades? Landmines?

Don't get me wrong, they did what they needed to do. I'm just not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of police officers having bombs - especially bombs that can be detonated remotely if that was the case.

Not bombs but explosives as in C4. The latter and similar are used to neutralize other suspicious packages, possible explosive devices, breach doors, etc. They improvised in this case and clearly used what they thought was the best and most certain option to neutralize the threat. Do all not think that much discussion took place prior to using something like this, rather than just the DPD's Chief saying, Oh Fuck Yeah, some explosives sound awesome, blow that sucka up?

 

[robertf]

Agreeing with Dan makes me feel like I need a shower but I agree. Why did Dallas PD have a pound of C4 and blasting caps?

bomb disposal. this same equipment was used to take out a van that a guy used to shoot up police hq last year

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Shots-Fired-Near-Dallas-Police-Headquarters-307248841.html

 

[kade]

Ok so police stopped you, and knocked on your door... Did you get shot? This bs about how they shoot people for broken tail lights or they are going to randomly send a bomb robot into your home is just ridiculous.

 

[Paul Grant]

Ok so police stopped you, and knocked on your door... Did you get shot? This bs about how they shoot people for broken tail lights or they are going to randomly send a bomb robot into your home is just ridiculous.

You are making the most incredible leaps there my friend. I cited your comment above because, frankly, such broad, lazy thinking justifies the creation of a law similar to Godwin's, banning you from further inane comments.

 

[emmodg]

Obama is providing police with killer robots to kill drivers with broken tail lights!

 

[AbnMike]

Anyone who doesn't see that once the Police get "a new toy" that its use rapidly increases isn't paying attention. Take SWAT for example. In 2011-2012 only 7% of SWAT use was for actual "hostage, barricade, or active shooter scenarios" which is what SWAT was designed and intended for initially.

Just under 80 percent were to serve a search warrant, meaning eight in 10 SWAT raids were not initiated to apprehend a school shooter, hostage taker, or escaped felon (the common justification for these tactics), but to investigate someone still only suspected of committing a crime.

 

[D Chapman]

The next town over from where I live has two livestock auction houses. The town is also surrounded by farms. These farms have hundreds of milking cows, horses, llamas, and even some camels. Large livestock.

Few weeks ago a cow got loose from the stock sale and ran through town. It was causing issues by running in and out of traffic. They never could catch the cow, so they shot it. The animal warden was there, but did not have a tranquilizer to slow the cow down. It would seem logical to me for the police departments animal warden to have a tranquilizer dart or two in his van, especially if you worked in a farming community with two life auction houses. But this town does not. However, this town does have a vehicle designed to handle a nuclear bomb blast to it's undercarriage and keep going. An MRAP. I guess in the case of a Civil War-type situation I could see where this truck could come in handy. But if this town were to buy something like a $150,000 robot to do a job a $59.00 RC Car could do with a $400.00 GoPro, I'd start scratching my head about budgets and why these officers get paid so little. I can understand a department wanting to maintain good working equipment, but damn.

I can understand some of the positives of having C4 available. However, I'm still not sure I'm okay with knowing the police department can get away with blowing someone up. The police are already over militarized. This does not help their public relations department on the subject. Seems the tax payers could benefit from less-lethal alternatives along the lines of a tranquilizer dart. A gas perhaps. The outcome would be the same ultimately. And it would make me as a person feel a little more safe.

I don't know this guys story. But there are some fucked up people out there. But it does not mean they don't know what they're doing is wrong. They're mentally ill. They're sick and we don't know what causes it. One day the police are going to blow up a mentally ill person who was all fucked up on doctor prescribed medication and the shit is going to hit the fan.

 

[robertf]

DPD did take out a gorilla because a tranq wasnt available, and we were all fine with it

I dont think you can compare your backwoods america scenario to an incident in the heart of the 4th largest metropolitan area in the U.S.

 

[robertf]

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4558461/ns/us_news/t/gorillas-escape-violent-rampage-stun-zoo-officials/

 

[Drillbit]

I apologize. Must have missed that story and mistook what you said.

 

[robertf]

no worries

 

[seventyfive]

Dan,
War on drugs money is still poured into sheriff departments. Sheriff departments are run by an elected official. The sheriff and his deputies are not the most open minded compassionate intellectual citizens that county has to offer....if the sheriff wants his boys to dress up like delta force and have delta force firepower who's really going to tell them otherwise.

Tranquilizer dart???? How tactical is a tranq dart? I personally sleep better at night knowing your county has an animal warden that knows how to successfully resolve an extremely tactical situation like a run away cow and so should you.

I bet he was overweight too.

 

[AbnMike]

.if the sheriff wants his boys to dress up like delta force and have delta force firepower who's really going to tell them otherwise.

With that point brought up, I also have some blame on our SOF forces, who more than willingly went and taught "cool guy" tactics to police officers over the past 15 or so years when not downrange shooting tangos.

And then the cops want to be cool guy and dress like a SEAL in Afghanistan with Oakleys and beards and cammo and shit and we wonder what happened to Andy Griffith?

 

[D Chapman]

DPD did take out a gorilla because a tranq wasnt available, and we were all fine with it

I dont think you can compare your backwoods america scenario to an incident in the heart of the 4th largest metropolitan area in the U.S.

How is this relevant?

 

[seventyfive]

we're in Quebec City this week. From the border up here we saw 1 cop on the highway. We've only seen cops in town directing traffic, there is a huge music festival happening. The cops stop what they're doing to help anyone out, they all smile.

last night two cops were trying to close the street, there is a big stage at the end of our street, and believe it or not somebody got out of their car to help the two cops direct traffic. NOBODY yelled or was bitching. Everyone was polite and considerate.

It only takes a couple days to realize maybe when you live in a society that has zero respect for each other the only difference between the citizens and the cops is they have guns. America has evolved into an arms race between the citizens and the cops.
It will only get worse in America not better. We can argue for days if not years but until we start respecting others and understand 'we before me' America will not get better.

Watching the news up here makes America look like Chechnya. Ottawa has had 30 shootings this year and seven were fatal. How many shootings have we had on our capital???

 

[D Chapman]

With that point brought up, I also have some blame on our SOF forces, who more than willingly went and taught "cool guy" tactics to police officers over the past 15 or so years when not downrange shooting tangos.

And then the cops want to be cool guy and dress like a SEAL in Afghanistan with Oakleys and beards and cammo and shit and we wonder what happened to Andy Griffith?

As candid as this is there is some truth spoken in here. There is no more community policing - or at least very little. At one time if you were caught walking down the street drunk the cop would stop and pick you up and give you a ride home. These days they lock you up and throw away the key. Got a dime bag of weed? No problem, that will be 6-weeks in jail. Kids steal a speed limit sign, toss them in juvie for a while, that will teach them.

Cops now drive around in unmarked cars such as Ford 150's or Mustangs. They just wait for you to change lanes without using a turn signal so they can pounce. God forbid your license tag light is out.

Citizens are becoming afraid of cops. Scared even. I don't know about most states but the cops in my town look like something from Mad Maxx. I saw Boston cops not too long ago who dressed like a cop should dress, IMO - a blue uniform, gun, cuffs, radio, and a nightstick. Cops in my town have black uniforms, 5:11 pants, gun, taser, two sets of cuffs, nightstick, radio, cell phone, four additional magazines, flashlight, body camera, combat boots, and more keys than an apartment complex manager.