Police officer murdered; am I out of line?

[Hokeyboy]

Originally Posted by Bandoman

If that kind of presumption was made about any other group, I suspect you'd scream discrimination.

Gotta love the double standard.

[antennaball]

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Murd...-68392052.html

MARYSVILLE, Wash. - Officer Tim Brenton was a husband and father of two children, a boy and a girl. They're just 11 and 8 years old.

A Sheriff's Department deputy was posted outside the family's home all day long, providing a buffer of security as friends and family came to share their grief.

Neighbors who know the family say they are "absolutely crushed."

News of the killing literally left neighbor Shirley Lemke breathless.

"Oh, no," she gasped on her front porch."I feel so sorry for the family. Oh, my Lord, this is terrible."

Brenton spent nearly 9 years on the Seattle Police force, training rookie officers and coaching them about how to make sure they got home to their families safely every night.

Brenton’s father, a retired police officer from La Conner, got the call every police family dreads early Sunday morning.

Deputy Police Chief Nick Metz met with the family.

"Telling a family that their life has just changed forever is just a very painful process," Metz said at an afternoon news conference. "The family is obviously extremely devastated."

Neighbors describe the Brentons as a quiet family whose kids would regularly play in the cul de sac on their bikes. The thought of someone stealing away that father and tearing apart this family unthinkable to neighbors like Lemke.

"I don’t know what this society is coming to," she said, visibly shaken. "I guess nobody’s safe out there, not even the people trying to keep us safe."

Plans for a public memorial service and fund for the officer's family are still in the works.

Just thought I'd put this here so that everyone can get an idea of the type of person the officer was, with absolutely no evidence of any thing improper on his part.

Again, pretty damn distasteful to use this man's death for any kind of agenda. Further still, maybe it would be a good idea for us to not continue down this same old re-hash at his expense.

[Groucho]

Originally Posted by Bandoman

If that kind of presumption was made about any other group, I suspect you'd scream discrimination.

Even nasty hobbits?

[Boba Fett]

What have I learned today?

There are some people who think I'm over the line and provide reasonable arguments.

Most importantly, I learned police topics are an instant recipe for great leaps in logic.

[Mordred]

Originally Posted by Venusian

Is anyone saying their lives are more sacred than anyone else's?

I'm pretty sure my life is more sacred than any of you losers.

[Hokeyboy]

Originally Posted by Mordred

I'm pretty sure my life is more sacred than any of you losers.

Are you a sanitation worker?

[Meglos]

Originally Posted by Boba Fett

Most importantly, I learned police topics are an instant recipe for great leaps in logic.

That, and not washing your hands after you pee.

[clckworang]

Originally Posted by CaptainMarvel

That's your opinion. That's not the law in most (if not all states), and it's not the law in the federal government. In every jurisdiction I know, it's a more serious crime to kill a government servant in the performance of their duty.

If you can't get over your distaste for police long enough to realize that, yes, it IS more serious for somebody to murder a police officer, or a judge, or a prosecutor in the line of duty, that's fine, but the vast majority of legislators seem to disagree with you.

I guarantee you that if a judge had been blown up for doing his job, or a prosecutor gunned down, the same efforts would be made. Society doesn't work at all when you let people start murdering government servants for the performance of their job. It's not just police... lots of government employees, like mail carriers and teachers, enjoy additional protections.

I can understand that law and don't disagree with it. I think the question here is whether the police investigation into an officer's murder is more vigorous and utilizes significantly more manpower and resources than if it were John Q. Public. I'm not necessarily saying that's true. If it's not true, then as I said in an earlier post, please let me know how the investigation of a police officer's death is different, if at all, from other murder cases.

[CaptainMarvel]

Originally Posted by clckworang

I can understand that law and don't disagree with it. I think the question here is whether the police investigation into an officer's murder is more vigorous and utilizes significantly more manpower and resources than if it were John Q. Public. I'm not necessarily saying that's true. If it's not true, then as I said in an earlier post, please let me know how the investigation of a police officer's death is different, if at all, from other murder cases.

If it's automatically a more serious crime to murder John Police while John Police is working than it is to murder John Q. Public, why wouldn't you devote more resources to solving a more serious crime?

But that aside, this entire conversation seems to neglect the fact that the police response mentioned in the OP (searching dashboard cams of other police cars) is directly related to the crime involved. This was an attack targeting police officers, and it stands to reason that whoever did it was waiting for the opportunity and may very well have been near other officers that night. That seems like an entirely reasonable step to take; it's not like they're pulling all the ATM footage from the entire city or anything like that.

Moreover, the conversation, as previously pointed out, seems to imply that police are neglecting to take reasonable steps to investigate non-police murders. As far as I know, that's an unsupported premise. In my experience, we generally run out of avenues to investigate rather than neglect them.

