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You are here: Home / Civil Rights / Criminal Justice / Shitty Cops / Best news I heard all week

Best news I heard all week

by Tim F|  August 14, 201411:19 am| 200 Comments

This post is in: Shitty Cops

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. @GovJayNixon just confirmed that the State Police & Federal Authorities are going to relieve St. Louis County PD of their duties here.

— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) August 14, 2014

Good riddance. Take your LRAD 500X deafening “crowd control” toy with you when you go.

SWAT overlooks protestors in #Ferguson. They've all moved to sidewalk. pic.twitter.com/peY5cOVBZl

— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 13, 2014

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Previous Post: « Well, Of Course He Did
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Reader Interactions

200Comments

  1. 1.

    Goblue72

    August 14, 2014 at 11:20 am

    White America needs a collective punch in the neck.

  2. 2.

    Betty Cracker

    August 14, 2014 at 11:21 am

    Excellent first step. Now they need to back law enforcement off peaceful protests and start investigating not only the kid’s shooting but the response to the community’s reaction. It was a national disgrace.

  3. 3.

    ShadeTail

    August 14, 2014 at 11:21 am

    Good riddance. Take your LRAD 500X deafening “crowd control” toy with you when you go.

    No fucking way. Confiscate it and destroy it before they can take it home.

  4. 4.

    Mustang Bobby

    August 14, 2014 at 11:23 am

    Good riddance. Take your LRAD 500X deafening “crowd control” toy with you when you go.

    Any truth to the rumor that Rick Perry’s already put in a bid for it?

  5. 5.

    Mike in NC

    August 14, 2014 at 11:23 am

    That photo could have been taken in Baghdad a few years ago. Makes you wonder how many of our cops used to work for Blackwater and other mercenary outfits.

  6. 6.

    Tim F.

    August 14, 2014 at 11:24 am

    @ShadeTail: Nah, I hope they get so frustrated that they didn’t get to turn it up to eleven that they nuke each others’ eardrums for fun.

  7. 7.

    Belafon

    August 14, 2014 at 11:24 am

    (Copied from previous thread because I think it bears repeating):

    Steve King: Since Ferguson Rioters Are All Of The Same ‘Continental Origin,’ Racial Profiling Is Not A Concern:

    “This idea of no racial profiling,” King said, “I’ve seen the video. It looks to me like you don’t need to bother with that particular factor because they all appear to be of a single origin, I should say, a continental origin might be the way to phrase that.”

  8. 8.

    PaulW

    August 14, 2014 at 11:25 am

    Um, the state police could be using the same type of equipment…

    the thing is, we’re hoping the state police/National Guard patrols are going to be better trained to handle / defuse protest gatherings.

  9. 9.

    Cacti

    August 14, 2014 at 11:26 am

    Ferguson’s mayor on TV saying he “can’t second guess these officers”.

    Of course you can second guess them, you tool bag, you’re the fucking mayor. Not to mention, any American citizen has the right to second guess the actions of law enforcement agencies.

    When did greater St. Louis turn into Moscow on the Mississippi.

  10. 10.

    Elizabelle

    August 14, 2014 at 11:26 am

    @Betty Cracker:

    It is a national disgrace.

  11. 11.

    Violet

    August 14, 2014 at 11:27 am

    @ShadeTail: Yeah no kidding. Why do they get to keep that thing?

  12. 12.

    Mike in NC

    August 14, 2014 at 11:28 am

    @Mustang Bobby: We mock Rick Perry here, but if he could figure out how to channel white racial resentment against the brown people crossing the border, and the inner city black people complaining about their kids being shot down in the streets, he could become the GOP frontrunner for 2016. He just might not be bright enough…

  13. 13.

    dmsilev

    August 14, 2014 at 11:28 am

    @Belafon: He means that the human species all are descended from Africans, since that’s where we evolved, right?

    (It’s Steve King. Of course not)

  14. 14.

    Belafon

    August 14, 2014 at 11:30 am

    @dmsilev: His statement even defies the Christian creation story.

  15. 15.

    D.N. Nation

    August 14, 2014 at 11:30 am

    This isn’t a police department. It’s a white-supremacist criminal enterprise. RICO the whole lot of them- arrest the officers, arrest the police chief, confiscate their equipment, confiscate their homes, seize their financial assets. Every single one of them should be sitting in a jail cell. With the threat of their families next unless they talk.

  16. 16.

    Goblue72

    August 14, 2014 at 11:31 am

    @Tim F.: The pigs would just go on disability and vest their over inflated pig pensions.

    Rather see them stripped of their income & pensions & personal assets to the point their grandchildren won’t even have any hope of attending college.

    If they want to act like crackers they can go live with them.

  17. 17.

    Cacti

    August 14, 2014 at 11:31 am

    Also too, where the hell is Claire McCaskill in all of this?

    Missouri’s milquetoast Dems are flipping the bird to the African American voters they depend on.

  18. 18.

    Goblue72

    August 14, 2014 at 11:32 am

    @D.N. Nation: Welcome to America. You’ve just described the average police department in the United States.

    Ferguson isn’t the exception – it’s the rule.

  19. 19.

    cermet

    August 14, 2014 at 11:32 am

    I never understood but now realize the separation that the City of Baltimore and its surrounding county have going for them. The city is independent of the county and has its own police. This protects not only the city – SWAT formations are almost unheard of there -but helps the county police from becoming polarized. More cities need this type of system

  20. 20.

    Gin & Tonic

    August 14, 2014 at 11:32 am

    @Belafon: I’d actually agree with him. I think they are all from the continent of North America.

  21. 21.

    BGinCHI

    August 14, 2014 at 11:33 am

    Cue Fox on how “the police are the real victims here.”

  22. 22.

    Belafon

    August 14, 2014 at 11:34 am

    @Cacti: From what she was tweeting last night, she’s been making phone calls between the governor, the various mayors and PDs, and informing Obama.

  23. 23.

    Davis X. Machina

    August 14, 2014 at 11:35 am

    @D.N. Nation: After due process, of course…..

  24. 24.

    Goblue72

    August 14, 2014 at 11:36 am

    @BGinCHI: You can get carpal tunnel syndrome from pulling the trigger on black kids so often. I knew a cop who needed rotator cuff surgery from overuse of his nightstick.

    Pigging is a tough job, yo.

  25. 25.

    RSR

    August 14, 2014 at 11:36 am

    “LRAD XTREME” really?

    LRAD 500x Operation Zones panel –

    http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0y4Bbr9j_JY/S7spBHBnRYI/AAAAAAAABvk/0_dzMQ1HXLQ/s800/LRAD_500X_rear1.jpg

  26. 26.

    Davis X. Machina

    August 14, 2014 at 11:36 am

    @Belafon: Not good enough. I want her on the street shouting ‘Fight the Power!’. That would be an enormous help.

  27. 27.

    BGinCHI

    August 14, 2014 at 11:37 am

    @Goblue72: I’m guessing Fox and the right are now going to pivot to “gov’t overreach taking over local law enforcement.”

    They WILL find an us/them angle that works for them that avoids too much overt racism.

  28. 28.

    Gin & Tonic

    August 14, 2014 at 11:38 am

    For the ex-miltary types here, this HuffPo story has a very clear close-up picture of that St. Louis County cop who was sitting on top of the armored vehicle with a tripod-mounted gun of some sort. Probably clear enough to identify the weapon if you’re knowledgeable.

  29. 29.

    RSR

    August 14, 2014 at 11:40 am

    And what looks to be an LRAD 300 on a separate vehicle. Can’t haw too much hearing-loss-causing weaponry to turn on your own citizens:

    https://twitter.com/Green_Footballs/status/499608263294337026

  30. 30.

    PIGL

    August 14, 2014 at 11:42 am

    @D.N. Nation: Absolutely, this.

  31. 31.

    Bobby Thomson

    August 14, 2014 at 11:43 am

    @Cacti:

    Ferguson’s mayor on TV saying he “can’t second guess these officers”.

    Voting is still legal in Missouri, right? That should be Ferguson’s soon-to-be-Ex-Mayor.

  32. 32.

    Tim F.

    August 14, 2014 at 11:45 am

    @Goblue72: No offense but you sound like a spoof.

  33. 33.

    scav

    August 14, 2014 at 11:46 am

    @Cacti: Mere citizens and constituents, however, can be pre-judged as untrustworthy, negligible and deserving of whatever gets dished out by those that must not be second-guessed.

  34. 34.

    RSR

    August 14, 2014 at 11:47 am

    @Belafon: OMFG

    amplifying that

  35. 35.

    Belafon

    August 14, 2014 at 11:48 am

    Can’t watch the video at work, but there might be video of Brown’s shooting (from DailyKos). If nothing else, it’s another witness.

