Who left the hospital today after being shot in the head. He too, was just doing his job.
Tag: NYPD
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Round up the Usual Outrage
An officer, who heard over his radio that a drug suspect was armed with a gun, kicks down the door of his apartment, finds the suspect hiding in the bathroom (probably trying to flush weed down the toilet), thinks the suspect is going for his gun, and shoots and kills the suspect. The problem is that the suspect, according to police, wasn’t armed. (Remember this the next time you think officers carry a drop gun.)
The officer made a big bad lethal mistake. And he was very quickly thrown under the bus by the Commissioner and the department. But I don’t know what I would have done in the same situation. Probably the same thing. The cop fired not because he wanted to kill an unarmed man and destroy his own life and career, but because he thought he was going to be killed. Unfortunately for everybody, he was wrong.
When this kinds of events happen, don’t be be surprised or shocked or outraged. This is what happen with drug prohibition and the war on the drugs. The courts destroy the 4th Amendment. Police bust down doors. Police assume (with the courts’ blessing) that drug dealers are armed. Sometimes police make mistakes, and unarmed people get shot.
I wouldn’t say it happens all the time. But it sure does happen a lot. And it will continue to happen as long as we keep fighting the bad fight and refuse to seriously consider changing our laws against illegal drugs. In the meantime, let me know when we start winning.
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NYC marijuana and jail
Two good posts from Zachary Goelman. One on the latest death caused by marijuana (prohibition). The other on the new jail in Brooklyn.
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The attempted murder of Officer Brennan
I wish Officer Brennan and his family the best. Nobody recovers completely from a gunshot wound to the head. Nobody.
And I can’t help be moved by this amazing photo by Robert Stolarik for the New York Times capturing a failed two-bit criminal being himself. The caption reads:
Luis Ortiz taunted photographers and jeered at onlookers as he was taken from a Brooklyn precinct station house on Wednesday to be booked for the shooting of Police Officer Kevin Brennan.
Purely as photography, it’s a gem. As an insight into a person, it’s depressing. -
Low-Level Marijuana Arrests Rise for Seventh Straight Year
Andy Newman of the Timesreports:
Low-level arrests for marijuana possession in New York City increased for the seventh straight year in 2011, according to a study released Wednesday — despite a September memorandum from the police commissioner that reminded officers to follow the letter of the law and not arrest people with marijuana unless they have the drugs in plain view.
Though arrests dropped significantly after Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly’s memorandum, an increase of 6 percent during the first eight months of the year more than offset the decline, according to the analysis, conducted by [Queens College sociology professor Harry Levine].
Update: A WNYC reportby (award winning) Ailsa Chang
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RIP Peter Figoski
From the New York Times:Officer Figoski, a father of four daughters and the brother of a retired city police officer, was shot with an illegal semiautomatic weapon, Mr. Bloomberg said. He had made over 200 arrests, nearly half of them felony arrests, Mr. Kelly said. He worked out of the 75th Precinct, one of the city’s most crime-ridden, where has has spent most of his career.
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[The murderer] has five prior arrests and was wanted in North Carolina on a warrant for aggravated assault. -
Occupy Updates
The best current/live account of what’s going on is from a UK paper. (Why is that?) The Guardian.
Also, I wrote an update to my Slate article.
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Police vs. Occupy Wall Street
Turns out I dohave a few thoughts about police and Occupy Wall Street. Read all about it on Slate.com:
If cops could wave a magic wand, the protesters would simply go away. But if cops could wave a magic wand, the whole damned city would probably disappear. Police relate to the demoralized employees in the film Clerks: “This job would be great if it wasn’t for the fucking customers.” Occupy protests are certainly seen as a nuisance, but this is more work-related than deep-rooted ideology.
I’m also quite pleased to get Lucky Pierre in the lede.
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Patrolman Kelly
Has Ray Kelly ever fixed a ticket? I’ll take him at his word that he hasn’t. But has Ray Kelly ever written a ticket? I mean, how long was Kelly on patrol?
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Too Gentle a Slap
I’ve said beforethat Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna should be in trouble (but not fired). But this seems like too gentle a slap on the wrist. What worries me isn’t his career (I couldn’t care less), but the message it sends.
Clearly transferring this man to a precinct closer to home is a case of rewarding an officer for 30 years of (what I assume to be) dedicated service. But it also says that misuse of force (and to the detriment of other police officers, I want to point out) isn’t a big deal, at least not when done to a ranking officer. That’s not right. I think he should have been forced, by risk of server sanction, to retire.
Macing somebody is a bigger deal than fixing tickets. Because the officers in the latter situation are being criminally charged, the practice will change. But misuse of force against a screaming liberal woman protester is somehow OK? It’s not right. And it sends a dangerous message to officers dealing with an ongoing delicate situation.