Posted on 10/10/2005 5:23:46 AM PDT by BlackRain
NORMAN, Okla. -- Norman police confirmed Thursday that they ran a routine investigation of a 21-year-old University of Oklahoma student who blew himself up on campus Saturday night.
At a 2 p.m. news conference, Norman Police Department spokesman J.D. Younger said an off-duty, plainclothes officer overheard a conversation Joel Henry Hinrichs III had with the proprietor of a Norman feed store last Thursday at 4 p.m. The conversation centered on a purchase of ammonium nitrate fertilizer.
"I think it's important to note that it's not a criminal activity to purchase ammonium nitrate fertilizer," Younger said.
However, he noted that the context of Hinrichs' conversation with a manager of Ellison Feed & Seed was suspicious. Younger indicated that the off-duty officer reported that Hinrichs asked about different types of fertilizer and the concentration of ammonium nitrate in each.
Ammonium nitrate was the primary ingredient in the bomb that killed 168 people in the explosion that brought down the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995.
The officer, according to Younger, took a mental note of the conversation and its context, and then followed Hinrichs outside. The officer took down the student's license tag number, contacted Norman's police department dispatch operation, had Hinrichs checked for outstanding warrants -- but, alas, found nothing.
(Excerpt) Read more at channeloklahoma.com ...
Rehashed ping.
"When asked whether or not the officer could have done something to prevent the explosion, Younger said the off-duty officer actually went "above and beyond" the call of duty to act as he did."
All this officer did was run Hinnrich's car tags to check for warrants. This is 'above and beyond' the call of duty?
If this officer was really suspicious of this young man; why did he not call the FBI or BATFE immediately.
It is called covering your ass after the fact.
..."I think we're fortunate to have an employee go that far," Younger said. "We don't know what would have happened if the officer hadn't been there."...
He's laying it on a little thick, isn't he?
The officer didn't do anything to prevent the kid from buying anything. He just followed him after he left.
I agree.
For what it's worth, it's 'above and beyond' probable cause.
Do you want the police hanging around and contacting the FBI whenever they see you buying fertilizer? Or cold medicine (you could have a meth lab)? Or bullets (you might be planning a school shooting)?
We really don't want the police chasing people for no reason. If they have a suspicion, they should check their database. If you're clean, they should not harass you.
This is what the jihadists call a "lily white"...just like Tim McVeigh and Terry Nichols.
I recommend the book The Third Terrorist by Jayna Davis (Link to Amazon). It is interesting reading...and just about all of the proof that any U.S. president would need to support attacking Saddam.
Most idiots in this country and some on this forum seem to think it is governments job to be proactive at every step. These people have joined the media culture in always looking to cast blame and accuse others of not doing enough even if it means violating someones rights.
I believe you have the police confused with energetic Freepers.
A police officer has no authority to call the FBI or BATF. He has a chain of command to go through.
Should you need to cast aspersions as to what the police did wrong, you may wish to go after the ones in leadership.
If this officer was really suspicious of this young man; why did he not call the FBI or BATFE immediately.
One possible explanation is that there was nothing conclusive in what the officer turned up in Hinrich's background...and that since Hinrich was an OU student, he could reasonably have been doing research for a paper or classroom assignment.
Another reasonable explanation is that if Hinrich was someone more ominious, at least, so far as anyone knew, he didn't have all the ingredients for a bomb, 'yet'.
Of course, when they learned he was an out-of-state student, that more or less ruled out Hinrich being from the farm & asking about fertilizer for legitimate uses. That, and the time of year in OK...so far as I know, there aren't any good reasons to be applying high nitrogen content fertilizers to crops in late-September, early October.
alas hindsight is still 2020
How stupid can you be to walk into a feed store and ask about Ammonium nitrate concentrations in fertilizers, especially after the OKC bombing and 9/11? Sheesh...No matter this man's motives, he is a Darwin Award candidate.
He was in plainsclothes. Why didn't he just strike up a conversation with him and get a feel for the guy.
>>If Hinrichs had not died Saturday night, the Norman officer -- according to Younger -- would have filed the written statement, which would have eventually been submitted to federal authorities. The lead investigative agency in the Hinrichs case is the FBI; << (snip)
Would you prefer to have officers who ignore 'probables'? This officer was taking note of a person whom he considered someone who probably or possibly would be involved in a fertilizer bombing at a later date. He was looking for any reason to conduct further investigation into this nutcake.
"above and beyond" the call of duty to act as he did."
Keep in mind that he was off duty. In my mind this is the kind of man who became a cop because he wanted to take the trash off the streets before they got to stinking and infecting the local kids. I'd like more cops like this.
Have you ever taken note of the time, a type of vehicle, a driver, a male or a female, or studied a person in a restaruant who is too fidgety for your comfort because you think they may have been involved in an accident or crime. Do you take note of odd acting strangers in your own neighborhood just in case a crime is committed you can give the cops a step up on catching the criminal?
Myself, I consider this just being aware. Aware of what is going on around you. No I'm not a cop and don't want their job either.
Precisely. Proactivity is what saves lives. Action after the fact only solves crimes. Take a look at the guy. He is either an Amish farmer or a shaheed wannabe.
---uhmmm-------given the quality of the picture he stongly resembles my nephew, who is a circuit court judge in a large midwestern state---
This might have gone a ways to convince the man that perhaps making a bomb wasn't such a great idea.
The first WTC bombers were under surveillance but the FBI thought they weren't 'serious'.
The rest is history.
Missed opportunities.....
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