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170 Comments
- tee349, on 04/13/2009, -5/+83Police should undergo an IQ test before admittance.
- sakibomb222, on 04/13/2009, -11/+85They do. If they have a college degree, they aren't allowed to join the police force.
- charlie6969, on 04/13/2009, -1/+72Even if they did make a mistake; it doesn't cost anything to apologize to the man for it.
(and would earn the police a lot more respect.) - anklesnap, on 04/12/2009, -4/+70that is brutal...he should get an apology....
- Berkana, on 04/13/2009, -1/+51Was I the only one who thought the headline meant he was arrested for an actual wheel lock gun?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel_lock - sinisterouge, on 04/13/2009, -4/+47How stupid do you have to be to not know what that was?
- diemunkiesdie, on 04/13/2009, -1/+39Was it not too much trouble for the cops to open the door and look at the "gun" for 2 seconds? Any monkey would have figured it out by then!
- shig, on 04/13/2009, -8/+39"I'd like to see how long *you* would last on the streets"
You mean the "streets" where I've worked and lived everyday and night for years? I've made it thus far. Of course, I've never had a cop confuse a wheel lock or my wallet for a gun, or confuse my bumper sticker and pocket Constitution for an Al-Qaeda calling card and training manual. My situation "on the streets" might change unexpectedly... - iwatts, on 04/13/2009, -1/+31They do in some areas if the US. Someone once sued because he was refused for consideration because he scored over 120 on the test. The police felt someone smart would be "bored" with mundane duties like traffic. I don't think this individual would have scored anywhere near 120 though.....
- mjm653, on 04/13/2009, -8/+34I don't think the issue is whether or not the police officer was right in taking the precautions he did. He absolutely owes this young man an apology not for handcuffing him but for the comments he made after. Telling the kid he's "lucky" when he did nothing wrong? Who does he think he is?
Defend your fellow pigs all you want but this guy was a downright douche bag. - Smegzor, on 04/13/2009, -2/+27No they have to fail them.
- agentsrecord, on 04/13/2009, -2/+26Do police in Australia have to pass intelligence tests to become cops?
- jeffiek, on 04/13/2009, -5/+27I can't let this one go.
Looking at a steering lock and thinking it is a gun is a mistake in every dictionary that I know of. Mistakes happen, we're all human. The normal CIVILIZED response when one makes a mistake that inconveniences another is to APOLOGIZE.
You took a job to serve and protect. This involves risk, you knew that when you took the job. You have the right to take reasonable precautions. You have the DUTY to behave in a civilized manner to those you serve.
The kid is owed an apology.
The kid was cuffed, outside the car. There were TWO officers on the scene. All one officer had to do was pick up the lock, realize the mistake, say sorry, and let the kid go. Instead, he made a big deal, hassled the kid, and wasted money on backup.
If your comment is a reflection of your service record, then you should return your salary. You didn't earn it. - jeffiek, on 04/13/2009, -8/+30I'm glad you're a FORMER cop.
- ethanator1088, on 04/13/2009, -2/+23I think we are dealing with "Caveman Police Officer". This club is shiny. Are you sure it's not a gun? These types of things scare me.
- johndi, on 04/13/2009, -2/+20To believe he wasn't being overly cautious I have to believe two cops couldn't handle a handcuffed teenager sitting on the curb without calling for backup. He was so terrified that even with another officer there to cover the teenager in handcuffs he had to call for backup to identify the object in question. To me it is plain the officer was so embarrassed by his incompetence and paranoia that he made stupid tough guy comments about how "lucky" the teen was.
You can mince words all you like, but he was in handcuffs. He was not free to go ergo he was arrested. - QcRoman, on 04/13/2009, -1/+17"I think the only reason they said sorry is because the media got involved."
No doubts about it !
Why is it so hard for the cops to say sorry when they mess up ?
Seems like they ALWAYS have some mumbo jumbo explanation to NOT plain out say it.
They'd earn a lot more respect from the vast majority of citizens if they did act like normal people once in a while. - aladrin, on 04/13/2009, -0/+15In case it hasn't been said enough: The cop should have apologized. Even if he was just doing his job, and it was an honest mistake, it was still a mistake that caused a lot of stress and took time from this man's life. At the very least, an apology is in order.