  36. 36.

    raven

    August 14, 2014 at 11:49 am

    Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said Wednesday evening that she was in contact with local officials and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Devision in order to “de escalate the tense and unacceptable situation” in Ferguson. She is also expected to meet with Attorney General Eric Holder on Thursday.

  37. 37.

    shelley

    August 14, 2014 at 11:49 am

    Makes you wonder how many of our cops used to work for Blackwater and other mercenary outfits.

    Pfffft. I’m starting to think these cops got their jobs thru a prize in a Cracker Jack box.

  38. 38.

    shortstop

    August 14, 2014 at 11:49 am

    @Davis X. Machina: Help, no. But you have to admit it would be entertaining as hell to watch.

  39. 39.

    JPL

    August 14, 2014 at 11:51 am

    @Cacti: The mayor was on MSNBC and wanted to correct Washington Post’s reporting. The Post said the city had three black police officers and in fact, they have five.

  40. 40.

    raven

    August 14, 2014 at 11:52 am

    @Belafon: What a bunch of bullshit all the “warnings” are. Dude shot the kid, what the fuck is it going to look like?

  41. 41.

    Davis X. Machina

    August 14, 2014 at 11:52 am

    @shortstop: I so want this to become all about a bunch of politicians….

  42. 42.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    August 14, 2014 at 11:52 am

    @JPL: Well, shit. That makes it alright then. No problems here. Move along.

  43. 43.

    Violet

    August 14, 2014 at 11:53 am

    Local radio just played a mashup of "A change is gonna come" and police scanner traffic from day of #michaelbrown shooting. Powerful— Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) August 14, 2014

  44. 44.

    RSR

    August 14, 2014 at 11:54 am

    @Gin & Tonic: What are those two little button head devices under the barrel, I wonder? Mounts of some sort for some other ordnance?

  45. 45.

    Violet

    August 14, 2014 at 11:54 am

    @JPL: That’s all about undermining the Washington Post’s reporting, especially Wesley Lowery who was arrested last night. “He can’t even get basic facts right! How can he be trusted to get anything right?”

  46. 46.

    Karen in GA

    August 14, 2014 at 11:55 am

    @JPL:

    The mayor was on MSNBC and wanted to correct Washington Post’s reporting. The Post said the city had three black police officers and in fact, they have five.

    What? Oh, well, whoops. Never mind then. Everyone pack up and go home! What else is on?

  47. 47.

    raven

    August 14, 2014 at 11:56 am

    @Gin & Tonic: It’s an AR-15 with a scope or some permutation thereof/ It’s a pretty small magazine, probably 10 rounds. I’m sure it has some other fancy numerology but that’s basically what it is.

  48. 48.

    raven

    August 14, 2014 at 11:56 am

    dupe

  49. 49.

    feebog

    August 14, 2014 at 11:57 am

    This is a majority black community that is controlled by a white minority. Three black officers out of a police force of over 50? When this is over, a massive, and I do mean massive voter registration effort needs to be launched. You don’t get this kind of government without voter suppression and apathy.

    Edit; I see the Mayor claims there are five. So less than 10% of your force is African American in a majority black community and you want to make a point of it?

  50. 50.

    ET

    August 14, 2014 at 11:57 am

    From what I have translated from what I have read, there seems to be no confidence in the local police by pretty much everyone – citizens, feds, state – pushing them aside is the best option. Them staying is not doing anyone (including them) any favors.

    From the citizens point of view getting them out may go a long way to calming things down a bit. Right now local cops seem to be the driving force for the problems – from being the focus as well as their very poor response making it worse. You can’t solve a problem with the people who created (and perpetuate) it.

    I read something that indicated there have been issues about this local force for awhile with reports on the federal or state level. The racial make up and what I think amounted to bad training, meant that they may not have been all that professional and may not have even been seen in a favorable way by their law enforcement peers either.
    Bigotry + possible questionable recruitment + bad training = Ferguson

  51. 51.

    raven

    August 14, 2014 at 11:57 am

    @RSR: It’s a bipod.

  52. 52.

    Davis X. Machina

    August 14, 2014 at 11:59 am

    @shelley: These people are so in over their head — and the water’s not that deep to start with.

    It’s too bad they’re lethally armed, so they’re a threat to everyone around them, but a threat to the Republic?

    Them staying is not doing anyone (including them) any favors.

    Honest to god, on the Falls Road, or the Shankhill Road, these guys would last 20 minutes.

  53. 53.

    Gin & Tonic

    August 14, 2014 at 11:59 am

    @RSR: Sorry, know nothing whatsoever about firearms.

  54. 54.

    Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN)

    August 14, 2014 at 11:59 am

    @Belafon: I don’t think there’s any video of the shooting. What she has is video shot afterwards, including the police refusing to let Michael Brown’s relatives get close to the body.

  55. 55.

    Gin & Tonic

    August 14, 2014 at 12:00 pm

    @raven: So those are just folded-up feet to rest the thing down if it’s not tripod-mounted?

  56. 56.

    Greg

    August 14, 2014 at 12:01 pm

    @RSR:

    What are those two little button head devices under the barrel, I wonder? Mounts of some sort for some other ordnance?

    That’s just a fold-down bipod. The button heads are the feet for propping the barrel up.

  57. 57.

    RSR

    August 14, 2014 at 12:02 pm

    @raven: Thanks. Didn’t think of that, what with the tripod mount.

  58. 58.

    Gin & Tonic

    August 14, 2014 at 12:02 pm

    @feebog: I posted in another thread that I read, I think in WSJ, that Ferguson has somewhere around 15k residents of voting age, and only about 1500 voted in the last municipal election.

  59. 59.

    sparrow

    August 14, 2014 at 12:05 pm

    @cermet: This is rather an aside, but I always assumed the separation of county vs city here in Baltimore was a way for the suburbs to keep their own tax money without it going to “those people” in the inner city. In the meanwhile of course they still depend on all kinds of city services and don’t pay for them. It would sure help Baltimore to have some share of the wealthy tax base just outside that arbitrary line, esp. in the north. That said, I have had nothing but good experiences with the Baltimore PD, and have noticed that the street patrols are pretty diverse (lots of women as well).

  60. 60.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 14, 2014 at 12:09 pm

    Just heard (local NPR) that POTUS is going to speak “sometime in the next hour” about both Iraq and Ferguson situations.

  61. 61.

    Belafon

    August 14, 2014 at 12:10 pm

    @Tissue Thin Pseudonym (JMN): OK. Thanks. She’s at least another witness.

  62. 62.

    Belafon

    August 14, 2014 at 12:11 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Now he has to decide which one is worth sending troops to. It’s sad that I can think of that joke.

  63. 63.

    RareSanity

    August 14, 2014 at 12:11 pm

    @ShadeTail:

    No fucking way. Confiscate it and destroy it before they can take it home.

    Not gonna happen.

    Much like the most of the people causing havoc in the Middle East, and various points around the globe, our federal government provides them with this equipment.

    It’s really one the few things that no one can argue that the U.S. Government does EXTREMELY well…acquire (from government contractors) and distribute all manner of military equipment and arms.

    Be it a county police department or “resistance fighters” all over the globe…you get some military hardware, and you get some military hardware, everyone gets some military hardware!

  64. 64.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 14, 2014 at 12:12 pm

    @Belafon:

    Ho-lee fuuuuuuuuuuck.

    I need a whole new vocabulary. I don’t have words any more to describe Steve King and his ilk.*

    *(Okay, I’m keeping “ilk.”)

  65. 65.

    Amir Khalid

    August 14, 2014 at 12:15 pm

    @feebog:
    Five black cops instead of three, out of — is it 55 now, or still 53? — is a whopping 67% more than previously reported. Even if it’s fewer than one out of ten in a town that’s two-thirds black.

    I was rummaging around on YouTube and came across this song. As timely as ever.

  66. 66.

    The Ancient Randonneur

    August 14, 2014 at 12:15 pm

    Where are all those armed posse members that saved Cliven Bundy? Why aren’t they in Ferguson protecting the citizens from the jack booted thugs of the government?

  67. 67.

    scav

    August 14, 2014 at 12:15 pm

    @sparrow: There are only about 41 Independent Cities (no county govt in the US, most in VA). There’s a growing trend to merge city-county govts to supposedly save on taxes / remove an extraneous layer, but there are so many local variations in how it’s down that I’d hesitate to draw conclusions. These sort of arrangements can likely be well- or poorly- managed, for good or less admirable purposes much like all the other forms of governance we’ve got running around the nation.

    OT damn! of all weekends to be graced with the strafing for show by the City of Chicago. Always hate August here.

  68. 68.

