Should volunteer cops be allowed to carry guns?

[ABikerSailor]

After the shooting of an unarmed black man in Tulsa where the VOLUNTEER DEPUTY thought he'd reached for his taser, fatally shot him because he didn't realize that he'd actually pulled his 357 out.

Now.................volunteer deputies don't get paid, they just get to run around and act like cops. They don't get as much training, and in most cases are there under a support role.

Since they are support only, and real trained cops are at the forefront of the operations, why do volunteer cops need to have a gun? Shouldn't a taser be enough, because like I said, they're there in a support role only with the real cops leading the charge, meaning that they're off in the background to help if necessary.

After this incident, and understanding that many times it is possible to BUY YOUR WAY ONTO THE POLICE FORCE with enough donations (like this Tulsa volunteer did), I say that the volunteers be given tasers only.

If deadly force needs to be used, let the actual trained professionals handle it.

 

[ABikerSailor]

Here's the link to the story.....

Tulsa reserve deputy charged with manslaughter

I say that volunteer cops only need tasers.

If they want to be real cops, let them go through the academy.

 

[Sonny Clark]

After the shooting of an unarmed black man in Tulsa where the VOLUNTEER DEPUTY thought he'd reached for his taser, fatally shot him because he didn't realize that he'd actually pulled his 357 out.

Now.................volunteer deputies don't get paid, they just get to run around and act like cops. They don't get as much training, and in most cases are there under a support role.

Since they are support only, and real trained cops are at the forefront of the operations, why do volunteer cops need to have a gun? Shouldn't a taser be enough, because like I said, they're there in a support role only with the real cops leading the charge, meaning that they're off in the background to help if necessary.

After this incident, and understanding that many times it is possible to BUY YOUR WAY ONTO THE POLICE FORCE with enough donations (like this Tulsa volunteer did), I say that the volunteers be given tasers only.

If deadly force needs to be used, let the actual trained professionals handle it.

Weapons should be taken away from all cops until they learn the value of a life, learn to respect citizens, learn not to abuse their power and authority, and learn to use other methods before shooting someone. Cops need to be tried and sentenced for their deeds to set an example for other cops. We need to hold cops to the same standards as we hold everyone else to. They should never be given a free pass in the legal system, never. We do not need the streets filled with trigger happy cops, period. Such lame excuses as "I feared for my life", or "he was reaching for his waist band", should be tested in a court of law before a judge and jury. Body cameras should be required, and if ever turned off, the cop is automatically fired on the spot, no excuses. Also, police brutality and quota tickets should carry a minimum of 5 years in the big house.

 

[TheOldSchool]

Terrible tragedy. The better question though is, why the hell is a volunteer cop involved in a professional sting operation?

 

[Sonny Clark]

Terrible tragdey. The better question though is, why the hell is a volunteer cop involved in a professional sting operation?

It's a Brotherhood, rules don't apply. Cops generally do as they damn well please, and get by with it.

 

[BluePhantom]

After the shooting of an unarmed black man in Tulsa where the VOLUNTEER DEPUTY thought he'd reached for his taser, fatally shot him because he didn't realize that he'd actually pulled his 357 out.

Now.................volunteer deputies don't get paid, they just get to run around and act like cops. They don't get as much training, and in most cases are there under a support role.

Since they are support only, and real trained cops are at the forefront of the operations, why do volunteer cops need to have a gun? Shouldn't a taser be enough, because like I said, they're there in a support role only with the real cops leading the charge, meaning that they're off in the background to help if necessary.

After this incident, and understanding that many times it is possible to BUY YOUR WAY ONTO THE POLICE FORCE with enough donations (like this Tulsa volunteer did), I say that the volunteers be given tasers only.

If deadly force needs to be used, let the actual trained professionals handle it.

Well regardless of the role they are in, they are United States citizens, presumably, and therefore have the right to carry a weapon in public just like everyone else. I think it's pretty dangerous for the police to provide them with one, but if they want to supply their own they have the right to do so, I suppose. If they fuck up and use it illegally, they are subject to the laws just like anyone else.

 

[Sonny Clark]

After the shooting of an unarmed black man in Tulsa where the VOLUNTEER DEPUTY thought he'd reached for his taser, fatally shot him because he didn't realize that he'd actually pulled his 357 out.

Now.................volunteer deputies don't get paid, they just get to run around and act like cops. They don't get as much training, and in most cases are there under a support role.

Since they are support only, and real trained cops are at the forefront of the operations, why do volunteer cops need to have a gun? Shouldn't a taser be enough, because like I said, they're there in a support role only with the real cops leading the charge, meaning that they're off in the background to help if necessary.

After this incident, and understanding that many times it is possible to BUY YOUR WAY ONTO THE POLICE FORCE with enough donations (like this Tulsa volunteer did), I say that the volunteers be given tasers only.

If deadly force needs to be used, let the actual trained professionals handle it.

Well regardless of the role they are in, they are United States citizens, presumably, and therefore have the right to carry a weapon in public just like everyone else. I think it's pretty dangerous for the police to provide them with one, but if they want to supply their own they have the right to do so, I suppose. If they fuck up and use it illegally, they are subject to the laws just like anyone else.

