this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2024

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THE POLICE PROBLEM

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The police problem is that police are policed by the police. Cops are accountable only to other cops, which is no accountability at all.

99.9999% of police brutality, corruption, and misconduct is never investigated, never punished, never makes the news, so it's not on this page.

When cops are caught breaking the law, they're investigated by other cops. Details are kept quiet, the officers' names are withheld from public knowledge, and what info is eventually released is only what police choose to release — often nothing at all.

When police are fired — which is all too rare — they leave with 'law enforcement experience' and can easily find work in another police department nearby. It's called "Wandering Cops."

When police testify under oath, they lie so frequently that cops themselves have a joking term for it: "testilying." Yet it's almost unheard of for police to be punished or prosecuted for perjury.

Cops can and do get away with lawlessness, because cops protect other cops. If they don't, they aren't cops for long.

The legal doctrine of "qualified immunity" renders police officers invulnerable to lawsuits for almost anything they do. In practice, getting past 'qualified immunity' is so unlikely, it makes headlines when it happens.

All this is a path to a police state.

In a free society, police must always be under serious and skeptical public oversight, with non-cops and non-cronies in charge, issuing genuine punishment when warranted.

Police who break the law must be prosecuted like anyone else, promptly fired if guilty, and barred from ever working in law-enforcement again.

That's the solution.

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737

Domestic dispute call left a 2-month old dead from a trigger happy officer. Another news article quoted "It looked like her head exploded" (slrpnk.net)

submitted 3 weeks ago by ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net to c/thepoliceproblem@lemmy.world

126 comments fedilink hide all child comments

The woman, Talisa Coombs, told Delaney she’d just gotten into what she alleged was a physical altercation with her granddaughter’s mother, Maria Pike, and called 911. Independence police’s response to that 911 call ended with the shooting death of Pike, 34, and her two month old daughter, Destinii Hope — who were identified Tuesday by authorities from the Police Involved Investigative Team, or PIIT, a team of eastern Jackson County detectives called in to investigate police shootings and use-of-force incidents.

The officer who fired his weapon was “a long-tenured veteran of law enforcement,” Dustman said. That officer and another two who were at the scene are on administrative leave.

https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article295483354.html

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[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 210 points 3 weeks ago (6 children)

"On administrative leave", Jesus fucking christ, fire and prosecute those fuck heads. This is well beyond gross negligence.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 142 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Sentencing guidelines should automatically double sentences for law enforcement and government officials, regardless of the crime.

[–] TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com 72 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

"Wrongful Death Offender List" should be a thing.

And it should be run by citizens.

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[–] Milk_Sheikh@lemm.ee 60 points 3 weeks ago

The unfortunate reality is the inverse…

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[–] Goodmorningsunshine@lemmy.world 17 points 3 weeks ago

No, no. We'll just give him a paid vacation.

[–] gibmiser@lemmy.world 16 points 3 weeks ago

For real, let them defend themselves in a court of law.

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[–] satanmat@lemmy.world 159 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Greenfield believes police could have used different methods to de-escalate the situation.

No effing shit Sherlock

[–] HornedMeatBeast@lemmy.world 36 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

What they mean is, there are other ways of killing people than just shooting them.

[–] PwnTra1n@lemmy.world 25 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

they should have tazed the baby instead is what they mean

[–] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 16 points 3 weeks ago

That’s really dangerous

Best bet is to start with the flash bang in the crib

[–] Volkditty@lemmy.world 28 points 3 weeks ago

That means next time don't leave witnesses.

[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 140 points 3 weeks ago (13 children)

Jesus christ. ACAB

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[–] MeaanBeaan@lemmy.world 123 points 3 weeks ago

The officer who fired his weapon was “a long-tenured veteran of law enforcement,” Dustman said.

So who else has he murdered in cold blood?

[–] Chip_Rat@lemmy.world 85 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

My dad used to use this technique to settle disputes: "if you are gonna fight over it, neither of you can have it!"

Though I don't recall him ever shooting a baby in the face so maybe these cops need more training.

Or some fucking lead to their own foreheads.