    Villago Delenda Est

    August 14, 2014 at 12:16 pm

    @Belafon: King is unspeakable slime. His presence in the House of Representatives damages the institution, and the damage compounds every day this vile sack of shit is present in it.

  69. 69.

    Villago Delenda Est

    August 14, 2014 at 12:18 pm

    @The Ancient Randonneur: They’ve all submitted their CVs to the Ferguson PD and are hoping for interviews and tryouts on the streets of Ferguson.

  70. 70.

    Mr. Twister

    August 14, 2014 at 12:20 pm

    i know Huffpost isn’t a favorite around here but this is good: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/14/media-black-victims_n_5673291.html

  71. 71.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 14, 2014 at 12:21 pm

    @Belafon:

    It was pretty much the first thing that came to my mind, too. Sadly.

  72. 72.

    raven

    August 14, 2014 at 12:23 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: No, it’s to steady the weapon when you are lying on your stomach. Without one you put your lead elbow on the ground and steady the weapon with your hand.

  73. 73.

    me

    August 14, 2014 at 12:25 pm

    @Mr. Twister: Lets sprinkle some crack on him and get out of here.

  74. 74.

    raven

    August 14, 2014 at 12:25 pm

    @scav: Athens is a combined city/county now. It’s Athens-Clarke County. Still two police forces, 3 if you count UGA.

  75. 75.

    ShadeTail

    August 14, 2014 at 12:25 pm

    @RareSanity: Of course it’s not going to happen. But it should, and I felt Tim F was being way too lenient by saying they should take it with them when they go. The more we get it out there to protest this militarization of our police force, the better.

  76. 76.

    Villago Delenda Est

    August 14, 2014 at 12:26 pm

    @raven: Concur. Wonder what that stuff under the barrel is for? Camera?

    Why is it mounted on a tripod? It’s being used as a sniper weapon, perhaps? An AR-15? And why does that cop look like an infantryman?

    This militarization shit is totally out of control.

  77. 77.

    Violet

    August 14, 2014 at 12:26 pm

    Sen. McCaskill says she's been working on "demilitarizing the police response," draws standing ovation at church. pic.twitter.com/05vHqWdElC— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) August 14, 2014

    U.S. McCaskill: "I think the police response has become part of the problem."— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) August 14, 2014

  78. 78.

    raven

    August 14, 2014 at 12:34 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: It’s actually not mounted on the tripod it’s resting on a lamb’s wool cradle. Those weapons have a gazillion add-ons. The whole “sniper” thing is a bit out of control here. I know people will have a fucking fit but this is what a sniper if

    A sniper is a highly trained marksman who operates alone, in a pair, or with a sniper team to maintain close visual contact with the enemy and engage targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the detection capabilities of enemy personnel.

    An AR 15 would not be the weapon of choice for a sniper but you certainly could use it for that. Everyone wants to rave about cammie’s, drones and APC’s so have at it. I guess it’s all minor in the larger scheme.

  79. 79.

    raven

    August 14, 2014 at 12:34 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: It’s actually not mounted on the tripod it’s resting on a lamb’s wool cradle. Those weapons have a gazillion add-ons. The whole “sniper” thing is a bit out of control here. I know people will have a fucking fit but this is what a sniper if

    A sniper is a highly trained marksman who operates alone, in a pair, or with a sniper team to maintain close visual contact with the enemy and engage targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the detection capabilities of enemy personnel.

    An AR 15 would not be the weapon of choice for a sniper but you certainly could use it for that. Everyone wants to rave about cammie’s, drones and APC’s so have at it. I guess it’s all minor in the larger scheme.

  80. 80.

    scav

    August 14, 2014 at 12:36 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Miami-Dade’s another — I think there were rumblings about converting Buffalo NY for tax purposes. They’ve sometimes got a township layer there as well as the city and county levels. Can actually see the impact in where people choose to live if I remember. Amazing the sheer variety of governance types that exist here.

  81. 81.

    M31

    August 14, 2014 at 12:37 pm

    hmmmmm, 3 black officers, 5 black officers, it’s the 3/5 compromise! USA USA USA

  82. 82.

    Mandalay

    August 14, 2014 at 12:39 pm

    @Cacti:

    Also too, where the hell is Claire McCaskill in all of this?

    Well…
    [1] She issued this statement on Sunday morning:

    “As a mother, I grieve for this child and his family. I pray that the wonderful, hardworking, and God-loving people of Ferguson will find peace and patience as we wait for the results of what will be numerous and thorough investigations of what happened. I, like so many other Missourians, will not be satisfied until we have a complete and transparent understanding of all the facts and circumstances that led to this young man’s death.”

    [2] From yesterday:

    Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) says she has a phone call planned with Attorney General Eric Holder on Thursday to discuss the situation in Ferguson, Mo., where an unarmed black teenager was fatally shot by a police officer last weekend.

    Amid clashes in the St. Louis suburb Wednesday night, the senator tweeted that she’s been working the phones to try to deescalate the “tense and unacceptable situation.”

    [3] And this:

    U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill got a standing ovation inside a church in north St. Louis County this morning when she told a crowd of several dozen that the county should “demilitarize the police response” in Ferguson. Afterward she told reporters, “The police response has been part of the problem.”

    What more should she do?

    Missouri’s milquetoast Dems are flipping the bird to the African American voters they depend on.

    Maybe so, but it’s a bit unfair to single out McCaskill. Jay Nixon is the one who really needs to raise his game – he’s been AWOL.

  83. 83.

    Tone In DC

    August 14, 2014 at 12:42 pm

    This sentiment has been noted by some commenters and FPers, but I had to throw it in here.

    http://wonkette.com/557093/wapo-reporter-arrested-in-ferguson-invites-joe-scarborough-to-drink-a-starbucks-cup-of-STFU

    We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

  84. 84.

    Mr. Twister

    August 14, 2014 at 12:42 pm

    Over at LGF a commenter said that the WaPo reporter was interviewed by Roland Martin yesterday morning. He said there were videos of the shooting, but no one wanted to come forward and give them to the authorities.

    Anyone else heard this ?

  85. 85.

    raven

    August 14, 2014 at 12:44 pm

    @Mr. Twister: The fishing guy?

  86. 86.

    skerry

    August 14, 2014 at 12:44 pm

    @Belafon: I just watched the video you linked to. It is a news report from KMOV (St. Louise TV). They show an interview with the new witness (a young adult woman) and video taken after the shooting (with Mike Brown’s body covered by a gray oval!?). The witness says she saw the confrontation at the door of the police car (SUV?) and began to pull out her phone to record it when she heard the first gunshot. She then saw Mike Brown move away from the officer, saw the officer get out of his car, and saw multiple shots fired until he was killed. The last shots were fired after Mike Brown turned to face the officer with his hands in the air.

  87. 87.

    p.a.

    August 14, 2014 at 12:46 pm

    @cermet: are county police the norm? I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of them before. Maybe because here in New England the states are so small all that’s needed are the locals and the state police. I’ve heard of Boston Metro Police but thought that was just a distinction between them, the housing police, MBTA police etc. Are they a county police?

  88. 88.

    raven

    August 14, 2014 at 12:47 pm

    @p.a.: Not rare at all.

  89. 89.

    Mr. Twister

    August 14, 2014 at 12:47 pm

    @raven: Ha ha, yep. Used to go Largemouth fishing quite a bit in my younger days.

  90. 90.

    raven

    August 14, 2014 at 12:48 pm

    @p.a.:

    Depending on the jurisdiction, in the United States, county police tend to exist only in metropolitan counties and have countywide jurisdiction. In some areas, there is a sheriff’s department which only handles issues such as service of papers such as a constable in other areas, along with security for the local courthouse. In other areas, there are no county police and the local sheriff is the exclusive law enforcement agency and acts as both sheriff and county police, which is much more common than there being a separate county police force. County police tend to fall into three broad categories:

    Full-service police departments, which provide the full spectrum of police services to the entire county, irrespective of local communities, and may provide contractual security police services to special districts within the county.
    Hawaii has only county police; there are no local police.
    Limited service police departments, which provide services to unincorporated areas of the county (and may provide services to some incorporated areas by contract), and usually provide contractual security police services to special districts within the county.
    Restricted service police departments, which provide security police duties to county owned and operated facilities and parks. Some may also perform some road patrol duties on county built and maintained roads, and provide support to municipal police departments in the county.

  91. 91.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 14, 2014 at 12:49 pm

    POTUS in 2 minutes

    http://m.whitehouse.gov/live/president-obama-makes-statement-22

  92. 92.

    SatanicPanic

    August 14, 2014 at 12:54 pm

    @Mr. Twister: If I had video, I wouldn’t give it to the police. I’d post it on the internet, then drop the phone off at the DoJ.