Ah, but cops are not subject to the same laws as everyone else. How many cops are presently in our prisons and jails?

 

[BluePhantom]

After the shooting of an unarmed black man in Tulsa where the VOLUNTEER DEPUTY thought he'd reached for his taser, fatally shot him because he didn't realize that he'd actually pulled his 357 out.

Now.................volunteer deputies don't get paid, they just get to run around and act like cops. They don't get as much training, and in most cases are there under a support role.

Since they are support only, and real trained cops are at the forefront of the operations, why do volunteer cops need to have a gun? Shouldn't a taser be enough, because like I said, they're there in a support role only with the real cops leading the charge, meaning that they're off in the background to help if necessary.

After this incident, and understanding that many times it is possible to BUY YOUR WAY ONTO THE POLICE FORCE with enough donations (like this Tulsa volunteer did), I say that the volunteers be given tasers only.

If deadly force needs to be used, let the actual trained professionals handle it.

Well regardless of the role they are in, they are United States citizens, presumably, and therefore have the right to carry a weapon in public just like everyone else. I think it's pretty dangerous for the police to provide them with one, but if they want to supply their own they have the right to do so, I suppose. If they fuck up and use it illegally, they are subject to the laws just like anyone else.

Ah, but cops are not subject to the same laws as everyone else. How many cops are presently in our prisons and jails?

Sure they are subject to the same laws, they just get away with it more often because they get a much greater benefit of the doubt from judges and juries and because the police tend to cover up the crimes that cops commit. It's not that cops aren't subject to the same laws, it's that the system is set up in such a way where they have more freedom to abuse them

 

[Sonny Clark]

After the shooting of an unarmed black man in Tulsa where the VOLUNTEER DEPUTY thought he'd reached for his taser, fatally shot him because he didn't realize that he'd actually pulled his 357 out.

Now.................volunteer deputies don't get paid, they just get to run around and act like cops. They don't get as much training, and in most cases are there under a support role.

Since they are support only, and real trained cops are at the forefront of the operations, why do volunteer cops need to have a gun? Shouldn't a taser be enough, because like I said, they're there in a support role only with the real cops leading the charge, meaning that they're off in the background to help if necessary.

After this incident, and understanding that many times it is possible to BUY YOUR WAY ONTO THE POLICE FORCE with enough donations (like this Tulsa volunteer did), I say that the volunteers be given tasers only.

If deadly force needs to be used, let the actual trained professionals handle it.

Well regardless of the role they are in, they are United States citizens, presumably, and therefore have the right to carry a weapon in public just like everyone else. I think it's pretty dangerous for the police to provide them with one, but if they want to supply their own they have the right to do so, I suppose. If they fuck up and use it illegally, they are subject to the laws just like anyone else.

Ah, but cops are not subject to the same laws as everyone else. How many cops are presently in our prisons and jails?

Sure they are subject to the same laws, they just get away with it more often because they get a much greater benefit of the doubt from judges and juries and because the police tend to cover up the crimes that cops commit. It's not that cops aren't subject to the same laws, it's that the system is set up in such a way where they have more freedom to abuse them

That's exactly my point.

 

[BluePhantom]

After the shooting of an unarmed black man in Tulsa where the VOLUNTEER DEPUTY thought he'd reached for his taser, fatally shot him because he didn't realize that he'd actually pulled his 357 out.

Now.................volunteer deputies don't get paid, they just get to run around and act like cops. They don't get as much training, and in most cases are there under a support role.

Since they are support only, and real trained cops are at the forefront of the operations, why do volunteer cops need to have a gun? Shouldn't a taser be enough, because like I said, they're there in a support role only with the real cops leading the charge, meaning that they're off in the background to help if necessary.

After this incident, and understanding that many times it is possible to BUY YOUR WAY ONTO THE POLICE FORCE with enough donations (like this Tulsa volunteer did), I say that the volunteers be given tasers only.

If deadly force needs to be used, let the actual trained professionals handle it.

Well regardless of the role they are in, they are United States citizens, presumably, and therefore have the right to carry a weapon in public just like everyone else. I think it's pretty dangerous for the police to provide them with one, but if they want to supply their own they have the right to do so, I suppose. If they fuck up and use it illegally, they are subject to the laws just like anyone else.

Ah, but cops are not subject to the same laws as everyone else. How many cops are presently in our prisons and jails?

Sure they are subject to the same laws, they just get away with it more often because they get a much greater benefit of the doubt from judges and juries and because the police tend to cover up the crimes that cops commit. It's not that cops aren't subject to the same laws, it's that the system is set up in such a way where they have more freedom to abuse them

That's exactly my point.

Ok but I am not seeing what that has to do with volunteers carrying guns. Volunteers are not cops. In the best case they are people with a legitimate desire to help and in the worst case they are wanna-be's who need to feel powerful. I am not following you

 

[Luddly Neddite]

He had no business being there in the first place but real cops have done the same thing. Real cops, with real cop training, panic and open fire on innocent people almost daily.

Guns have become the answer to everything.

If the civilian is black, they don't even think about guilt or innocence. They just mow them down.