Is that too far? No. No I don't think it is.

[–] Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de 18 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Sounds like the Solomon method, except they went throught with it.

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[–] FabledAepitaph@lemmy.world 71 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

If you explode a baby's head with a gun, let's just skip the trial and send 'em straight to prison for the rest of their life because there's nothing left for you in this world. Your humanity card has been withdrawn.

[–] bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone 19 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

if I had killed a little kid, accidentally or otherwise, I wouldn't have thought twice. I'd killed myself on the fucking spot. On the fucking spot. I would've stuck the gun in me mouth. On the fucking spot!

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[–] stormeuh@lemmy.world 66 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

The passive voice writing in this article is as usual playing defense for the police.

Independence police’s response to that 911 call ended with the shooting death of Pike, 34, and her two month old daughter, Destinii Hope. Let me rephrase this in a less passive way. The response to that 911 call from the independence police officer ended with him shooting Pike, 34 and her two month old daughter, Destinii Hope, to death.

I'm not implying this specific author or newspaper are writing in this style out of malice. I think this is part of a problem with the culture in journalism, because most articles on police violence are written this way.

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[–] todd_bonzalez@lemm.ee 61 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

No shit she reached for a knife. She had every right to stab that officer to death after he blew her baby's brains out right in front of her.

[–] RidderSport@feddit.org 18 points 3 weeks ago

Yeah, if this were a criminal case in my country it would look like this: murder(+?)/manslaughter on the child (+) no justification, not in the line of duty (+), ergo (+); manslaughter mother (+), justification? Self-defense? Mother herself justified? No imminent attack, child OS already dead, but her attack excused. Self defense possible for the officer, but self-defense provocation at least carelessly, most likely on purpose = heavy reduction of self-defense measures to basically just evasion and restraining, using the firearm in excess of that = not justifiable; possible excuse excess of violence for self-defense, caused the situation and escalated it beyond anything reasonable, better trained and armed, not excusable = manslaughter on the mother (+)

This would likely get you life in prison (so earliest parol after 15 years) here. And I doubt this would be something any officer or DA would dare to burn their hands over to cover up, as they would be held accountable for that coverup or meddling and go to prison themselves

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[–] radiohead37@lemmynsfw.com 53 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I hate how much the police worries more about their egos and asserting authority than de-escalation and service to the community. They seem more emotionally unstable than the people they are supposed to help.

If that’s the response from an experienced officer, then there are serious issues with the whole system. There’s a baby on the scene and still their first impulse is to pull the trigger. Fuck them!

[–] collapse_already@lemmy.ml 32 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Let me guess: the two month old failed to comply with the officers order to stop crying?

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[–] werefreeatlast@lemmy.world 30 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I see some nasty comments on here. So I will add mine adjusted to the popo. The popo are basically criminal goons contracted by the city to ruin brown and black people's lives. Every single day there's gotta be some but of news where they end one of our brothers or sisters lives. Why do we let them do that to us?

Sure there are bad people who need to be in jail. Trump for example. But only the regular folks like you and I get to go to jail. Only our lives can be ruined. Touch the glass ceiling for long enough and you get to be slammed teeth first into the pavement for a supposed traffic violation which ended up with some baggies full of funny powder. Those fucking assholes are everywhere. It's time to abolish the police and instead enforce some sort of social help.

[–] JovialMicrobial@lemm.ee 25 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

My husband is brown, and had a cop intentionally try to antagonize him into responding emotionally so the cop could violently arrest him.

Used aggressive language, threats to bring him to the station, veiled threats alluding to a guy who had been paralyzed and left in a coma by police the week before. It was sick and fucked up. It left my husband literally shaking afterwards. I've never seen him scared like that. I hate that cop with every fiber of my being. My husband is a gentle, kind, and loving person just trying to get his car fixed.

His offense that got him pulled over? Going to the mechanic to get his car fixed so it would pass emissions and we could update the registration.

To folks reading this, cops will absolutely try to antagonize you and escalate the situation. Don't let them. It gives them every excuse to shoot you and get away with it.

Cops can go fuck themselves to death.