Any man who can't keep control of a situation while giving an apology is -not- a man. - buddyfarr, on 04/13/2009, -1/+15I don't see what was so 'brutal' about it. But I do agree that he should get an apology. All the policeman had to do was look at the damn thing and know it was not a gun instead of calling and waiting for backup to arrive. He had a partner with him and could have checked it out without calling for backup. Then he should have apologized and let him go on his way.
- flossdaily, on 04/13/2009, -8/+22@CaptainAmerica1:
Crushing crime? You mean like using tasers on homeless people? Locking black people up for holding small amounts of drugs, while ignoring white people who do the exact same thing? You mean like, directing traffic? You mean like telling my neighbors to keep the noise down at their party? You mean like violating every traffic law known to man, then ticketing any poor sap who happens to drive 10 miles over the ridiculously low speed limit?
Or maybe you're talking about the fun times when you dress up in riot gear and shoot peaceful protesters in eye with rubber bullets?
Police abuse their power so frequently that I have to wonder if they spend more time breaking the laws or enforcing them.
Tell us, hero, how many times have you stopped a crime, or caught a wrong-doer? And then tell us how many times you've broken a traffic law, performed an illegal search, beaten the ***** out of someone you know won't report you, pulled over a driver just because he's black, used a taser against an unarmed person, etc, etc... - johndi, on 04/13/2009, -3/+17You've been arrested when you are no longer free to go. A person can be arrested without handcuffs, but when a person has been handcuffed they have been taken into legal custody by the police, AKA arrested. If you were a former cop you'd know that. Detained is just doublespeak for arrested. Between your doublespeak, your internet toughguy act, and your handle I'm thinking you've never seen a police academy outside of the movies.
http://www.nolo.com/definition.cfm/term/BF66BAAC-B ... - flossdaily, on 04/13/2009, -7/+21You know why being a cop is such a dangerous job? Because people like you antagonize everybody.
You get so bored with the mundane police work that rightly takes up all your time, so you start inventing 'probable cause' everywhere you go.
Sometimes it means you catch a kid with an ounce of weed on him, sometimes you catch a guy with a steering wheel lock, and sometimes you and your buddies put 40 bullets into a 19-year-old kid standing in his doorway because you though he was reaching for a gun when he was actually just reaching for his cell phone.
But, by all means, go on and tell us how great and selfless you all are. Please, tell us how intimidating and bullying people you don't like the look of isn't a huge job perk for you. Then, finish up by telling us how many cops you ticketed for speeding, or carrying some weed, - Shamusjp, on 04/13/2009, -0/+13You can get in with a GED in most places. I live in Boston and took the GED and the police exam . I scored 100% on the cop test. The GED was harder. Sad really.
- Kaegro, on 04/13/2009, -2/+14The kid is totally right in wanting something as simple as an apology. Its only the descent thing to do right? Even if an officer thinks something is wrong and handcuffs you, and figures out it was a misunderstanding, the only HUMANE thing to do is apologize. "Hey there kid, sorry for roughing you up, we just didnt know what that thing was" that would have been great, but no. The police need to understand that they can and will be wrong, their only human, like the rest of us. And they should act accordingly with respect.
- rv361162, on 04/13/2009, -1/+12Are they're afraid that the gun will shoot itself? Pussy cops
- faskill, on 04/13/2009, -1/+11That's a pretty fancy firearm... I guess I'm just curious where the bullets come out.
- inactive, on 04/13/2009, -1/+9Maybe the officer should be sent into training and shown what guns look like.
1) When was the last time you saw a gun with a hook shaped stock??
AND
2) There is a reason for the BRIGHTLY PAINTED ends....so this doesn't happen..... - drofmij, on 04/13/2009, -0/+8Yeah that was my first thought as well... headline writer needs to read some history.
- AlienMushroom, on 04/13/2009, -3/+11face palm...
- johndi, on 04/13/2009, -0/+7I don't hate cops, but I am disapointed in them. The us versus them attitude caused by the war on drugs has done much to hurt the reputation of what used to be a highly esteemed profession. Cops are civililians too and they need to stop using it as a contemptuous term for non-police civilians. I honestly hope politicians come to their senses and reform the system so police can get back to "protect and serve." I hope that police realize that the Reid technique for interrogations is substantially flawed and leads to false confessions and convictions allows criminals to go free.