Cops have become what they were hired to prevent.

 

[BluePhantom]

He had no business being there in the first place but real cops have done the same thing. Real cops, with real cop training, panic and open fire on innocent people almost daily.

Guns have become the answer to everything.

If the civilian is black, they don't even think about guilt or innocence. They just mow them down.

Cops have become what they were hired to prevent.

Almost daily? Let's not get carried away. Yes it happens but "almost daily" is quite the stretch.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

He had no business being there in the first place but real cops have done the same thing. Real cops, with real cop training, panic and open fire on innocent people almost daily.

Guns have become the answer to everything.

If the civilian is black, they don't even think about guilt or innocence. They just mow them down.

Cops have become what they were hired to prevent.

Almost daily? Let's not get carried away. Yes it happens but "almost daily" is quite the stretch.

I recently read that the figure is about 950 a year. You do the math.

Luckily, we now have cell phone cameras so more will be reported and maybe even punished.

 

[BluePhantom]

He had no business being there in the first place but real cops have done the same thing. Real cops, with real cop training, panic and open fire on innocent people almost daily.

Guns have become the answer to everything.

If the civilian is black, they don't even think about guilt or innocence. They just mow them down.

Cops have become what they were hired to prevent.

Almost daily? Let's not get carried away. Yes it happens but "almost daily" is quite the stretch.

I recently read that the figure is about 950 a year. You do the math.

Luckily, we now have cell phone cameras so more will be reported and maybe even punished.

Can you provide a link to that figure? I want to see the study that has determined that the police shoot at 950 innocent people a year. I may be wrong, but it sounds like bullshit to me. It's right up there with the billboard I saw recently that said 100 Asian elephants are killed every day. Ok that's 36,500 a year. According to one source I saw there aren't that many Asian elephants in the world. In other words....bullshit.

 

[ABikerSailor]

I saw the statistics on MSNBC and it worked out to about 1 cop shooting per week.

I think that 950 figure was covering from 2012 until now (at least that's how MSNBC reported it).

But even one per year is too much. And, like I said...........if this idiot who can't tell a 357 from a taser has trouble with the difference, give him the non lethal version. He's only backup anyway.

What's worse...............this dude is rich and made lots of contributions towards the sheriff's reelection, as well as donated a whole bunch of equipment and a couple of cars to the police department.

Well.............we saw that if you have deep pockets, in many cases you can buy an election. Why should being a cop be any different? Want to shoot bad guys? Donate to your local PD and lobby for yourself to be assigned as a volunteer cop.

 

[BluePhantom]

I saw the statistics on MSNBC and it worked out to about 1 cop shooting per week.

I think that 950 figure was covering from 2012 until now (at least that's how MSNBC reported it).

But even one per year is too much. And, like I said...........if this idiot who can't tell a 357 from a taser has trouble with the difference, give him the non lethal version. He's only backup anyway.

What's worse...............this dude is rich and made lots of contributions towards the sheriff's reelection, as well as donated a whole bunch of equipment and a couple of cars to the police department.

Well.............we saw that if you have deep pockets, in many cases you can buy an election. Why should being a cop be any different? Want to shoot bad guys? Donate to your local PD and lobby for yourself to be assigned as a volunteer cop.

One a week I can buy. 2 1/2 a day....I call bullshit. Anyhow...yes one is too much, but as my friend the retired judge always tells me, "the justice system has nothing to do with justice and everything to do with what kind of a defense you can afford." So I suppose we shouldn't be surprised.

 

[Iceweasel]

It's a tragedy but we should all be allowed to carry, unless you have legal issues. In this case the ahole selling a gun had legal issues. A felon selling illegal guns. THEN he put up a struggle! If a cop can use a taser they can use a gun, it's on you if it comes down to it. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. I feel for the poor Officer, even an experienced cop can make the mistake in a split second someone forces onto them.

 

[ABikerSailor]

I'm wondering why police departments even have volunteer cops? Shouldn't the person who is potentially able to take away your freedom and liberty by arresting you be someone who was actually trained for it, rather than just some wanna be idiot who thinks it would be fun to play cops and robbers and donates a whole bunch of stuff to attain that position.

 

[BluePhantom]

I'm wondering why police departments even have volunteer cops? Shouldn't the person who is potentially able to take away your freedom and liberty by arresting you be someone who was actually trained for it, rather than just some wanna be idiot who thinks it would be fun to play cops and robbers and donates a whole bunch of stuff to attain that position.

Well from my time in Arizona it's because of money. The state sheriff asked the state for money to hire more cops because the crime rate was getting out of hand. The state said no so he found an obscure law from the old west about the sheriff having the right to organize a posse so that's exactly what he did. The posse (that's what they are actually called) in Arizona is volunteer but they do not carry guns nor do they get directly involved. They patrol and then call the cops to come in and take direct action. I don't know about other states

 

[whitehall]

Volunteer cops might legally be qualified to carry a firearm but the problem is whether or not to authorize them police authority to use deadly force. It's clear that the guy in Tulsa was a police buff who paid his way to carry a Badge. He never should have been involved with a real Police investigation and the Sheriff who appointed him should face charges.