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[–] BigMacHole@lemm.ee 30 points 3 weeks ago

The ONLY way this could have been Prevented was if that BABY Had a Gun and shot FIRST! But of Course if you Shoot a Cop you Deserve Death so there's LITERALLY NO WAY for this 2 Month Old Baby to have ended up Alive (In America!)!

[–] baines@lemmy.cafe 29 points 3 weeks ago (6 children)

this ‘news’ site is trash, fucking constant text disruptive ads

fuck this garbage, 5min and had to re focus text like every 30 seconds

[–] FuCensorship@lemmy.today 26 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

The Internet nowadays without an ad-blocker is an absolute cancer.

I'm not sure if you're on a PC or mobile but check uBlock Origin for Firefox(PC & mobile) or AdAway for Android on F-droid.

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[–] ansiz@lemmy.world 29 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

This city sounds like a shitshow, Social Services came the day before to take the baby but no one answered the door so they just left? They didn't even check with the apartment management office? My mom used to do that for a living and would always have the police come with her for any situation like that.

It obviously was a bad situation before the cops showed up, but the father was right to not let them in at first. This situation is exactly what the 'defund the police' slogan was aiming at, Social Services should have definitely responded with the police, really any time the police believe a child is involved.

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[–] PanArab@lemm.ee 29 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I saw part of one US police training video, and I'm not surprised by this outcome. They are brainwashed to fear for themselves and believe everyone is trying to kill them. Doesn't justify the crime, but this could have been any other cop, and it isn't enough to hold that one cop accountable.

If this was a war, this would have been a warcrime and the guilt falls on not just the soldier who fired the shot.

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[–] MTK@lemmy.world 27 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I swear, cops will shoot anything that moves, and then anything that doesn't, and then anything else.

[–] wurstgulasch3000@lemmy.world 17 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

And then fire blindly at nothing at all (see the acorn incident)

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[–] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 27 points 3 weeks ago (6 children)

Never👏
Call👏
The👏
Cops👏

🚫🐖🚫

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[–] Realitaetsverlust@lemmy.zip 23 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

Pretty sure that damn criminal baby pulled a submachine gun out of his pillow ... The officer just defended himself. God bless him and his family. <3

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[–] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 21 points 3 weeks ago

Let's have a round of applause for the "good" guy with the gun.

Oh wait, ACAB. Especially this one. Can't wait till we collectively forget about it so the PIIT crew (or whatever they call themselves, I'm not going back) can clean up by sweeping it all under the rug.

[–] JustJack23@slrpnk.net 21 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Was the baby resisting?

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 20 points 3 weeks ago

The baby was resting, but the cops were illiterate as usual, so...

[–] RedIce25@lemmy.world 18 points 3 weeks ago

Lock 'em up

[–] Valmond@lemmy.world 17 points 3 weeks ago (9 children)

The USA never heard of tasers?

I mean you shouldn't tase everyone but at least if you shoot someone with it at least they are taken out of the equation with a high chance of survival.

[–] BigDanishGuy@sh.itjust.works 21 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

I don't want to defend the police here. It seems like they're more than capable of defending themselves against toddlers and innocent people sleeping in their homes.

What I will say though is on the efficiency of tasers. They're grrrreat, if you get skin contact with both electrodes, on the first try. But both prongs must hit, pierce the clothing, and get skin contact. Reloading the taser, or switching to the side arm, can take too long. There's a lot of myths about what will stop a taser, and I guess that some of the myths are affecting cops in their choice of force method.

But going for the gun on a disturbance call about a woman with a baby and the baby's grandmother? And shooting the baby? What, as the baby identified as an armed and dangerous fugitive?

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[–] meowMix2525@lemm.ee 15 points 3 weeks ago

the Police Involved Investigative Team, or PIIT, a team of eastern Jackson County detectives called in to investigate police shootings and use-of-force incidents.

They have a special task force of cops to investigate cop shootings in what looks like a single county.

Of course they do. Why am I surprised.

I guess this explains why they only solve just over a third of all violent crimes that happen in this country. They're too busy investigating themselves and finding nothing wrong.

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