We recently discussed the decision by the Los Angeles district attorney not to charge officers who shot up a vehicle of an innocent man because they were acting in “an atmosphere of fear and extreme anticipation.”Officers were on edge in the search for cop-killer Christopher Dorner (right). We now have a decision in the shooting that proceeded the McGee case where eight Los Angeles police officers fired over 100 times. Margie Carranza, then 47, was cut by flying glass while her then 71-year-old mother, Emma Hernandez was shot in the back. You guessed it. No one will be fired or even suspended.
Let’s recap what these officers did and will now only be required to take a little more training. Police were searching for Dorner. Two women happened by the police delivering newspapers in a blue Toyota Tacoma pickup truck. (Dorner was driving a charcoal Nissan Titan pickup truck). Without clear identification and without any appearance of a weapon, the police fired 103 times at the truck.
A Commission has now completed its investigation of the officers and found that the officers were not at serious fault in trying to kill two innocent unarmed women and unleashing a wall of lead on a vehicle.
The Commission found that the officers did find that eight officers violated Los Angeles Police Department policy. However, a violation that results in gunning down an innocent elderly lady does not appear to be a firing or even suspending act of misconduct.
Chief Charlie Beck insisted that this shooting was simply the result of “a tragic cascade of circumstances that led to an inaccurate conclusion by the officers.”
Of course, these women were hit by 103 “inaccurate conclusions.” Both could easily have been killed but that would not have changed the result.
The decisions in these two investigations will only reaffirm view of many that police are beyond increasingly beyond accountability while police powers are on the rise in our society. I find these decisions to be perfectly otherworldly. Both opinions tend to justify the actions on the basis for the fear and anticipation that existed at the time. However, police are supposed to be professionals trained to deal with such pressure. It is also worth noting that, if this were Dorner in the truck, it would have been highly questionable as a justified shooting since no weapon was present or shown to the officers. None of that seems to matter. It leaves a chilling message that police are at greater liberty to use lethal force (without positive identification or appearance of a weapon) when searching for a cop killer.
It is also worth noting that citizens are regularly charged when they shoot at officers by mistake under the same chaotic circumstances. They have also been cleared in shooting citizens who appear with a weapon in response to commotion. In the meantime, we have seen officers cleared and even honored in mistaken raids or shootings (here and here and here and here and here and here).
The increasing police powers in the United States and the absence of serious deterrent over misconduct or mistakes by some officers makes for a deadly combination. What is fascinating is the relative timidity of citizens in the face of even the most egregious abuse as we discussed recently with regard to New Mexico police officers. Likewise, there was no outcry recently with the incredible decision by the Dallas Police Chief that officers will no longer be allowed to give their accounts of shootings for the first 48 hours after officers were found to have lied in past cases. They will now be allowed to get their accounts straight before going on the record.
The final conclusions from the Dorner investigations sends a message to officers and citizens alike that even the most outrageous and potentially lethal misconduct by officers can be forgiven.
rafflaw;
Your remark of
is an award winning reflection
Cops are the most dangerous people you will come across in your daily life. Protect yourself, friends, and even strangers by ALWAYS recording the police.
I have seen more than one person (unknown to the videographer) exonerated by a video camera being pointed in their direction at the right time.
The local news did a story last night. This is the anniversary of the Dorner saga. It is also the end of the Bob Filner nightmare. San Diegans elected a new, MODERATE mayor who soundly defeated a public union, Filner errand boy. The Dems elected the first mayor in decades w/ Filner and boy did he screw the pooch. Only 1 Republican mayor in the Top 10 US cities. Falcouner got endorsements from Dems. He’s also our councilman so that’s ALWAYS good.
LA is IMO, in the top 3 corrupt police dept. in the country along w/ NYC and Chicago.
Unfortunately citizens are now the enemy. Police officers are trained, yes I said trained, to protect themselves first and ask questions later.
How very professional.
Such highly trained/supervised “officers” that shoot first and ask no questions later like the timid/frightened cretins they are.
LAPD chief Charlie Beck is a joke.
SOP. Drones killing wedding parties and war dept simply offers an apology of sorts. ‘Justice Dept’ goes about jailing potheads for 20 years while releasing financial criminals at HSBC who are then rewarded with millions in bonuses. NSA Clapper lies to Congress and gets a pat on the back, while Edward Snowden is threatened with death for telling the truth. Police can act like drunken cowboys in a John Wayne movie and shoot up everything and anyone in sight and are given cover by kangaroo courts, but cops (and politicians) treat OWS protestors like criminals for using Constitutionally protected free speech. What’s right is wrong and what’s wrong is right. Welcome to Bizarroworld….
well put for a bankster
The police are our friends.
They’re our heroes. Their lives are precious. Civilians are expendable.
STILL NO JUSTICE FOR JOHN WRANA.
We have a police state because Americans of all political stripes are authoritarians. Not only do they tolerate the abuse of power, they vote for it – regardless of political persuasion – over and over and over again.
Whether is it massive surveillance, bailouts of billionaires or wars of choice based on lies, Americans don’t really seem to mind too much. In fact, most of them deify the thugs they vote for to run the government and refuse to hold them accountable.
I suspect that government has always been like this, to some degree, except that prior to the internet, it was less likely to be made public, as those in the main stream media have always been kept on leashes.
Can you imagine the level of corruption, during prohibition or how Joe Kennedy paid off various entities. Hit’s put on competitors, etc.
I keep saying that it is illogical to expect a system that utilized the legalization of the initiation of force, to effect an ethical and civil society. This is just one of a million examples.
That is outrageous that those cops are not being prosecuted. Maybe the US attorney in LA can bring charges against them as the US attorney in San Antonio did against two BP officers, Ramos and Compean who shot at an armed drug smuggler who fought with Compean, and was running away. They only wounded him in the butt, and he kept on running and got away over the Rio Grande. They were convicted and not only lost their jobs, but went to prison and are still convicted felons.
The judicial system is more broken than the immigration system.
AY,
Missed her by “that” much, 102 times.
Raff,
Only those that had bullets left in the clips…..the others sure…. 102 stray bullets….
“Collateral damage” comes to America.
Well imagine. Violent thugs writing themselves permission slips to be even worse thugs. And our response? Thank you, may I have another?
The police are out of control and the Police Commission just gave them a license to shoot at anything or anyone, at any time! Can we at least discipline them for poor accuracy?
Robert Louis Stevenson…..
AY;
Your remarks tout the sentiment of my vex;
and hold to the cliff’s edge my hearts pang.
It is our America, the one we created and sustained; where the Code & Rule of Law enforces civility upon the masses – whilst protecting the bad faith of those Above the Law.
Ok, I’m game what’s the catch…. Because some officers still had bullets left if the clip…. Maybe the ones that emptied their clips should be given raises……