Jury rules in favor of gun-rights activist (Wisconsin)

Milwaukee J-S ^ | 25 july 2012 | Bruce Vielmetti

[rellimpank]

A Milwaukee County jury on Tuesday found a gun rights activist not guilty of carrying a concealed weapon when she parked outside a closed Milwaukee coffee shop last fall to use its Wi-Fi signal.

Krysta Sutterfield, 43, dropped her shoulders and hung her head as the verdict was read about 30 minutes after deliberations began. Later she wiped her brow and hugged her attorney. She had faced up to nine months in jail.

"She feels vindicated," attorney Rebecca Coffee said. Sutterfield declined to comment.

It was the second time her gun-wearing habit had gotten her arrested, and the second time she avoided conviction.

The Milwaukee nursing student and firearms safety instructor made national news in 2010 when she was arrested after openly wearing her gun to a Brookfield church service. No formal charges were filed and Sutterfield later won a $7,500 settlement from the city on her false arrest claim.

[rellimpank]

—ping—

[djf]

Damn shame she wasn’t in a late night movie showing last Thursday...

Seriously, one person in the theatre shooting back, and that buttwad would have browned his kevlar quicker than you can say snot...

[exit82]

Milwaukee police officer Cassandra Benitez testified that when she first looked into Sutterfield's car from the passenger side with a flashlight, she did not notice the 9mm Glock on Sutterfield's hip, despite being extra alert to a possible weapon after seeing a National Rifle Association cap on the back seat. Benitez testified that her training told her that the presence of NRA gear makes it more likely the person might have a gun.

How far we have fallen.

[Truth29]

Now maybe she can sue the city and give them a “teachable moment.”

[Cowboy Bob]

Benitez testified that her training told her that the presence of NRA gear makes it more likely the person might have a gun.

Isn't that called PROFILING????

[brent13a]

Milwaukee police officer Cassandra Benitez testified that when she first looked into Sutterfield's car from the passenger side with a flashlight, she did not notice the 9mm Glock on Sutterfield's hip, despite being extra alert to a possible weapon after seeing a National Rifle Association cap on the back seat. Benitez testified that her training told her that the presence of NRA gear makes it more likely the person might have a gun.

My experience as a police officer tells me NRA gear means that person will probably be a responsible gun owner. What it doesn't tell me is that there is going to be a gun in a car nor is it reasonable suspicion to harass a citizen.
I'm glad I'm not a cop in Wisconsin & I'm really glad I wasn't trained as a cop in Wisconsin.

[bert]

-——Benitez testified that her training told her that the presence of NRA gear makes it more likely the person might have a gun.

---

That is an admission of profiling and grounds for legal action

[RC one]

This country needs an enema.

[brent13a]

Isn't that called PROFILING????

The only 'profiling' not allowed is racial profiling. Otherwise, proactive police work is nothing but 'profiling'. However, good proactive police work also means using common sense and attempting to maintain a conservative/libertarian mindset when it comes to applying the laws of your state. Unfortunately progressive liberalism has infected all levels of law enforcement just like the rest of our government.

[Portcall24]

Not sure but I thought profiling had to be race, religion, creed or that type of thing. Otherwise in California the cops would see a Republican bumper sticker and automatically get ready to shoot your butt.

[brent13a]

That is an admission of profiling and grounds for legal action

Average cops who do the job and apply the general fundamentals of 'good cop work' are always 'profiling' it builds a mental database that cops can instantly access when assessing situations:
-Repeated LE contact with certain people or families keep them at the top of your mental database
-Repeated LE contact with certain gangs or groups keep them at the top of your mental database
-Repeatedly finding drugs in certain cars will lead future LE contact with certain vehicle to indicate that there may be drugs in said certain vehicle

However, like I stated in an above post, good cops apply this with common sense. Bad cops apply this carte blanche and you end up screwing with innocent citizens.

[bert]

Is there a difference profiling a hoodie and an NRA hat?

No

[bert]

You are of course correct. Profiling is a polite term for discriminating, that is making decisions based on observation. To discriminate is to chose between alternatives.

The whole issue of profiling is to put law enforcement on defense and to give black criminals an advantage in court. To exclude NRA discrimination from this advantage is in fact discrimination

[Portcall24]

Valid point...thank you.

[brent13a]

The whole issue of profiling is to put law enforcement on defense and to give black criminals an advantage in court.

I know fellow cops who have written speeding tickets based off Lidar readings that lock in speeds at 1+ miles. They wrote the tickets after midnight and the people attempted to fight the speeding tickets claiming racial profiling. They got nowhere though, because the judge was smart enough to understand that a cop couldn't see what race someone is at 1 or 2 miles away when it's completely dark out.

[marktwain]

This is very good news. I contributed to her defense fund.

[ThunderSleeps]

Of course, but it is ok when you do it to whites, Christians, NRA members, tea party members, current and former members of the military, the rich, business owners, and their kind. You know how much trouble they all cause. But don’t you dare say or do anything like that around muslims, illegal aliens, our any other protected group. You know the ones, the ones protected by those people that claim not to discriminate... :-/

[rellimpank]

—yep—and while I usually am in total sympathy with the taxpayers, I hope she sues-—successfully—

[brent13a]

Milwaukee police officer Cassandra Benitez testified that.....

As I stated in an above post, I'm glad I wasn't trained a police officer in Wisconsin nor garnered law enforcement experience in Wisconsin. With Wisconsin being such a nice & progressive state I'm sure Miss Cassandra wasn't an affirmative action hire neither.
As it stands, within many law enforcement circles, there is even always a discussion regarding how one states' police will treat other states' police. Once I was in law enforcement I have always found this to be completely incredulous.
The fact that I have to worry & take into account how another city's or state's police will treat me if I am in their city or state and do my job as a police officer even if I'm off duty, is beyond ridiculous.
I'm only mentioning this to provide context for those who are not law enforcement but only see the "us versus them" mindset. That "us versus them" mindset exists even within law enforcement against other law enforcement.
For instance, as an experienced but level-headed police officer I am never going to the state of Wisconsin or NYC, just on the off-chance that I may get harassed by the bozo police up there.
So those are things that I've kept in my brainpan when dealing with non-LE citizenry in my state.....if it's tough as a cop to deal with other cops.....it's even tougher for non-cops to deal with many cops.