Are police officers really allowed to murder people?

In america and other third world countries, yes they are.

Just this week, a 75 year old dementia patient was mowed down by a police officer’s vehicle. This happened about 10 minutes from my house.

It merited a four-line mention in the local newspaper, which stated “a 75 year old Alzheimer’s patient walked or jumped in front of a Hillsborough County Sherriff’s cruiser on Monday.”

For fucking serious.

Hey, I’m driving 75 miles an hour down a 2 lane road past an old folks’ home. Maybe I should put my eyes on the fucking road.

@Seek_Kolinahr I would expect nothing less from Florida but the other states seem to surprise me more for some reason… It’s just awful…

Of course not, because we don’t live in a police state… yet.

Happens all the time in Bakersfield.
I have heard that some gangs send people up here from LA for their initiations because Bakersfield police have a “shoot first, ask questions later” reputation.

In one word, YES!

thugs

Let’s put it this way:

There is no law stating that they are allowed to kill.

It’s just statistically significant how much more likely they are to end the life of another human being with no legal consequences.

For those who missed it, neo-cons have dismantling due process protections for decades, all the while screaming about how libruls hate our freedumbs. Oh, but hey, at least our deficits are lower, right? Right?

The status quo has been that police aren’t allowed to fuck up but won’t be punished if they do for quite some time now. Ditto prosecutors. At least we have personal responsibility, right? Right?

@bolwerk The status quo has been that police aren’t allowed to fuck up but won’t be punished if they do for quite some time now. Ditto prosecutors. At least we have personal responsibility, right? Right?
That is what I.A. is for, but since it is a police for the police made up of ex-law enforcement and not ordinary citizens it is akin to telling the More Organized Businessmen policing the docks and the garment district to make sure corruption and extortion is not happening there.

I am less than thrilled with your source.

@Neodarwinian If that was directed towards me I can easily come up with several articles by the source of your choice. Seriously, name it. There’s an epidemic here and it’s extremely well documented.

@DWW25921

Who else would it be directed at? You are the questioner!

” I can easily come up with several articles by the source of your choice. Seriously, name it. There’s an epidemic here and it’s extremely well documented. ”

I am waiting. I am a skeptic, not a cynic, so I can be convinced by the evidence, That source you provided was not convincing.

I honestly wish the research was a little harder. I had to add more words to the search to narrow it down… I typed in “police murdering citizens articles list”. Apparently, I can change the word “several” in my previous statement to “millions” as far as google is concerned anyway… Here’s the first one.

This list is fair. It’s not anti-cop at all. I looked through it and found a great number that raised doubts as to whether or not lethal force was necessary. How many of these shootings could have been avoided? We may never know. You need to ask yourself why we have the largest prison population in the world and we call ourselves “free”...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_killings_by_law_enforcement_officers_in_the_United_States,_2013

If this doesn’t raise a few concerns for you I’m not sure what else to tell you.

There is a phenomenon called “suicide by cop”. Citizens put themselves into a situation where the police have to kill them or be killed themselves. Read about it.

@elbanditoroso That many though? Really? Even that gives cops a reason to kill. Just say it’s suicide…

” You need to ask yourself why we have the largest prison population in the world and we call ourselves “free”... ”

I do not need to ask myself anything. I know what the US prison population is and why we have one that is so large.

” Are police officers really allowed to murder people? ”

This, the original question. is still not well answered. I live in a city where police shootings are under Federal review. Murder has a strict definition though. I suggest you leave my concerns yo me and you just present the evidence that I will go over and then get back to you on.

PS: The wiki source is a list of killings by police in 2013, perhaps some unjustified, perhaps some justified. Regardless, killing is not murder and precision is needed here to parse your point from the wider points in this area.

@Neodarwinian I was asking the question, you want me to answer it too? I kind hope it’s not true! Why are you of the impression I even know what the answer is? I mean, I assume things sure… But I wouldn’t have asked if I was sure. If you want it “well answered” than answer it!

” I was asking the question, you want me to answer it too? ”

It appears you bias already answered the original question, so to speak.

” I mean, I assume things sure ”

You admit as much.

” This, the original question. is still not well answered.”

A rhetorical device followed by the bulk of the paragraph which you did not really read. You keep giving me links that are biased or dance around your point, a point I think you have a fuzzy hold on.

” If you want it “well answered” than answer it! ”

I can’t answer ill posed questions that may not even have an answer.

We are quite through here as hyperbolics and back stepping ( “There’s an epidemic here and it’s extremely well documented. ” ) are not my forte.

I was kind of hoping someone would prove me wrong for the sake of optimism not run around in circles throwing out semantics. You want me to prove a question I don’t have the answer to yet? Um… ok…