  93. 93.

    Missouri Buckeye

    August 14, 2014 at 12:56 pm

    @Violet: Which station?

  94. 94.

    burnspbesq

    August 14, 2014 at 12:58 pm

    @Cacti:

    When did greater St. Louis turn into Moscow on the Mississippi.

    Approximately 1830. St. Louis has always been a Southern city in everything but geography. During the Civil War, both the Union and Confederate flags had a star for Missouri.

  95. 95.

    raven

    August 14, 2014 at 12:59 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: That feed was useless.

  96. 96.

    ShadeTail

    August 14, 2014 at 12:59 pm

    @p.a.: It depends a lot on the locale. Here in the San Jose CA area, each city has its own police force, and there’s also the county Sheriff, and they’re pretty much interchangeable. Let’s say something happens in, for example, Cupertino. If it’s big enough, you’ll have cars from both the Cupertino PD and the county Sheriff, and there will be no distinction between the various responders. They’re the same department, for all practical purposes, and follow the same chain on command while on the scene. If it’s smaller, requiring only a single car, then it could be either Cupertino PD or the Sheriff who responds, and again there’s no distinction between them in terms of authority or chain of command.

    They’ve been working like this for a long time, and it’s a pretty well-oiled machine at this point.

  97. 97.

    Missouri Buckeye

    August 14, 2014 at 12:59 pm

    @p.a.: It’s akin to a county sheriff’s department. We just don’t call it that.

    It’s also due to the plethora of small municipalities we have in St. Louis County, though there are still parts that are unincorporated (I live in one of those). Many of those have small departments for their own law enforcement, but call on the County for big stuff.

  98. 98.

    burnspbesq

    August 14, 2014 at 1:00 pm

    @D.N. Nation:

    This isn’t a police department. It’s a white-supremacist criminal enterprise. RICO the whole lot of them- arrest the officers, arrest the police chief, confiscate their equipment, confiscate their homes, seize their financial assets. Every single one of them should be sitting in a jail cell. With the threat of their families next unless they talk.

    What other fantasies would you like to share with us?

  99. 99.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 14, 2014 at 1:01 pm

    @raven:

    Worked perfectly for me.

  100. 100.

    skerry

    August 14, 2014 at 1:01 pm

    Anyone else think President Obama didn’t look real good physically?

  101. 101.

    Violet

    August 14, 2014 at 1:02 pm

    @Missouri Buckeye: Haven’t any idea. You’ll have to tweet Wesley Lowery to find out.

  102. 102.

    Missouri Buckeye

    August 14, 2014 at 1:03 pm

    @burnspbesq: Except that St. Louis was a hub of Unionist support, mostly due to the large number of German immigrants who had no love for the slave system. During the war, St. Louis also became a hub for former slaves.

    Missouri on the other hand was totally divided (the Governor was a Confederate sympathizer) and the war here was essentially a guerrilla war. If the Confederates had fought this way all over the country, the war would probably never have ended.

    There’s a Wikipedia article on St. Louis in the Civil War. Go read it.

  103. 103.

    Belafon

    August 14, 2014 at 1:07 pm

    @skerry: Thanks.

  104. 104.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 14, 2014 at 1:07 pm

    @skerry:

    I didn’t think he looked sick or anything, but he is definitely showing the aging effects of stress — as most Presidents do.

  105. 105.

    burnspbesq

    August 14, 2014 at 1:09 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    King is unspeakable slime. His presence in the House of Representatives damages the institution, and the damage compounds every day this vile sack of shit is present in it.

    And yet, he’s been elected to Congress six times. Go figure.

  106. 106.

    scav

    August 14, 2014 at 1:10 pm

    @p.a.: In New England, Township govt. because it apples to all the land in the state and acts like city governments elsewhere can manage many of the roles done by county governments elsewhere (because municipal govt control/admin does not cover all land, the county generally intervenes). Elsewhere in the US, townships sometimes fill a role as municipality (OH for example), sometimes really only organize school districts, sometimes mostly organize legal land descriptions or barely even exist. Townships are even more inconsistent than Independent cities. Growing up in CA I barely recognized they existed as such until I moved eastward.

  107. 107.

    burnspbesq

    August 14, 2014 at 1:11 pm

    @Missouri Buckeye:

    There’s a Wikipedia article on St. Louis in the Civil War. Go read it

    Did that yesterday. I also know my in-laws, who are of that fine, upstanding German St. Louis stock. I stand by my assessment.

  108. 108.

    Violet

    August 14, 2014 at 1:12 pm

    @skerry: I didn’t think he looked rested. Probably a late night last night at that party the cable busybodies have been on about. When he shifted from Iraq to Ferguson I thought he sounded angry. In his calm, midwestern style of being angry, of course.

  109. 109.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 14, 2014 at 1:17 pm

    @Violet:

    Oh yes, he was angry. And did you get just a little sense that he maybe ripped Governor Jay Nixon a new one during their phone conversation?

  110. 110.

    Cacti

    August 14, 2014 at 1:17 pm

    @Missouri Buckeye:

    Missouri on the other hand was totally divided (the Governor was a Confederate sympathizer) and the war here was essentially a guerrilla war. If the Confederates had fought this way all over the country, the war would probably never have ended.

    This.

    Confederate partisans even elected a shadow government during the war years, who passed a secession declaration.

    One could fairly argue that the American Civil War began with bleeding Kansas in 1854, rather than Fort Sumter in 1861.

  111. 111.

    Origuy

    August 14, 2014 at 1:19 pm

    @scav:

    Growing up in CA I barely recognized they existed as such until I moved eastward.

    California abolished townships decades ago. I haven’t been able to find out exactly when, but it was before I moved here in 1978. Surprised me; my parents had been active in township government in Indiana.

  112. 112.

    Cacti

    August 14, 2014 at 1:21 pm

    ACLU of Missouri files a sunshine lawsuit against Ferguson PD for release of the official incident report in the Brown shooting.

    Link to complaint.

  113. 113.

    Violet

    August 14, 2014 at 1:25 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: I didn’t get that impression, but did notice he went out of his way to say what a good Governor and person Jay Nixon is. Thought he was propping him up a bit with Democratic voters who are probably pissed as hell at him.

  114. 114.

    another lurker

    August 14, 2014 at 1:31 pm

    @BGinCHI: I’m guessing Fox and the right are now going to pivot to “gov’t overreach taking over local law enforcement.”

    Under Missouri law, the police departments in both Kansas City and St. Louis are state agencies. They are accountable to boards of police commissioners appointed by the governor. The taking over happened 80 years ago.

  115. 115.

    Cacti

    August 14, 2014 at 1:32 pm

    @Violet:

    I didn’t get that impression, but did notice he went out of his way to say what a good Governor and person Jay Nixon is. Thought he was propping him up a bit with Democratic voters who are probably pissed as hell at him.

    Nixon has been pretty timid thus far, but his relieving the St. Louis county police from any further enforcement role was a good start.

    The DOJ has announced a wide-ranging investigation of everything that has taken place this week, and I have a feeling that the St. Louis county cops are about to get chewed up and spit out.

    Ferguson and St. Louis county police also have the NAACP and ACLU breathing down their necks now. This corrupt little racist fiefdom has kicked a hornet’s nest.

  116. 116.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 14, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    @Violet:

    Yes, I got that too, and thought for the same reason. I would have to re-watch the clip, or maybe read a transcript, ’cause I don’t remember anything specific, but I just had a fleeting sense that Obama might have torn into Nixon a little bit. (Immediately after which, presumably, came the announcement that the state would be taking over policing duties from Ferguson/St Louis, TYVM.) I could be reading it entirely wrong.

  117. 117.

    Violet

    August 14, 2014 at 1:35 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: I’m not sure we’ll know. I do think someone must have leaned on Nixon to get him to do something. He’d been pretty MIA until last night. No idea who did the leaning.

  118. 118.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 14, 2014 at 1:39 pm

    @Violet:

    Well, as long as someone did, I guess it doesn’t matter whether it was POTUS, or Nixon’s wife, or the little cartoon conscience on his shoulder.

  119. 119.

    Omnes Omnibus (the first of his name)

    August 14, 2014 at 1:40 pm

    @Violet: Nixon may very well have been waiting until it was obvious to any sentient being that the locals could not handle the job to avoid the perception that it was a big government takeover. If so, It had to be carefully timed – when it was obvious that the locals couldn’t or wouldn’t do it right and before anyone else got killed.

