Black Cop who killed White man in Utah is cleared

This shooting occurred two days after the Ferguson shooting. A black cop in Salt Lake City, Utah who shot and killed an unarmed White Man has been cleared.

http://wreg.com/2014/11/25/salt-lake-cop-cleared-in-shooting-of-unarmed-white-man/

Lets see if this generates the same level of rage as when the roles are reversed.

Oh damn.

You see this is how I look at problems like this these days. Maybe its race, maybe the cop had racial intentions, but the main problem I see it as, is power. Cops nowadays might have the mentality of having power over normal citizens because of the badge they were and the weapon they use. Now I am not saying all cops do, but the level of evidence is starting to pile up.

The cop had a body camera on him, which captured the events in question. He was cleared because he followed procedure, not because he was black.

So what the hell is your point?

Careful. Bait.

@frozen: nice try

Why are cops so quick to pull out their guns? You shouldn't be able to shoot unless a deadly weapon is seen IMO.

Not a try. It's an analogy. I've brought this up to show how selectively the media chooses what to report to get a story.

Race was never even a factor with the Utah Cop case. The Ferguson Cop was attacked outright.

Burn this place down!!!!!

White man getting shot by black cop is not as interesting as a black man being shot by a white cop. Thats why no one heard of this one.

lol!!

@comicace3: I believe Rand Paul said that the Police needs to be demilitarized. I agree with that.

Here in England, the Police are VERY passive and they're criticized for it. And when they're aggressive, they're criticized for that too. Lol.

You are just on a role today

Its very hard to find a balance of both.

First i say 2000 POSTS

Second i say THIS AIN'T A NEW SH!t.

@frozen: yeah I'm not going to talk to you.Your definitely not worth it and you definitely have no idea how it is to be black so do me a favor don't reply to this.

You assumed a-lot quickly. I'm of Brown skin color and I've faced heavy racism, so for you to somehow imply that I'm not ''worth it'' or don't face discrimination is baseless.

I actually agree that America is, institutionally racist.

Not the roll you were on a few days ago.

@frozen: did I say you were white? Nope your still not black and I really don't want to get in to this with you because right when I saw this topic my jimmies were already getting rustled lol.

Oh how the OP baits the race baiters so well.

The reason white on black violence gets more press than other types, is because black people have been targets by white people in America for over 300 years, almost since the country's formation. We like to think that times have changed, but every time a new event occurs, it stirs up the social injustice of days past, and outcry commences.

@the_stegman: I also believe politicians and different media outlets manipulate the events and promote them for their own political ideology.

A link

My answer. People are quick to draw weapons in dangerous situations, because sh** can turn on it's head in the blink of an eye.

Who initiated that confrontation varies depending on witnesses, so I wouldn't say that.

@wolverine08: It could also depending on leading questions as studies have found it alters memory (Loftus and Palmer's 1974 eyewitness testimony study). Though I'm sure since then interviewing should be standardized.

I'll change it to a more violent encounter instead, unlike the Utah case.

I know right, especially in London

@sophia89: maybe next year., i got 2000 posts in less than 12 months, so am coming for the 5000 post.

... Heh

@thatguywithheadphones: woah!! 11Gs well it's not impossible to get there but surely impossible to surpass you, @sophia89: now you feel how i feel when double my post didn't add up to yours, i wonder who's gonna oppress me or us next....

"Progress" and "equality" my ASS!

What does the link have to do with anything?

How was that situation in the video particularly dangerous? From what I saw the cop almost immediately pulled out his gun as he approached the man then shot for what reason?? I just think it's BS, just as much as the Brown incident. Stuff like this could be avoided if cops are just taught to pull out their tasers before their guns.

heh

@frozen: ill give you that one lol

The link tells a story of an unarmed man who murders a police officer. It may give you a sliver of insight as to why people in dangerous situations are on edge.

As for tasers vs firearms, it's a judgement call. People who put themselves in the line of fire shouldn't have to second guess themselves. As a former infantryman in the Army, I've been in bad spots and I can say that making life or death decisions in the span of a few seconds isn't easy. Not by a long shot.

Yeah, I read it but that man was armed....he stole the cops gun and shot him. It's hardly related to cases like these.

