SavannahMann
Platinum Member
- Nov 16, 2016
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We all know the stories of cops who are involved in questionable shootings, or outright bad shootings. We all know that cops tell us that they can’t hesitate, and we can’t understand what they are going through. Yet, what happens when a cop doesn’t shoot someone?
What Happened When A White Cop Decided Not to Shoot a Black Man
The cop is fired, and labeled a coward. Officer Mader of the Weirton police department got the call nobody should want. There was a problem at an address, the woman called and asked for help, and then hung up. She did not answer on the call back. Mader arrived and found the Ex Boyfriend outside, with his hand behind him. Mader told him to show the hands, common, standard even to now. But the man had a gun, and the Ex Girlfriend told the dispatcher that the man had dropped the magazine, and was going to get the cops to shoot him. Suicide by cop. The dispatcher did not report this, but Mader knew what was going on. He could see it, sense it. He got behind cover, and pulled his own pistol, and realized the man was trying to suicide by cop. He knew it.
Then two more officers showed up, and one of them fired four times, missing the distraught man all four. The fifth shot hit, and killed the man. OK, so far, we have a bad situation, but a justifiable shooting. The man was waving the gun around, and the cops didn’t know that he was trying to suicide by cop. Mader felt it, sensed it, and just knew it in his bones.
So what happened? Was the guy who took the shot fired? Nope. Without even talking to Mader, the Captain, and the Chief of Police made the decision to fire Mader for NOT shooting a distraught man who was intending to suicide by cop. Mader was labeled a coward, his reputation destroyed, by people who never even interviewed him. Not once talking to him to get his side. Why?
We keep hearing about the vast majority of cops who are good. Who are doing a tough job the best way they can. Yet in this case, while I can’t fault the second and third officer arriving as they did, and going with what they saw, I can question the decision to fire the first officer on the scene, the one who should have been in control, but wasn’t because the other officers had more time. The Rookie knew it was a suicide by cop, but did not want to oblige the man.
The Chief admitted he had never investigated an officer involved shooting. He had no idea what he was doing, and no idea what the officers were taught to do at the academy concerning de-escalation of the situation. So why was Mader fired? In an effort to head off the lawsuit. The inevitable lawsuit since the officers did not have all the information the Dispatcher had gotten, about the intentions of the man. That which Mader realized when he was talking to the guy.
With that information, a man could have gotten the help he needed. Without it, the police were unarmed as far as understanding the situation. The police could have helped a man, saved a life, and saved themselves a lot of trouble. Instead, they went after the one who didn’t want to shoot, because he wanted to honestly help. The good cop was sacrificed, thrown away to protect the others. One comment from his training officer is interesting. Mader understood to always have the back of a fellow cop. Cops first, all of us a distant second. A very distant second.
So where are all those good cops, the ones who would insure that truth, and doing the right thing matters? Apparently there weren’t any in charge of the department.
What Happened When A White Cop Decided Not to Shoot a Black Man
The cop is fired, and labeled a coward. Officer Mader of the Weirton police department got the call nobody should want. There was a problem at an address, the woman called and asked for help, and then hung up. She did not answer on the call back. Mader arrived and found the Ex Boyfriend outside, with his hand behind him. Mader told him to show the hands, common, standard even to now. But the man had a gun, and the Ex Girlfriend told the dispatcher that the man had dropped the magazine, and was going to get the cops to shoot him. Suicide by cop. The dispatcher did not report this, but Mader knew what was going on. He could see it, sense it. He got behind cover, and pulled his own pistol, and realized the man was trying to suicide by cop. He knew it.
Then two more officers showed up, and one of them fired four times, missing the distraught man all four. The fifth shot hit, and killed the man. OK, so far, we have a bad situation, but a justifiable shooting. The man was waving the gun around, and the cops didn’t know that he was trying to suicide by cop. Mader felt it, sensed it, and just knew it in his bones.
So what happened? Was the guy who took the shot fired? Nope. Without even talking to Mader, the Captain, and the Chief of Police made the decision to fire Mader for NOT shooting a distraught man who was intending to suicide by cop. Mader was labeled a coward, his reputation destroyed, by people who never even interviewed him. Not once talking to him to get his side. Why?
We keep hearing about the vast majority of cops who are good. Who are doing a tough job the best way they can. Yet in this case, while I can’t fault the second and third officer arriving as they did, and going with what they saw, I can question the decision to fire the first officer on the scene, the one who should have been in control, but wasn’t because the other officers had more time. The Rookie knew it was a suicide by cop, but did not want to oblige the man.
The Chief admitted he had never investigated an officer involved shooting. He had no idea what he was doing, and no idea what the officers were taught to do at the academy concerning de-escalation of the situation. So why was Mader fired? In an effort to head off the lawsuit. The inevitable lawsuit since the officers did not have all the information the Dispatcher had gotten, about the intentions of the man. That which Mader realized when he was talking to the guy.
With that information, a man could have gotten the help he needed. Without it, the police were unarmed as far as understanding the situation. The police could have helped a man, saved a life, and saved themselves a lot of trouble. Instead, they went after the one who didn’t want to shoot, because he wanted to honestly help. The good cop was sacrificed, thrown away to protect the others. One comment from his training officer is interesting. Mader understood to always have the back of a fellow cop. Cops first, all of us a distant second. A very distant second.
So where are all those good cops, the ones who would insure that truth, and doing the right thing matters? Apparently there weren’t any in charge of the department.