July 29, 2005
Cowboys and Cops Shoot First and Ask Questions Later
The Houston Chronicle has once again demonstrated it's total contempt and/or cluelessness about Texas culture by warning Brits not to let their "bobbies grow up to be cowboys". First impressions of the article give one the feeling that Harris county police are running around indiscriminately shooting innocents in the back.
According to reporting by Chronicle writers Roma Khanna and Lise Olsen, an astonishing 193 police officers from 18 law enforcement agencies in Harris County killed or wounded 189 people over a five-year span ending in 2004. In 65 cases, the victim was unarmed. In some cases the officer fired into the suspect's back or into a moving vehicle. Twenty-three cases involved the mentally ill.You could forgive the lack of reasons for the shootings if not for their seeming need for more prosecution of police officers. It is as if they assume the police are the ones at fault here. They do manage to let Blair off the hook with his "apology". One would think they understand that the "difficult circumstances" are as applicable here as in Great Briton.British Prime Minister Tony Blair apologized outright for the Menezes killing. That rarely happens stateside, where police are likely to make excuses when an innocent civilian is shot. In fact, according to Khanna and Olsen's research, police are seldom disciplined and rarely prosecuted when they shoot someone.
But Blair made no bones about the fact that the police "are doing their job in very, very difficult circumstances." Ultimately, those circumstances place the blame for the death of innocents squarely on the transit bombers, not on the police as they attempt to meet the challenge of ferreting out terrorist operatives.Towards the end the Chronicle seems to be trying to soften the tone of the article until they conclude with this utter contempt for American police.
Balancing anti-terrorism efforts with public safety and civil liberty requires that police undergo frequent drills and that they remain fully accountable to the public. That will help to ensure that English bobbies do not succumb to the "cowboy" mentality that some American police officers have adopted as their credo.Lets get a few things straight, outlaws shoot first and ask questions later, cowboys are honest, trustworthy, reliable and protect the innocent. Only a carpet bagging yank liberal would not know this. America has some damn fine law enforcement officials that do the best they can in a difficult situation no apologies needed. Those 189 people were likely fleeing a crime scene, resisting arrest where the officer’s safety was in danger or at the least ignoring the instructions of law enforcement officers. Does this mean the Chronicle only wants us to arrest criminals that come in peacefully and possibly let some of the most violent offenders flee to harm others?
More and more I am glad I canceled my subscription to this pathetic rag.
Wizbang Carnival of the Trackbacks XXII
Posted by Sid at July 29, 2005 11:40 AM | War on Terror