And yeah, I understand. But as an infantryman, you had training, right? You wouldn't walk up to a suspected terrorist/suspicious person and just pop him because it might be a dangerous situation? You wait and assess first, right?* Just like you, cops put themselves in possibly dangerous situations everyday because it's their duty. They signed up for it because they have a calling to protect. If every cop pulled the trigger in a perceived dangerous situation, we'd have more unarmed/innocent bodies piling up. But we don't. So, either this cop must be trigger happy, scared and unfit to be a cop or something. I just think it's easier to teach cops to go for non-lethal methods before lethal ones in most situations.

(I'm talking about situations where the suspect is unarmed or in a submitting position. If he/she is armed, and you feel shots may be fired, then, by all means, make a judgement call)

Bait avoided.

It's not really bait. The link I've posted is an uncanny comparison.

The media chooses what it wants to report to get a big story. Based on evidence, it is foolish to deny that.

I immediately thought of 22 Jump Street when I saw this thread.

Schmidt: Sir, can I just say, it is so refreshing to have a case with a black victim. I mean, we care so much more because she's black.

Jenko: I...I think what he's really trying to say is that we care equally. It's a tie really how much we care.

Schmidt: Um...no we're not. If it was a white person I wouldn't even care. One less cr%cker%ss cr%ckhe%d to worry about.

What I think about each event is irrelevant, both are tragedies and both suck. For everyone.

What I will say is the media exacerbates dumpster fires by promoting something like this: "White Cop Kills Unarmed Black Man". That's designed to get a certain response, and start sh*t. That headline, to me, is more racist than either event.

And yes, the police have become over-militarized. Cops, your standard patrolmen, don't receive proper, or enough proper, extensive training is some of the heavier firearms and tactics that they are supposed to employ. SWAT police do, but that is WHY SWAT exists. I have a friend back in NJ, a patrolman, who has an MP5 in his police car. Why does a patrolman need an MP5? A full automatic death-dealer like that? Shotguns, sure; pistols, yeah...but an MP5? Makes me nervous personally. He's admitted he's not had enough training with it to use it effectively and safely.

I almost became a police officer, before I enlisted. I realized it's a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' job, and how a few bad officers can give the entire service as a whole a bad name. I lost my taste for it because of that.

It's related to your question as to why it seems police are quick to draw their weapons in situations like this.

I did have training. Basic, AIT, a ton of unit training. I wouldn't shoot an unarmed suspected enemy combatant but I would have a rifle aimed at him (most likely with others also aiming weapons at him) and he'd find himself detained while we accessed the situation. The difference with many police officers from what we did is that they work alone (unless they call for backup), don't carry a weapon in hand at all times, and carry pistols as opposed to rifles or machine guns.

The link I showed you showcases how an unarmed dude manages to overwhelm and kill an officer. When stuff gets serious split second decisions have to be made. Lethal, less then lethal, and what type of less then lethal have to be taken into account with the specifics of the conflict. It isn't easy.

I can't speak for the vast majority of officers, but I know more then a few guys who went from the Army to policing. None of those guys were trigger happy, scared (to a point of helplessness. If you are being shot at and not scared, you have a deathwish or issues.) or unfit. I can tell you the screening process to get into the police is drawn out and thorough. Are there some police officers who are D-bags who get in? Yup. Is it the majority? I'd say no. For every big story or youtube video there are likely hundreds of stops made by "good" officers that are not dramatic enough to be news.

As for things like tasing, even that is a possible kill. An officer who tases a guy can kill that guy if the dude has certain preexisting conditions. CS gas/pepper spray can have deadly respiratory affect on certain people. Then you have to take into account situations on a case by case basis. Read up on the Tueller Drill so you can see just how big a distance can be dangerous even for an armed guy facing off with an unarmed one.

I'd wager most officers who shoot people are doing so in good faith. They believe their lives are in danger. While I won't deny there are "killer cops" they are not nearly as prevalent as the media wants people to believe.

No such thing as a "non-lethal" weapon, only "less lethal".

I'm sure you've heard the same terminology, but many civilians look at things like rubber bullets, bean bags, tear gas, and tasers as "non-lethal" options.

Indeed. That is a lot of the problem. Civilians see the fictional side of things, and/or fail to get the real training and don't realize that most any confrontation has the potential to be life or death. Hand to hand, tasers/stun guns, knives, blunt objects, firearms; all have the potential to kill.

I can say this as a husband and father. If somebody confronts me on the street, I'm expecting they want me (and if present, my family) dead and will react accordingly. Anything less on my part is both crazy and a set up for failure to protect those I love.