Posted on 05/05/2014 4:46:46 AM PDT by from occupied ga
The GBI and several of the metro area’s largest police agencies have seen the use of deadly force rise dramatically since 2009.
It’s a trend that isn’t just happening in metro Atlanta, but across the state.
“Why would there be an increase in shooting deaths by police when crime has gone down?” asks Atlanta attorney Brian Spears.
Spears is on the board of the National Police Accountability Project at the National Lawyers Guild. A WSB/AJC investigation of police shootings in the metro area show they’ve spiked in the past four years, from 37 in 2009 to 56 in 2013.
“This is indicative of the level of violence that is directed against law enforcement officers,” says GBI Director Vernon Keenan.
Keenan says part of the problem is an increase in the number of people in psychological crisis who use weapons to confront officers.
“We are losing the craft of being a good police officer,” says Marietta Police Chief Dan Flynn.
Flynn says officers are no longer as adept at using their psychological edge in dealing with suspects. He also says many are disgusted with a prison system that cuts sentences in half almost automatically.
“You know, it maybe makes them a little quicker on the trigger,” says Flynn.
But the biggest problem, he says is that suspects are more violent and less willing to heed the consequences of attacking a cop.
Spears also blames the courts, but for a different reason.
“The courts fail to hold officers accountable,” said Spears.
Spears says police need more training in how to deal with people in psychological crisis. But Keenan says officers are already trained better and as a result they’re doing a better job of protecting themselves.
GA FReeper ping.
Incorrect. It is indicative of the RESPONSE of LEOs to various scenaria. Violence to LEOs may be on the rise, but that is a case of the chicken or the egg (which came 1st). This is simply a symptom of our new society. Instead of resolving situations via dialogue or negotiation, the 1st resort is now violent and final. No intent on allowing difference of opinion, merely murderous suppression of opposition.
“When was the last time you saw a cop walking a Beat and interacting with people?”
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You are right. It was simply a figure of speech.
I do know that many are jack-booted thugs, even in small towns.
I say “now” reluctantly, as I have not been in the US since Jan 2005. They are probably much worse now, judging by the movies that I see on my cable TV. Every scene shows guys in flack jackets, ready to storm whatever.
That is correct. I have 15 Auxiliary Deputies under me. Many are older guys, 40- 55, that have more experience than most young patrol Deputies. We are not paid and do everything the paid guys do. One difference we notice is how keyed up and instantly confrontational many of the young patrol guys are. The public has expressed many times, by letters and commentaries in the paper how much more they like the contact with the volunteers. Why is this? I can theorize, but not here. Maybe we should make policing volunteer like the Army or Firefighter.
How many look for a reason to use their gun?
Its the training, the lack of consequences, militarization, and viewpoint that all civilians are criminals.
Ummm... could it be that the latter is a result of the former?
I'm not sure I agree with that. when the cop walks away and the person (innocent or guilty) is dead on the ground there is a definite winner and a definite loser, and the winner is not the one dead on the ground.
I don’t know what fantasy world of GA Pete Combs lives in but crime is terrible in Gwinnett county where we are.
When my Mom’s house got broken into a couple of years ago the cops that came out to take the report said crime was rampant. They said it is so bad that they have trouble responding to all the break in calls.
The other thing is they are all so young that they look like teenagers. I’m not so sure a 22 year old kid is mature enough to be patrolling the mean streets.
I’m not in any way sticking up for the jack-boots. All I’m saying is that given the justice system, the way our “society” free-floats criminals and coddles them, cops will be on edge and short-tempered.
Somebody mentioned training above. I don’t know if that’s the answer—I don’t even know if there is an answer. We’ll never go back to Mayberry and unless citizens begin to hold them accountable for their many screw-ups (with serious jail-time) it’s only going to get worse.
“How many look for a reason to use their gun?”
Way too many
“Its the training, the lack of consequences, militarization, and viewpoint that all civilians are criminals.”
Yes I’d agree with all of the above. The “investigations” are a joke and the “us vs. them” mentality is a cancer that has been around for decades.
I had to look it up on that link because my grandfather was one of the 122 killed on duty for 1942. He’s on the Laurens Co, GA memorial and the national memorial in D.C.
I don’t have a problem with LEOs shooting the feral criminals of today, if necessary. It’s the deadly force they use when they aren’t sure, or when they fake a crime to excuse their actions or when they just attack innocents.
Although I'm the last one to give cops a free pass I agree that there are situations where they have to shoot. For example, there was a rise in the numbers of people shot by police after Katrina and the storm flushed out the sewers of NO and the residue came to Atlanta. From what I could tell most if not all of these were justified. However, when there are no consequences to the individual officer for the unjustified ones, that is what leads to the rise in shootings.
For example, recently one of the dickless Tracys shoot and killed a teenager who had the poor judgment to answer her knock at the door with a Wii contoller in his hand. She was serving a warrant on his father, but didn't identify herself as a cop. Just killed the kid when he opened the door. This happened in Feb, and to the best of my knowledge the cop hasn't faced any charges yet. At first the police lied (big surprise eh?) and said the kid pointed a gun at her, but since no gun was found (guess she wasn't organized enough to carry a throw away for such occasions) and none of her fellow officers got there in time to plant a gun, plus there were whitnesses who said he had a Wii controller not a gun, that lie didn't fly. The shooting is currently being "investigated" by the GBI. Look for whitewash in large quantities.
Perhaps a significant number of those shot were responsible for a significant percentage of crime?
There is some where I am, but the last time anything was stolen, it was some kids from across the street who went into my garage and stole about 10 rounds of .50 cal. Their parents came over to return the ammo and demand an explananion as wo why I had it. I thanked them for returning it, and I demended an explanation as to why kids think that they could take things from other peoples' garages.
A reasonable theory. I read someplace that a small fraction of career criminals commit a disproportionate number of crimes.
While this may be partly true, I also see it as a rising determination by citizens who are stopped by or near police asserting their rights more aggressively. And, the resulting response by police is not often one of accommodation or accession of basic rights, but of outright oppression.
Frankly, too many of these buzz head, steroid Rambos need to be somewhere else than on a police force, IMO.
It seems the murder rate is down, dramatically; the total crime rate is down, less significantly; and the number of LEOs killed each seems to be declining.
Under these circumstance for the number of people being shot by LEOs to be going up each year doesn’t seem to be justified.
Of course, arguably the reason fewer LEOs are being killed is because they are killing the other guys first. :)
I think it is indisputably a bad idea for LEOs to investigate LEO shootings.
Their parents should have come over and begged you not to press charges. Unbelievable!
No good would have come of it if I had. I'd rather save the big response for something more substantive. I'm a pretty much leave me alone and I'll leave you alone person.
Well when the SHTF you know where they stand. In your way. :-)
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