News Ferguson Officer Talks About It

[RummyBoy]

BBC News - Officer who shot Michael Brown: 'I know I did my job right'

Now, I have to say I'm not a US person and I have NO CLUE about what the politics of this and im not knowledgeable about what happened......... I'm just curious what you think about it.

Of course, US police are not becoming famously militant and it's ugly as hell but after things like say what happened at New Orleans.... don't the police have to take measures like that?

[candyflip]

My girlfriend is a Deputy Sheriff. While you might think it's easy to shoot and put someone down without killing them, it doesn't work how we see it work on tv or in the movies. At least that is how it is explained to me. Do these people want to take another's life...no. The shit they see often drives them over the edge as it is. They don't need to pile something like that on top of things.

My girlfriends ex, also a Sheriff, killed himself. 3 of her coworkers have killed themselves this year alone. These people put their life on the line, to do what we all perceive to be a simple job. Well, it should be simple...but it never is.

[RummyBoy]

Your girlfriend is a deputy sheriff? Does she have access to the handcuffs

[Sly]

Originally Posted by candyflip

My girlfriend is a Deputy Sheriff. While you might think it's easy to shoot and put someone down without killing them, it doesn't work how we see it work on tv or in the movies. At least that is how it is explained to me. Do these people want to take another's life...no. The shit they see often drives them over the edge as it is. They don't need to pile something like that on top of things.

My girlfriends ex, also a Sheriff, killed himself. 3 of her coworkers have killed themselves this year alone. These people put their life on the line, to do what we all perceive to be a simple job. Well, it should be simple...but it never is.

When I give people a brief explanation of what I do, there is always a chuckle "man that sounds easy, I should do that!" I then go on with a more in-depth explanation. What I do isn't easy. It took years to learn, more years to master, and more years to become an "expert."

My point is this: looking through a window, we always like to think that the other guy is doing nothing special. It's easy. It doesn't take any work. It's not taxing. Anyone could do it. It doesn't wear on the soul. While thinking all of that about the other guy, we also like to think how difficult our position is. Our long days. Our bad days. Our bad months. The stress. The frustration. Anger. The disappointment.

It's all relative. Just because something looks easy. Simple. Doesn't mean it is.

[candyflip]

Originally Posted by RummyBoy

Your girlfriend is a deputy sheriff? Does she have access to the handcuffs

She works in the Jail and carries two pairs on her belt at all times.

When I spend the night at her house, there are always handcuffs within reach.

Seriously, there's a drawer full of them. And those fuckers aren't cheap.

[Tom_PM]

FBI stats recently showed that violent crimes of murder, robbery and rape are down again, staying with the 40 year trend, while killings of civilians by police are up.

Police officers kill people more often today than they have in the past, DESPITE incidences of violent criminal activity being on a steady decline. That should disturb everyone and alert them to a problem. Will it?

[Sly]

Originally Posted by Tom_PM

FBI stats recently showed that violent crimes of murder, robbery and rape are down again, staying with the 40 year trend, while killings of civilians by police are up.

Police officers kill people more often today than they have in the past, DESPITE incidences of violent criminal activity being on a steady decline. That should disturb everyone and alert them to a problem. Will it?

Your FBI data is incomplete. The United States is a large country. Some areas are safer than others. You would need to do a district by district breakdown to really see what's going on.

Don't even try telling me Washington DC is as safe as Plano, Texas.

[Tom_PM]

Why would I tell you that? And what big difference would it make? Ask the FBI how they compile their data if you are curious I guess. I read it, it was interesting and certainly not a good trend to spot. That is all.