It was this sentence that I thought was over the top and made me suspect you were the Internet toughguy "No, I mean on the streets as cops...answering calls for service, crushing crime and dealing the the dregs of criminal society, day in and day out." I do treat cops with respect until they do something that shows they don't deserve it. I do realize that most police officers are professionals and many go an entire career without a complaint. The problem is that the bad cops are rarely sactioned. Until police stop the Blue Code of Silence we won't be rid of the bad ones that cause the rest of them so many problems. We need more Officers like Frank Serpico. - xs11ax, on 04/13/2009, -0/+7yes it would earn the police respect.
the public would trust and co-operate more with the police.
it would make the job of the police more easier.
then they would be free to catch real criminals.
but sadly i dont think thats ever going to happen. - secrity, on 04/13/2009, -0/+7As you say, anything could be a gun; there was no more reason to assume that the wheel lock was a gun than would be a cell phone or iPod.
- nmoulana, on 04/13/2009, -2/+9"I know this happened in Australia, but in the US the kid would have been considered detained pending further investigation."
Wow, just wow. Bureaucratic ***** like that deserve to die. If you are too ***** retarded to not understand a steering lock or are too stubborn to allow the kid to explain what it is and you would rather throw him in jail instead, you should have never passed the 5th grade. How hard would it be to ask him "Hey what is this? Since I'm a retarded cop I assume it is weapons or a meth lab." - jonglebeats, on 04/13/2009, -0/+7The police-talk to make them sound important is annoying.
- SpiderTeets, on 04/13/2009, -0/+6maybe if gun control was not so stringent they would know what a real gun looks like, seems ignorance could be just as "dangerous" as owning a gun, especially if what the police officer said was true, "'any other cop would have had you at gunpoint'"
- PopcornDave, on 04/13/2009, -0/+6Imagine if the poor kid had a load of bananas in his car. The cop would have thought he was a gun runner.
- CoreyTamas, on 04/13/2009, -0/+6Everyone can make a mistake. Even a cop. It's great to think that we'd be 100% accurate in our jobs 100% of the time, but that's just not so.
HOWEVER... the absolutely belligerent and arrogant manner in which the officer dealt with the mistake is inexcusable. The correct way to follow up is to say "I apologize, sir. I thought I saw a firearm in your car and thought there might be a threat, so I handcuffed you. I now see that it wasn't, and I'm sorry." The wrong way is to follow up is "Get a new wheel lock that doesn't look like a gun" and "you're a very lucky boy".
That's why the cop was in the wrong and that's why the kid deserves an apology. - inactive, on 04/13/2009, -2/+8Gun control really works. Sigh.
- AnotherTechie, on 04/13/2009, -4/+10Anyone named Chad driving a POS like that should be arrested anyway. Carry on.
- jbmcb, on 04/13/2009, -1/+7> where the police are just as skittish and paranoid as the people they are meant to apprehend
American cops are skittish around people who they think are armed. They aren't skittish around a "gun" laying on the passenger seat of a car, with rounded handles on either end and covered in bright orange rubber.
The Australian cop was angry because he realized what an idiot he looked like, especially to the other cops, then went on to confirm his idiocy by taking his anger out on the 'suspect.' - korvan504521, on 04/13/2009, -0/+5power trip.
- xs11ax, on 04/13/2009, -1/+6so what was stopping the copper from actually god forbid looking at the 'gun'????
or was it booby trapped? - inactive, on 04/13/2009, -0/+5Such is the fruit of the insane Commonwealth anti-self defense laws.
- dlan4327, on 04/13/2009, -3/+8It is bright red. How do you mistake a bight red tube for a gun?
- buddyfarr, on 04/13/2009, -0/+5If you do something wrong the person that you did it to shouldn't have to ask for an apology.
- inactive, on 04/13/2009, -1/+6Australian laws against firearms should give you some impression about how paranoid Aussies are about firearms. Absolute hoplophobes.
- malanic, on 04/13/2009, -10/+14Police apologise over steering wheel lock 'gun'
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,2 ...
I think it's a bit premature since they haven't even interviewed the officer concerned.
"Sorry on the spot would have healed things better, instead of going through all this.
"I think the only reason they said sorry is because the media got involved."
Personally, I think that he enjoys 'going through all this'. 'Sorry on the spot' wouldn't give him his fifteen minutes of fame making a mountain out of a molehill. - chessthecat, on 04/13/2009, -0/+4I thought the same thing. It took me quite a while to parse what the headline actually meant.
- bruleboy, on 04/13/2009, -0/+4i think he should paint it black
- skate3214, on 04/13/2009, -0/+4Hmm... I wonder if this would work at a bank. *imagines* EVERYONE GET DOWN *brandish' steering wheel lock*
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