  120. 120.

    scav

    August 14, 2014 at 1:41 pm

    @Violet: Oh he is threading a very fine line amidst blame-traps and among all the parties involved and the free-range media bull-horns with agendas. One he is undoubtedly structurally unable to maintain because of the demands / expectations placed upon him and doesn’t he know it by now. He knows he’ll get hauled over the coals from all directions no matter what he says. Pessimist that I am, I’m rather slightly surprised that he and so many govt officials have even deigned to explicitly voice the possibility that the badged boys in cammo have possibly gone a tad overboard and are contributing to the situation in a non-positive fashion. I think I heard a bit of tetch too, the sort where if it was your parents, you’d anticipate getting yelled at later in a less public setting.

  121. 121.

    Violet

    August 14, 2014 at 1:47 pm

    @scav:

    I think I heard a bit of tetch too, the sort where if it was your parents, you’d anticipate getting yelled at later in a less public setting.

    Yeah, I heard it too. That’s what I meant by “angry in his calm, midwestern style.” Maybe you have to grow up with that kind of “angry” to see it but it was clear as day to me.

  122. 122.

    Mike in NC

    August 14, 2014 at 1:50 pm

    Per USA Today, in 2013 the Pentagon transferred almost half a BILLION dollars worth of surplus gear to police departments nationwide. Everything from paperclips to armored cars.

  123. 123.

    Goblue72

    August 14, 2014 at 1:55 pm

    @Tim F.: what’s wrong with holding cops accountable? Every time a cop violates someone’s civil rights in this country, we slap the cop on the wrist. They never get punished anywhere close to what a civilian would suffer – let alone a civilian of color.

    Hit them where it hurts – their pocketbook. Put them in penury. That wouldn’t bring Michael Brown back but it’s a start.

  124. 124.

    Mandalay

    August 14, 2014 at 2:03 pm

    I have mixed feelings, but the idea of requiring cops to wear live cameras while they work is interesting. A (very small) police force in California is already doing it with impressive results:

    Within a year, the number of complaints filed against police officers in Rialto fell by 88 percent and “use of force” fell by 59 percent. “When you put a camera on a police officer, they tend to behave a little better, follow the rules a little better,” Chief William A. Farrar, the Rialto police chief, told the New York Times. “And if a citizen knows the officer is wearing a camera, chances are the citizen will behave a little better.”

    Just as giving cops camouflage pants and night goggles can alter their behavior for the worse, perhaps making them wear cameras can alter their behavior for the better.

    I’m sure that if all the cops in Ferguson had been wearing video cameras in the past few days they’d have a shitload of explaining to do.

  125. 125.

    SatanicPanic

    August 14, 2014 at 2:07 pm

    @Mandalay: Why mixed feelings?

  126. 126.

    Glocksman

    August 14, 2014 at 2:10 pm

    @Mandalay:

    I was just talking on the phone with a buddy of mine who’s a self described redneck that’s fairly conservative*, and even he thinks the cops in Ferguson are out of control and believes its crazy that we dress cops in military fatigues instead of blue serge and Sam Browne belts.

    He’s ex military and said that dressing them like soldiers will give them a military mindset instead of a ‘Sheriff Andy Taylor’ outlook on the job.

    *His main departure from conservative orthodoxy is health care. We both agree that national single payer is the way to go.

  127. 127.

    shortstop

    August 14, 2014 at 2:13 pm

    @Davis X. Machina: No, nor do I. I’ll just imagine it in my little mind, then, and have a private giggle.

  128. 128.

    shortstop

    August 14, 2014 at 2:17 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Well, around 14,000 of them will vote in the next one. The challenge will be keeping up the momentum.

  129. 129.

    Mandalay

    August 14, 2014 at 2:18 pm

    @SatanicPanic:

    Why mixed feelings?

    Because video evidence is so easily doctored. For example, a cop could be attacked, a struggle follows, the cops pulls his gun, the attacker surrenders, then the cop executes the attacker. Well if the video evidence conveniently only shows the initial attack and the struggle, then not only is the cop exonerated, but the cop becomes a hero.

    People may come up with technical arguments about why this could never happen, but as long as the cops control their video evidence I’m wary.

    Regardless, I’d also like to see cops ending up in court when they illegally order people to turn off their cameras for no good reason, as allegedly happened in Ferguson last night. Pigs will fly first of course.

  130. 130.

    different-church-lady

    August 14, 2014 at 2:23 pm

    @Belafon:

    …they all appear to be of a single origin, I should say, a continental origin might be the way to phrase that.”

    Shutting his goddamned racist crackhead fucking piehole forever might be an even better way for him to phrase that.

  131. 131.

    dww44

    August 14, 2014 at 2:23 pm

    @skerry: Yep, sadly I must agree.

  132. 132.

    different-church-lady

    August 14, 2014 at 2:28 pm

    @Mandalay: I agree — it might lead to temporary improvement, but eventually corrupt cops would be able to figure out a way to game that system.

    Corrupt (anyone) will eventually figure out a way to game any system anyone comes up with. It will always be the better mousetraps/better mice cycle.

    Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it, just means we shouldn’t view it as a foolproof fix for the problem.

  133. 133.

    Glocksman

    August 14, 2014 at 2:29 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:

    It looks like an AR clone with a stainless barrel, a combo laser and ACOG sight, and a folded up bipod, along with the telescopic sight mounted on top.

    The pic is at the wrong angle to be sure, but it looks more like an AR10 in 7.62 NATO than an AR15 in 5.56 NATO.
    This would explain the low capacity magazine.
    If so, the weapon choice makes more sense as a ‘sniper rifle’ than the shorter range AR15.

  134. 134.

    max

    August 14, 2014 at 2:31 pm

    Ted Cruz outflanks Rand Paul:

    Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Thursday defended reporters arrested while covering the protests in Ferguson, Mo. “Reporters should never be detained — a free press is too important — simply for doing their jobs,” he said in a statement on Facebook. […]”Civil liberties must be protected, but violence is not the answer. Once the unrest is brought to an end, we should examine carefully what happened to ensure that justice is served,” Cruz concluded.

    McCaskill earns the donations I gave her;

    Sen. Claire McCaskill (R-MO) on Thursday met with members of the community in Ferguson, Mo. and criticized the way police have handled the protests following the shooting of Michael Brown.

    “We need to de-militarize this situation—this kind of response by the police has become the problem instead of the solution,” she said in a statement. “I obviously respect law enforcement’s work to provide public safety, but my constituents are allowed to have peaceful protests, and the police need to respect that right and protect that right. Today is going to be a new start, we can and need to do better.”

    max
    [‘Amen.’]

  135. 135.

    different-church-lady

    August 14, 2014 at 2:31 pm

    @Goblue72: Categorical statements always help solve complicated social problems.

  136. 136.

    different-church-lady

    August 14, 2014 at 2:34 pm

    @Mike in NC:

    Per USA Today, in 2013 the Pentagon transferred almost half a BILLION dollars worth of surplus gear to police departments nationwide. Everything from paperclips to armored cars.

    Which calls for the question: how the ‘eff is the Pentagon coming up with so much excess stuff to pawn off? They can’t guestimate any better than that?

  137. 137.

    SatanicPanic

    August 14, 2014 at 2:34 pm

    @Mandalay: fair enough, I could see that

  138. 138.

    different-church-lady

    August 14, 2014 at 2:35 pm

    @Cacti:

    Ferguson’s mayor on TV saying he “can’t second guess these officers”.

    Time for second guessing is over. Time for first guessing has arrived.

  139. 139.

    max

    August 14, 2014 at 2:36 pm

    Rand Paul hits back:

    Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said on Thursday in a Time magazine op-ed that the events in Ferguson, Mo., meant that it was time to “de-militarize the police.” “There is a legitimate role for the police to keep the peace, but there should be a difference between a police response and a military response,” he wrote. “The images and scenes we continue to see in Ferguson resemble war more than traditional police action.” Paul blamed in part the federal programs that allow local law enforcement to obtain military-style equipment.

    John Lewis says martial law:

    Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) said Thursday that he believes President Barack Obama should declare “martial law” in Ferguson, Mo., where protests against police over the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager have turned violent in recent days. “My own feeling is, right now, is that President Obama should use the authority of his office to declare martial law,” he told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. “Federalize the Missouri National Guard to protect people as they protest.” […] “While we were there in that church, for being bombed or burned, and if it hadn’t been for the National Guard ordered there by President Kennedy and the U.S. Marshals, some of us would have died there that night,” he said.

    max
    [‘John Lewis is not happy with you people.’]

  140. 140.

    WaterGirl

    August 14, 2014 at 2:41 pm

    @max: I have been waiting to hear from John Lewis. Thanks for posting this.

