Do these border crossing experiences sound extreme to you?
#46
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Palm Springs ca
Programs: aa lifetime platinum
Posts: 747
get this one!
last year lax-yvr-lhr -cdg - yes, an award- the canadian customs lady asked me: " Why are you going to paris"?
i am not a canadian citizen, not travelling on a canadian airline, just transitting, what would she care? that really took the biscuit!!!!
She was real orneryabout seeing my full itinerary etc.
the worst customs experiences i have had have been with our friend to the north. leads me to travel there a whole lot less. i get enough abuse in my daily life without even asking for it,,, !!!
last year lax-yvr-lhr -cdg - yes, an award- the canadian customs lady asked me: " Why are you going to paris"?
i am not a canadian citizen, not travelling on a canadian airline, just transitting, what would she care? that really took the biscuit!!!!
She was real orneryabout seeing my full itinerary etc.
the worst customs experiences i have had have been with our friend to the north. leads me to travel there a whole lot less. i get enough abuse in my daily life without even asking for it,,, !!!
#47
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 628
http://www.stoppingpower.net/comment...op_killers.asp
"Thirty-six of the 50 officers in the study had "experienced hazardous situations where they had the legal authority" to use deadly force "but chose not to shoot." They averaged 4 such prior incidents before the encounters that the researchers investigated. "It appeared clear that none of these officers were willing to use deadly force against an offender if other options were available," the researchers concluded.
"Thirty-six of the 50 officers in the study had "experienced hazardous situations where they had the legal authority" to use deadly force "but chose not to shoot." They averaged 4 such prior incidents before the encounters that the researchers investigated. "It appeared clear that none of these officers were willing to use deadly force against an offender if other options were available," the researchers concluded.
I've had only one such situation myself. It would have been a good shoot, I have no doubt. I was pulling the slack out of the trigger. And I chose to wait a moment longer and it resolved without needing to fire. Worked out well for both of us. Don't think that guy knew how close it was, either.
Last edited by Deeg; Aug 2, 2007 at 6:26 pm
#48
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An increasing number of police are using Tasers as an easy way to overpower someone where all they had to do was talk to them - such as Tasering children, elderly, etc.
#49
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 1999
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Posts: 21,792
I wouldn't disagree that there are a lot of LEOs who just love to misuse anything available to them.
#50
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 628
#51
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Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: San Francisco
Programs: AA 3mm Plat
Posts: 10,067
It is pretty clear that positions that provide the opportunity to abuse authority are more likely to attract those who might like to do that.
That said, most such organizations screen as best they can to eliminate such people. Key words: as best they can.
Still, to tar all who wear a uniform and a gun as bad apples is unjust. I have known many cops. Most by far are decent folk. The us vs. them mentality does creep in, but given what they see and where they have to go day after day, it would be very extraordinary if it did not.
That said, most such organizations screen as best they can to eliminate such people. Key words: as best they can.
Still, to tar all who wear a uniform and a gun as bad apples is unjust. I have known many cops. Most by far are decent folk. The us vs. them mentality does creep in, but given what they see and where they have to go day after day, it would be very extraordinary if it did not.
#52
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 4,704
"In fact, the street combat veterans survived by developing a shoot-first mentality."
An FBI study on the phenomenon of LEOs having the reluctance to shoot:
http://www.fbi.gov/publications/leb/1999/oct99leb.pdf
#53
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 4,704
Yup. FSRC does some great studies and has some awesome publications. They've brought more science and scrutiny to the subject than anyone else has been able to before.
I've had only one such situation myself. It would have been a good shoot, I have no doubt. I was pulling the slack out of the trigger. And I chose to wait a moment longer and it resolved without needing to fire. Worked out well for both of us. Don't think that guy knew how close it was, either.
I've had only one such situation myself. It would have been a good shoot, I have no doubt. I was pulling the slack out of the trigger. And I chose to wait a moment longer and it resolved without needing to fire. Worked out well for both of us. Don't think that guy knew how close it was, either.
#55
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 4,704
It is pretty clear that positions that provide the opportunity to abuse authority are more likely to attract those who might like to do that.
That said, most such organizations screen as best they can to eliminate such people. Key words: as best they can.
Still, to tar all who wear a uniform and a gun as bad apples is unjust. I have known many cops. Most by far are decent folk. The us vs. them mentality does creep in, but given what they see and where they have to go day after day, it would be very extraordinary if it did not.
That said, most such organizations screen as best they can to eliminate such people. Key words: as best they can.
Still, to tar all who wear a uniform and a gun as bad apples is unjust. I have known many cops. Most by far are decent folk. The us vs. them mentality does creep in, but given what they see and where they have to go day after day, it would be very extraordinary if it did not.
"There is considerable research on whether police personality characteristics are related in any way to police use of force, and it is safe to say that the psychological research in this regard has produced mixed findings. Many studies (e.g. Hochstedler 1981) have found no correlation between any hypothesized police "types" and a predilection toward use of force. A number of other studies have been inconclusive regarding whether any MMPI subscales or peer ratings predict who is most likely to become a violent-prone officer. It may very well be that police departments do a fairly good job of screening out applicants who are violent-prone. However, individual variables of a socio-demographic nature do tend to make good predictors of which officers use force more frequently, especially if such force is measured by the number of citizen complaints. For example, Terrill and Mastrofski (2002) found that young, White, male officers are more likely to receive citizen abuse of force complaints (and youthful age and/or inexperience is sometimes a factor in deadly force incidents as well). "
#56
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 628
#57
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 210
Get Up, Stand Up
http://faculty.ncwc.edu/TOConnor/205/205lect03.htm It may very well be that police departments do a fairly good job of screening out applicants who are violent-prone.
The Rampart Division of the LAPD did a great job of screening: At least 58 officers implicated in perjury, brutality and framing. Five officers fired, 7 resigned, 12 suspended, more than 100 convictions overturned, more than $100 million in civil settlements.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rampart_Scandal
That's more than a couple of bad apples. That's what I meant when I referred to the corrupting influence of the station house. Do you really think it was an accident that these brownshirts chose to be police officers instead of athletes, salesmen, contractors or other jobs where they wouldn't be able to use the power of the state to push people around?
Left unchecked, law enforcement will tend toward these types of abuses. That's why law enforcement needs to be zealously monitored by the citizenry in the form of civilian review boards, well-paid public defenders and everyday citizens standing up for their rights and refusing to allow peace officers to overstep their bounds.
#58
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 5,662
#59
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 5,662
Left unchecked, law enforcement will tend toward these types of abuses. That's why law enforcement needs to be zealously monitored by the citizenry in the form of civilian review boards, well-paid public defenders and everyday citizens standing up for their rights and refusing to allow peace officers to overstep their bounds.
#60
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 628
"Taser happy"?!? You do realize that tasers are used to prevent suspect injuries, right? The taser is significantly less likely to cause injury than a baton, which would be its alternative. Not to mention the huge decrease in officer injuries.