"How'd you like to grow up to be a perp, son?"

[The Hen]

I like Rube's dry take on humour. Most excellent.

[Guinevere]

Here's what I find outrageous about this:

Webb was suspended for three days without pay

I am certainly no cop basher, but what the hell kind of "punishment" is that for a police officer who uses a serious weapon entrusted to him for use to protect himself and the community, on a completely innocent 10 year old child? As though he thought it was some sort of "game"?

Why isn't this guy on indefinite suspension without pay, pending a full investigation with an eye towards permanent dismissal and criminal charges? Given what he did, anything less than that is absurd.

A person like this has absolutely no business whatsoever serving on a police force.

A civil action is the very least of what this freak ought to be facing.

Assuming a typical police union contract, and civil service law, its likely that 3 days without pay is the only immediate punishment that can be delivered, without a full hearing (which will take some time to organize and hold). Union police officers have a property right in their position, and thus can only be deprived of that right with a full hearing. I would guess that the officer is also being suspended with pay and isn't working, pending the hearing.

[Guinevere]

PTSD.

What a country.

What a tort police system.

First, let's kill all the lawyers cops.

FIXED.

Dale, I have to disagree with what I take to be the sentiment behind that...

I firmly believe that the vast majority of police officers are hard working honorable folks who perform a very difficult, dangerous and largely thankless job in a very professional and courageous way...

And then there are the ones like this ying yang....

You should take those stars out of your eyes Jim. Most cops I know do the job for the $$$, because they make quite a few of them. Believe me, if you try to improve their safety or improve their working conditions, they just want more $$$ for it -- even to the point of rejecting the safety measure unless they get paid. Even to the point of rejecting mandatory vest policies, when the vest is paid for by the feds and the policy costs them nothing -- except possibly saving their lives.

In my experience, they want to get paid as much as possible and work as little as possible. Period.

[dales]

When someone is trying to kick Jim's door in at 3 am, he's not going to call his lawyer.

(that'll be after he kills the SOB and drags the carcass inside)

[Guinevere]

I never suggested he would.

[Econoline]

Assuming a typical police union contract, and civil service law, its likely that 3 days without pay is the only immediate punishment that can be delivered, without a full hearing (which will take some time to organize and hold). Union police officers have a property right in their position, and thus can only be deprived of that right with a full hearing. I would guess that the officer is also being suspended with pay and isn't working, pending the hearing.

As I've stated before, I have somewhat ambivalent (for a liberal, anyway ) feelings about public employees' unions--and the fact that police unions have an inherent conflict of interest between the interest of their members and the interest of the public is exactly what first led me toward this ambivalence (which I'm still trying to think through and sort out).

[oldr_n_wsr]

Long Island cops (Suffolk and Nassau County) start at $42,000 per year (not including overtime and holiday pay, etc). After 5 years or so most are over $100,000 again not including overtime and holiday pay etc. Then they have the beni's, retire are 20 years at 3/4 pay.
I should have become cop (too bad I couldn't have passed the drug test at the time, now it's too late. 35yo and under)

[oldr_n_wsr]

As far as the idiot involved in this, basic gun course rules (same rules apply to tazers) is never, never ever ever point any gun at someone.

First
When demoing anything especially to the public and double that to children, you use a "dummy" be it a gun, a tazer a knife whatever. Useless plastic inert versions are available. USE THEM!

Second
Never ever ever point any armament/weapon at anyone even if it is a dummy. Get used to it, practice it, never think, "well it's not loaded or it's a dummy".

Third
If you do not follow "first and second" you have lost your PRIVILEDGE to handle any kind of weapon other than a spoon, and plastic at that.