[Venusian]

This whole conversation seems to be based on unverified premises

[Tommy Ceez]

If you didnt come down on Cop Killers like the fist of an angry God it would be open season on police, which means

A) More arrests would become bloody shootouts
B) Less likelihood of proactive police action
C)All sorts of fucked up on the street for YOU AND ME

[clckworang]

Originally Posted by CaptainMarvel

If it's automatically a more serious crime to murder John Police while John Police is working than it is to murder John Q. Public, why wouldn't you devote more resources to solving a more serious crime?

But that aside, this entire conversation seems to neglect the fact that the police response mentioned in the OP (searching dashboard cams of other police cars) is directly related to the crime involved. This was an attack targeting police officers, and it stands to reason that whoever did it was waiting for the opportunity and may very well have been near other officers that night. That seems like an entirely reasonable step to take; it's not like they're pulling all the ATM footage from the entire city or anything like that.

Moreover, the conversation, as previously pointed out, seems to imply that police are neglecting to take reasonable steps to investigate non-police murders. As far as I know, that's an unsupported premise. In my experience, we generally run out of avenues to investigate rather than neglect them.

Maybe I should have rephrased. I don't have an objection with charging someone with a more serious crime for killing a police officer in the line of duty. That doesn't necessarily mean I think a significant more amount of resources should be devoted to the investigation than would normally be devoted to an average person's murder.

So, are you saying that there are no more resources or steps taken to investigate a police officer's death than would be devoted to any other killing? I'm not trying to put forth an "anti-police agenda." I'm just asking about any differences in procedure, manpower or resources compared to other killings. I'm not sure if I'm getting a clear answer, which would only reinforce some people's anti-cop ideas.

Originally Posted by Tommy Ceez

If you didnt come down on Cop Killers like the fist of an angry God it would be open season on police, which means

A) More arrests would become bloody shootouts
B) Less likelihood of proactive police action
C)All sorts of fucked up on the street for YOU AND ME

But when I hear things like "come down on cop killers like the fist of an angry God," I'm thinking about punishment, legal issues and the court system, not necessarily the resources that go into the investigation.

[Groucho]

I think there's going to be more resources working to solve a cop's murder simply because people are going to put in more overtime and lend a hand to solve a murder of one of their own.

[Dr Mabuse]

I'm shocked! SHOCKED! that anyone here would express any reservations about the police in the Otter.

As usual, I have nothing but good things to say about the police and their honorable work.

[Michael Corvin]

Originally Posted by CaptainMarvel

In my experience, we generally run out of avenues to investigate rather than neglect them.

I think that is the crux of the argument. When the department runs out of avenues investigating one of their own, they will find more avenues by throwing more manpower at it.

[emanon]

All of this crap back and forth, and no empathy for Shirley Lemke, who was truly an innocent victim in all of this.

RIP, Shirley.

[mndtrp]

When an officer does something wrong, most people scream that he should be held to a higher standard than "normal" people. Apparently, that mentality doesn't hold true when something wrong is done to an officer.

[Rockmjd23]

Originally Posted by mndtrp

When an officer does something wrong, most people scream that he should be held to a higher standard than "normal" people. Apparently, that mentality doesn't hold true when something wrong is done to an officer.

You, sir, have won the thread.

[Hokeyboy]

Originally Posted by mndtrp

When an officer does something wrong, most people scream that he should be held to a higher standard than "normal" people. Apparently, that mentality doesn't hold true when something wrong is done to an officer.

"Normal" people generally don't end up harassing, beating, shooting, or falsely imprisoning people when they do "something wrong". Unless they're union or the late Rick James.

[mikehunt]

Originally Posted by Boba Fett

Am I out of line for being pissed that the same response isn't given when equally innocent people are killed, especially when it comes to children?

no

[mndtrp]

Originally Posted by Hokeyboy

"Normal" people generally don't end up harassing, beating, shooting, or falsely imprisoning people when they do "something wrong". Unless they're union or the late Rick James.

People do that all the time, minus the falsely imprisoning people. Hell, that happens as well, what with the false rape claims and the like.

I'm not saying I think officers should get better treatment than children, or anyone else for that matter. I hope that if checking dashcams would assist in any crime, it's done.

[Dr Mabuse]

Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

[Nick Danger]

Originally Posted by Venusian

This whole conversation seems to be based on unverified premises

Are you going to try to prove that assertion?

[Hokeyboy]

Originally Posted by Dr Mabuse

Cocaine is a hell of a drug.

Duck and cover!! It came from nowhere!!

[Goldblum]

Originally Posted by Groucho

Imaginary victims who have been victimized by imaginary crimes that the police aren't investigating hard enough. Unless somebody has a concrete example of a murder victim that was recently neglected in Seattle.