  141. 141.

    max

    August 14, 2014 at 2:43 pm

    Ferguson believe in FREEEDOOOOMMM:

    Ferguson, Mo., police chief Thomas Jackson said Thursday that his officers would work to allow for peaceful protests amid the escalating tensions between police and protesters, but added that “we need to have everybody tone it down” and defended the tactics being used to control the crowd.
    Jackson said that the police would set up an area on a sidewalk for the protesters to congregate on Thursday and said that there were ongoing conversations about “the appearance” of having militarized law enforcement stand off with civilians. The authorities were “meeting to evaluate tactics,” he said. “It’s a powder keg, and we all recognize that,” Jackson said. “What’s happening now is not what anyone of us want… We need to get everyone to calm down.”
    “I understand that what it looks like is not good,” he added. “The whole situation is not good.”

    I believes that deserves a hearty, ‘No shit, Sherlock!’

    Obama lets Jay Nixon know O has his back… as soon as he gets off his ass:
    Obama said people need to “come together” in Ferguson, and said that he will be working with the Department of Justice and local authorities to make sure that “justice is done.” The president said that police need to be “open and transparent” about their investigation into Brown’s death.
    He said that there’s “never an excuse for violence against police,” but also that there’s no excuse for authorities to use “excessive force” against protesters. He added that “police should not be arresting journalists who are just trying to do their job.”
    Obama expressed confidence in Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon’s (D) ability to help deescalate the situation, calling him a “good man and fine governor.”

    max
    [‘So what is the fine Guv up to today, anyways?’]

  142. 142.

    Goblue72

    August 14, 2014 at 2:44 pm

    @different-church-lady: if you don’t think the institutionalized racism we see on display in Fegurson isn’t a national problem amongst the average police department, then you aren’t paying attention.

  143. 143.

    Violet

    August 14, 2014 at 2:48 pm

    @max:

    ‘So what is the fine Guv up to today, anyways?’

    He’s meeting with leaders in the area. You can follow his Twitter feed to find out more.

  144. 144.

    max

    August 14, 2014 at 2:49 pm

    @WaterGirl: I have been waiting to hear from John Lewis. Thanks for posting this.

    My pleasure! I’ve been working on a car all day, so I fell a little behind, but it made a neat little chronology when you line it up like that.

    Meanwhile, Robin Williams widow says he had Parkinson’s disease, early stages.

    max
    [‘That helps explain that. :/’]

  145. 145.

    Villago Delenda Est

    August 14, 2014 at 2:49 pm

    @different-church-lady:

    They can’t guestimate any better than that?

    As someone who dealt with the perennial shortages of things we really needed in the Army vs. what the swivel-chair hussars of the logistics chain determined we needed, the answer to that is “no”.

  146. 146.

    Violet

    August 14, 2014 at 2:52 pm

    @max:

    Meanwhile, Robin Williams widow says he had Parkinson’s disease, early stages.

    Oh, man. That is so sad. Puts the whole thing in a different light.

  147. 147.

    Mandalay

    August 14, 2014 at 2:53 pm

    @max:

    McCaskill earns the donations I gave her

    This. She’s been great over the past few days, and hasn’t sat back waiting to gauge public reaction before voicing her opinions.

  148. 148.

    Villago Delenda Est

    August 14, 2014 at 2:53 pm

    @Mandalay:

    Pigs will fly first of course.

    They even had a bear in the air!

    Sorry, couldn’t resist…

  149. 149.

    Villago Delenda Est

    August 14, 2014 at 2:55 pm

    @Violet: That definitely does. Severe depression and another disease like Parkinson’s…not a very pleasant combination.

  150. 150.

    Villago Delenda Est

    August 14, 2014 at 2:58 pm

    @burnspbesq: Which leads me to conclude that a majority of his constituents are unspeakable slime, as well.

  151. 151.

    Glocksman

    August 14, 2014 at 2:59 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Callin’ all trucks, this here’s the Duck and we’re about to go a huntin’ Bear.

    And we shot the line and went for broke with a thousand screaming trucks.
    And 11 long haired friends of Jesus in a chartreuse microbus.

    Heh.

  152. 152.

    different-church-lady

    August 14, 2014 at 3:06 pm

    @Goblue72: That’s a different statement than your first one.

  153. 153.

    Mandalay

    August 14, 2014 at 3:08 pm

    @Glocksman: Ahh, thx. VDE’s comment had whooshed me.

  154. 154.

    max

    August 14, 2014 at 3:09 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: They even had a bear in the air!

    It would’ve been great if that TPM story on the police chief had ended, ‘Chief exits stage left, yelling, ‘This is not gooooooodddddd!’, pursued by bear…’

    @Violet: Oh, man. That is so sad. Puts the whole thing in a different light.

    His show got canceled, he had the diagnosis, and he fell off the wagon and had to go to rehab. Probably felt like the whole world had caved in on him.

    max
    [‘Poor sod.’]

  155. 155.

    Matt McIrvin

    August 14, 2014 at 3:18 pm

    @scav: I remember thinking of the very weird city/county structure in Virginia, with its many independent cities, as the norm, and being surprised that it didn’t apply everywhere. (In Virginia it’s common for a county seat to not actually be in the county it’s the seat of.)

    In most of New England, the situation is unusual in a different way: there is no territory that is outside of a city or town, and the county government is often either vestigial or entirely nonexistent. The counties are mostly just the divisions of the state court system.

  156. 156.

    Emma

    August 14, 2014 at 3:21 pm

    @Violet: Every President seems to age 20 years in office. It’s, to me, the worst job in the world.

    oops. This was in response to skerry.

  157. 157.

    raven

    August 14, 2014 at 3:22 pm

    @Glocksman: Now that I look more closely at the size of that magazine I believe you are correct. Being an old M-14 guy and suffering the transition to that Mattel shit I should have seen that.

    eta That “flash hider” is weird.

  158. 158.

    Matt McIrvin

    August 14, 2014 at 3:24 pm

    @Mustang Bobby: It’s his running mate!

  159. 159.

    Bobby Thomson

    August 14, 2014 at 3:27 pm

    @feebog: That mayor needs to fucking go in the next election, and if it’s anything approximating a free and fair election I don’t see how he doesn’t. Making pathetic excuses for the cops isn’t going to make his case with his constituents.

  160. 160.

    Botsplainer

    August 14, 2014 at 3:29 pm

    @Bobby Thomson:

    Is Ferguson one of those municipalities with off-date elections for their local officials? It always guarantees to crush turnout.

  161. 161.

    Botsplainer

    August 14, 2014 at 3:30 pm

    @Emma:

    Every President seems to age 20 years in office.

    Every President seems to age like that because a term or two tends to bridge a divide across which ALL men appear to age rapidly, and those who don’t go to gray get bald.

  162. 162.

    Bobby Thomson

    August 14, 2014 at 3:31 pm

    @Violet:

    “I think the police response has become part of the problem.”

    Just another example of how McCaskill sucks. The police have always been at least 90% of the problem from the start, when one of the police started the problems by murdering a kid.

  163. 163.

    Emma

    August 14, 2014 at 3:34 pm

    It seems Obama has asked both the DOJ and the FBI to investigate the shooting. Independent investigations. He also pointed the DOJ to the local police. AND he had a conversation with the governor (I would have loved to be a fly on the wall on this one) and the Governor is headed to Ferguson.

  164. 164.

    TooManyJens

    August 14, 2014 at 3:38 pm

    @Bobby Thomson: Give her a break; she’s been doing good work on this.

  165. 165.

    Mandalay

    August 14, 2014 at 3:40 pm

    @max:

    Ted Cruz outflanks Rand Paul

    I see it the other way around. Cruz’s statement reads like it was written by a staffer, and seems to care more about reporters than race.

    But Paul is hitting all the right buttons. He correctly links the militarization of cops to big government:

    Not surprisingly, big government has been at the heart of the problem. Washington has incentivized the militarization of local police precincts by using federal dollars to help municipal governments build what are essentially small armies—where police departments compete to acquire military gear that goes far beyond what most of Americans think of as law enforcement.

    And this is what Paul is saying about race:

    When you couple this militarization of law enforcement with an erosion of civil liberties and due process that allows the police to become judge and jury—national security letters, no-knock searches, broad general warrants, pre-conviction forfeiture—we begin to have a very serious problem on our hands.

    Given these developments, it is almost impossible for many Americans not to feel like their government is targeting them. Given the racial disparities in our criminal justice system, it is impossible for African-Americans not to feel like their government is particularly targeting them.

    Anyone who thinks that race does not still, even if inadvertently, skew the application of criminal justice in this country is just not paying close enough attention. Our prisons are full of black and brown men and women who are serving inappropriately long and harsh sentences for non-violent mistakes in their youth.

    Ted Cruz isn’t saying any of that. Folks here who have been dumping on Paul might discover that the events in Ferguson actually end up broadening Paul’s appeal.

  166. 166.

    rikyrah

    August 14, 2014 at 3:47 pm

    @D.N. Nation:

    I feel you.

    Amen

  167. 167.

    Belafon

    August 14, 2014 at 3:49 pm

    @Mandalay: I expect a correction along the lines of his “I endorse using drones to target liquor store thieves.”

  168. 168.

    SFAW

    August 14, 2014 at 3:51 pm

    Semi-OT, but sort of falls under the category of “good news”: Culture of Truth will no longer have to write some variation of “I heard you were an idiot” for the Meet the Press Bobblespeak Translations

  169. 169.

    mike with a mic

    August 14, 2014 at 3:53 pm

    @different-church-lady:

    Reducing forces after a war. War is really a logistics game. Take one soldier, he doesn’t get one “this is my rifle, there are many like it but this one is fine”, don’t work like that. You’ve got the rifles in basic he trains on, the rifles in infantry training, the rifles at each command in the states, and on and on and on. Then there are spares at each of these stations because weapons break down even if you are maintaining the hell out of them. It requires dozens of rifles to train and equip a single soldier.

    So when we ramp down from war fighting numbers tens of thousands of soldiers are no longer needed you have a shit ton of guns around that you can’t really maintain properly even if you could afford to and wanted to. So as a “cost saving measure” you give them all away to other organizations who may want or need them.

    It works like this with everything. One Aircraft carrier is utterly worthless as it will be in dry dock all the time. In order to have a single carrier deployed all the time you need three of the fuckers, same for all the crew, air craft, and support craft around it.

    Scaling up a military even in small numbers requires massive amounts of equipment, scaling down a military results in tons of extra shit you have to give away or blow up.

  170. 170.

    Violet

    August 14, 2014 at 3:53 pm

    @Bobby Thomson: McCaskill has been doing some good stuff in relation to militarization of the police. Don’t agree with your assessment.

    @Mandalay: Interesting stuff. I don’t know if what Rand Paul is saying will broaden his appeal into the African American community but it’s nice to hear someone saying what he’s saying.

  171. 171.

    Gravenstone

    August 14, 2014 at 3:58 pm

    @RSR: Those are folding bipods, meant to be used when firing from a prone position. The higher tripod he’s currently using is basically separate from the weapon and is used to allow him to maintain a more comfortable ready position.

  172. 172.

    max

    August 14, 2014 at 3:59 pm

    [Back in from workin’ on the car]

    @Mandalay: This. She’s been great over the past few days, and hasn’t sat back waiting to gauge public reaction before voicing her opinions.

    Amen. There are damn fine reasons to support our less doggy (or dodgy) blue dogs. It’s when it’s all dog and no blue that I get upset. (Congresswoman Sinema, the bell is tolling.)

    @Mandalay: I see it the other way around. Cruz’s statement reads like it was written by a staffer, and seems to care more about reporters than race.

    You’re right: “I should’ve said ‘Cruz attempts en passant attack on Paul’s left flank, Paul brushes it off.”

    Ted Cruz isn’t saying any of that. Folks here who have been dumping on Paul might discover that the events in Ferguson actually end up broadening Paul’s appeal.

    Hey, if Paul is the new Republican party, as far as I’m concerned, that’s an improvement. Us civil liberties types need all the help we can get. Still gonna vote Dem though, short of some serious apostasy on his part.

    max
    [‘So don’t firebag me, bro.’]

  173. 173.

    Xenos

    August 14, 2014 at 4:04 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    They even had a bear in the air!

    CONVOOOOOOOOY!!!!!!!!

    I wore the grooves out of that 45 back when I was 8.

    “… this here is rubber duck, I’m a-gonna put the hammer down…”

    Sorry, back to the subject at hand.

  174. 174.

    Mandalay

    August 14, 2014 at 4:05 pm

    @Violet:

    I don’t know if what Rand Paul is saying will broaden his appeal into the African American community

    If it’s Clinton vs. Paul in 2016 – improbable but not impossible – I could see Paul getting plenty of black votes. He could point to the militarization of the police, police harassment, racial disparities in the justice system, and our absurd drug laws. And then Paul could turn to Clinton and say: “And what the FUCK have YOU ever done to address those issues? NOTHING! You were too busy sucking white Wall Street cock, and shoving your tongue up Israel’s ass, and voting to kill brown people, and attacking our black president!”. (Well maybe he’d be a bit more diplomatic, but you get the idea. If Republicans can smear Kerry as a war coward they can surely smear Clinton as a racist who has never lifted a finger for black people.)

    I’m not saying that Paul would be anything other than a massive disaster as a president. But I can see how he might be the only Republican to have any appeal with black voters.

  175. 175.

    Chyron HR

    August 14, 2014 at 4:08 pm

    @Mandalay:

    You see The Son as following in The Father’s path of serving as a member of Congress for years while pretending to somehow be entirely independent of the U.S. Government? That’s nice.

  176. 176.

    Pococurante

    August 14, 2014 at 4:16 pm

    @Mandalay:

    I have mixed feelings, but the idea of requiring cops to wear live cameras while they work is interesting.

    But pointless. Cops have had dash cams for years – the devices are often only reliable when they uphold the cop’s story. The video tends to disappear a lot though. All very strange.

    Look at it another way, if cops really wanted video transparency to help them do their job better they wouldn’t arrest/beat people who are recording what is happening. Crowd sourcing would be encouraged.

  177. 177.

    Mandalay

    August 14, 2014 at 4:16 pm

    @Chyron HR:

    You see The Son as following in The Father’s path of serving as a member of Congress for years while pretending to somehow be entirely independent of the U.S. Government? That’s nice.

    No idea you are talking about asshole, and don’t put words in my mouth.

    If you have the guts to voice to your own opinion let’s hear it. Otherwise fuck off and crawl back under your rock.

  178. 178.

    SatanicPanic

    August 14, 2014 at 4:19 pm

    @Mandalay: He’d have to explain why he would get rid of the ACA. That might be tougher one than explaining how his words saved people from getting arrested. I don’t know, I think Paul is just trying to reassure his Libertarian fans that they’re not really racist.

  179. 179.

    Gravenstone

    August 14, 2014 at 4:21 pm

    @raven: I don’t think it’s a flash suppressor, rather it’s probably a compensator for muzzle climb. Another argument for it being .308.

  180. 180.

    rikyrah

    August 14, 2014 at 4:23 pm

    Al Arabiya English ✔ @AlArabiya_Eng
    Follow

    #BREAKING Spokesman: #Maliki to step down, back #Iraq elected PM #Abedi
    2:40 PM – 14 Aug 2014

  181. 181.

    drkrick

    August 14, 2014 at 4:23 pm

    @different-church-lady:

    Which calls for the question: how the ‘eff is the Pentagon coming up with so much excess stuff to pawn off? They can’t guestimate any better than that?

    Given the politics, the Pentagon can the money to replace the stuff a lot more readily than the PDs can get the money to buy it for themselves. Plus the Pentagon’s gets new and shiny replacements while offloading older stuff.

  182. 182.

    raven

    August 14, 2014 at 4:31 pm

    @Gravenstone: Advanced Armament Co (AAC) Blackout Flash Hider 90-Tooth Ratchet Taper Suppressor Mount 7.62mm AR-10, LR-308 5/8″-24 Thread Steel Matte

  183. 183.

    Betty Cracker

    August 14, 2014 at 4:34 pm

    @mike with a mic: I vote blow it up.

    @SatanicPanic: That sounds about right to me. Paul would have to explain his opposition to the ACA (and Senate statement that it was tantamount to enslavement of doctors!) and all sorts of other teabaggery. Oh, and his support for allowing private businesses to slap “whites only” signs up if they choose. And then there’s that thing about his former neo-Confederate staffer, etc.

  184. 184.

    rikyrah

    August 14, 2014 at 4:37 pm

    @Mandalay:

    I’m not saying that Paul would be anything other than a massive disaster as a president. But I can see how he might be the only Republican to have any appeal with black voters

    And all Hillary or any Democratic candidate would have to do is make ads with Rand Paul saying that he wouldn’t have voted for the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act.

    The TAPES (PLURAL) exist.

    That cuts through all the Rand Paul smokescreen bullshyt.

    Plus, add in his defense of Voter ID laws for good measure.

    Not a Republican out there that could appeal to outside anything other than the usual Black GOP voters.

  185. 185.

    Glocksman

    August 14, 2014 at 5:13 pm

    @mike with a mic:

    And considering that the Feds can’t sell full auto M4’s or M16’s to civilians like they could the Garands and M1 Carbines of years gone by, giving them to cops or as foreign aid (note all the pics of Israeli troops with M16’s or M4’s despite Israeli manufacture of a first rate rifle in the Galil), along with simply melting them down, are their only options.

    That said, I don’t have much of a problem with police having M16’s as a last resort SHTF weapon as I do with them having APC’s and dressing like soldiers instead of cops and adopting the military mindset.

    DoD aid to police departments is more of a symptom than a cause of the problems we’re having.

  186. 186.

    mike with a mic

    August 14, 2014 at 5:22 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    And then the money to buy normal weapons for cops would come out of social services. I’m fine with that personally, but it’s not going to work out like you think it will.

  187. 187.

    mike with a mic

    August 14, 2014 at 5:22 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    And then the money to buy normal weapons for cops would come out of social services. I’m fine with that personally, but it’s not going to work out like you think it will.

  188. 188.

    Glocksman

    August 14, 2014 at 5:25 pm

    @raven:

    It looks a lot like the 3 prong flash supressor mounted on the first generation M16 rifles.
    The Colt AR I owned years ago had all of the M16A2 mods, other than full auto or 3 shot burst of course, including the new ‘birdcage’ supressor.

    While the AR didn’t seem as rugged as the Maadi AK I owned at the same time, it seemed to be light years in solidity ahead of the no name clones that slapped together parts sloppily enough that you had noticeable play between the upper and lower receivers when handing the rifle.

    If I were in the market for another AR clone, it’d either be a gray market semiauto Colt or a Bushmaster.

  189. 189.

    different-church-lady

    August 14, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    @Mandalay:

    …and shoving your tongue up Israel’s ass…

    Like she’s going to have any trouble picking up votes with that record?

  190. 190.

    Kathleen

    August 14, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    @skerry: I think he looks exhausted and like he may have a virus. I agree. He does not look well to me. But Maureen Dowd said he’s relaxing while the world is burning. How dare he take care of himself, especially if he’s ill.

  191. 191.

    mike with a mic

    August 14, 2014 at 5:28 pm

    @Glocksman:

    I don’t know what sort of “military mindset” you’re talking about. There’s a reason people want the actual National Guard to step in and not the cops. The military isn’t nearly as screwed up as the police are.

  192. 192.

    Glocksman

    August 14, 2014 at 5:36 pm

    @mike with a mic:

    I guess what I’m talking about is the outlook of being outsiders to the population at large.
    Even my ex Army best friend thinks dressing cops as soldiers encourages them to think of civilians as the ‘other’.

    The Guard is somewhat immunized to that effect by remaining members of the at large society when they’re not on active duty, and I don’t doubt that a lot of Guard members would turn their weapons on their superiors rather than obey an order to fire upon peaceful civilians that were from the same area.
    There are reasons why tons of comments have said that pics from Ferguson remind them of Baghdad circa 2004.

    IOW, they’re acting as more as an occupying force than as peacekeepers.

  193. 193.

    max

    August 14, 2014 at 5:36 pm

    @Glocksman: That said, I don’t have much of a problem with police having M16′s as a last resort SHTF weapon as I do with them having APC’s and dressing like soldiers instead of cops and adopting the military mindset.

    I’d take the opposite tack: it’s not the MRAPs or the body armor that are problem, it’s the machine guns, sniper rifles, sound weapons, tasers and the like that are the problem. An MRAP is mostly harmless and maybe makes some things safer. Maybe wastes some gas. Woo.

    But then I think a cop armed with more than a revolver, a baton and maybe a shotgun in the cruiser is way too heavily armed.

    max
    [‘So there’s that.’]

  194. 194.

    Glocksman

    August 14, 2014 at 5:43 pm

    @max:

    I didn’t look at it from that angle, and I mostly agree with the caveat that instead of a revolver, it should be a modern 9mm or 40S&W semiauto pistol.

    Other than that, M16’s should be the absolute last resort weapon used because rifle bullets tend to penetrate things that stop pistol bullets or buckshot cold and can potentially kill innocent bystanders hiding behind a wall.

    IOW, unless the bad guys are wearing body armor like the Hollywood Bank Robbers were, leave the M16’s in the car.

    As much as a self confessed gun nut I am, if I were stupid enough to use a centerfire rifle for home defense in my apartment and one of my missed shots went through the wall and killed my neighbor digging a beer out of his fridge, I’d damn well deserve the prison sentence awaiting me.

    Similarly, if a SWAT team raiding an apartment used M16’s and killed someone 2 units away with a missed shot, that department was negligent at best and didn’t give a shit about the neighbors at worst.

  195. 195.

    Spinoza Is My Co-pilot

    August 14, 2014 at 5:51 pm

    @max:

    There are damn fine reasons to support our less doggy (or dodgy) blue dogs. It’s when it’s all dog and no blue that I get upset. (Congresswoman Sinema, the bell is tolling.)

    You consider Kirsten Sinema to be a blue dog, and not only that, but one who is (or is becoming) all dog and no blue?

    I live here, volunteered on her ’12 campaign, and will do so again this year.

    She’s no blue dog — what are you talking about?

    Oh, and fuck Bull Connor and his militarized crew in Ferguson.

    Good to see Cruz’s and Paul’s (especially Paul’s) statements against militarized American police forces. Have to say that was really unexpected, and I don’t think it was “pandering”, particularly toward blacks, but expressions of actual principle. “Don’t tread on me” I suppose, so maybe it shouldn’t have been that unexpected (though I always expect the racism to win out).

    Many of the racist fascists I work with also have no love of heavy-handed police, and not just feds but local cops. Ferguson’s caused a real divide amongst them, with some taking the “hell with the ghetto animals” line, while others are arguing the Ferguson cops are at fault (as they so obviously are) even if they are not really down with the protests.

  196. 196.

    Glocksman

    August 14, 2014 at 5:58 pm

    Question:

    Why is it that when I have either committed or have been suspected of committing a motor vehicle violation, the ISP officers were wearing what I think of as ‘classic’ police uniforms and were uniformly (heh) civil and respectful, while the EPD and VCSD officers were either wearing police uniforms or black/brown fatigues and the level of treatment depended upon the individual officer?

    There are some outstanding cops in the EPD and VCSD, but in my experience there are too many who adopt the mindset that anyone other than a cop is a threat and treat you like shit.

    In some cases that feeling *may* be justified, but the onus is on the cop to prove you are a threat before he treats you like one.

    And before anyone says it, it’s not the pay.
    Here in Indiana, a lot of local PD’s have higher pay for the equivalent rank than the ISP does.

  197. 197.

    Mandalay

    August 14, 2014 at 6:01 pm

    @different-church-lady:

    Like she’s going to have any trouble picking up votes with that record?

    Why would black voters be impressed that Clinton enthusiastically supports giving Israel over $3bn of taxpayer money every year? Especially if that was painted as part of a list of the special interests she supports, where black interests were conspicuously absent.

  198. 198.

    Shortstop

    August 14, 2014 at 6:05 pm

    @rikyrah: and only a white person could think for one second that he would…just as only white people were absolutely sure that black voters would feel so “let down” by Obama that they’d stay home in 2012. Not all or even most white people, to be sure, but everyone to fall for either thing is white.

    It’s a funny thing about white dog whistles. Many white people seem shocked to learn that black people can hear them too.

  199. 199.

    Glocksman

    August 14, 2014 at 6:07 pm

    @Shortstop:

    The good thing about my low end blue collar job is that it over the years has slowly opened my eyes to how minorities view things after some heated discussions among us.

    That, along with GWB, is what slowly turned me from a slightly cynical Republican into a nearly full fledged liberal Democrat*.

    Though I do owe listening to Joe Madison some of the credit as well.

    *Gun bans are where I part company with most of the self declared ‘liberals’.
    While I agree that there are some additional measures needed, gun bans aren’t among them.
    That said, I’d sooner vote for a gun banner that supported UHC rather than a 2A absolutist who despised UHC as ‘socialism’.

  200. 200.

    J R in WV

    August 14, 2014 at 7:09 pm

    @Matt McIrvin:

    I once was talking to a fellow professional in New Jersey, who asked what town I lived in. I replied that I dodn’t live in a town, I lived in the country in Lincoln county, which has two very small towns many miles from my farm.

    She was dumbfounded and replied ‘You have to live in a town!” Now I understand that in some places indeed there are townships that cover everywhere.

    Regarding the Police Riot in MO, some authority needs to disarm the out of control would-be military rulers in the worst way. The best news from MO is that the cops who started all this by shooting an unarmed person not guilty of any crime other than disrespect for a worm deserving of no respect have finally gotten national attention by arresting reporters trying to get coffee at McDonalds.

    That it takes arresting reporters from out of town to get attention, as opposed to killing innocent and unarmed youngsters, is a crying shame!

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