Tasers for Portland Police...good idea? (to live, title, place)

[diablogun]

Originally Posted by dubthang

Don't defend your posts. This happend about 300 yards from my house. I heard the gun shots. I saw and heard the witnesses talk about the ruthless shooting that took place. Not one person said that he deserved it because he was threatening the officers. I worked for Public Sevices at the time so I also was privy to info that had yet to hit the media. There was no imediate threat spoken of at the time of the shooting. Did he have a gun? I'm sure he did, but I don't know what exactly went on at the scene.

You summed it up so well by concluding with the "I don't know what exactly went on at the scene."

The guy was scum, and he was put down because he offered a threat to the life of the officers. Just because you don't like that does not change it. Do me a favor and admit you are wrong when the officers are cleared of any wrongdoing. Then you can thank them for removing this vermin from your area that is only 300 yards away.

[diablogun]

Originally Posted by dubthang

Don't defend your posts. This happend about 300 yards from my house. I heard the gun shots. I saw and heard the witnesses talk about the ruthless shooting that took place. Not one person said that he deserved it because he was threatening the officers. I worked for Public Sevices at the time so I also was privy to info that had yet to hit the media. There was no imediate threat spoken of at the time of the shooting. Did he have a gun? I'm sure he did, but I don't know what exactly went on at the scene.

"Portland police have more than 50 documented contacts with Okot, and he had convictions for threatening display of a weapon, theft, criminal mischief and violating bail conditions, police said.

Okot has been brought to the Cumberland County Jail 22 times since he turned 18. A worker at Cumberland County Superior Court said the court has 24 separate case files on Okot; they were not immediately available.

Okot also had contact with..
police as a juvenile, including a history of weapons violations, according to police accounts.

Okot was charged with domestic violence assault in October 2007 and aggravated criminal mischief in September of that year for allegedly slashing car tires with a knife. A conviction on either charge would have prohibited him from carrying a gun, but records with the State Bureau of Identification show no felony convictions and no convictions for domestic assault.

He did not have a concealed weapons permit, police said.

A case involving police and Okut in 2001 led to a highly charged lawsuit.

Police were called to the family's apartment by a family member who said Okot might have taken drugs and was threatening to hurt himself and others.

Police said that when they arrived, Okot had a screwdriver and a fork and was having a psychotic episode. He was ultimately taken to the hospital for evaluation.

According to police reports, when they tried to subdue Okot, family members joined in the melee, punching at the officers and at one point biting one officer on the arm. Police said the family thought officers were killing Okot, as sometimes happened in their native country.

The family filed suit, charging police with using excessive force for hitting or spraying several family members with pepper spray, but the suit was dismissed.

Jackline Okot said there have been bad feelings between the family and police since then."

What a shame that such a fine citizen was removed from this world.

[mainelander]

its sad that to some anti-gov't civilians, an officers life is a fair gamble for a perps. in other words, its okay to risk an officer if theres ANY chance the perp is innocent.

[diablogun]

Originally Posted by jcinsov

its sad that to some anti-gov't civilians, an officers life is a fair gamble for a perps. in other words, its okay to risk an officer if theres ANY chance the perp is innocent.

Well said.

[dubthang]

It's not about saving a civilian's or risking a police officer's life. If cops just go around shooting people then they are no better than the people they are shooting.

I've seen all the Okot stuff before. I knew what kind of person he was, but you can't just kill people based on their prior records.

Regardless, this thread is about tazers. If the police had tazers when this happened, then perhaps the incident would have turned out different. There is enough tension in this area (and Parkside) as it is. Shooting people doesn't help matters.

[Maineah]

Maybe the police can heat up their coffee and donuts with the tasers?

[mainelander]

Originally Posted by dubthang

It's not about saving a civilian's or risking a police officer's life. If cops just go around shooting people then they are no better than the people they are shooting.

I've seen all the Okot stuff before. I knew what kind of person he was, but you can't just kill people based on their prior records.

Regardless, this thread is about tazers. If the police had tazers when this happened, then perhaps the incident would have turned out different. There is enough tension in this area (and Parkside) as it is. Shooting people doesn't help matters.

No better? well, while i will admit that sometimes jackasses make it into the academy, there is a background investigating involved with the hiring process.

DO innocent people occasionally get hurt? yes, is that an indictment of the police? not at all, **** happens. I would rather have armed police than ones at the mercy of a crazed perp.

Again, i don't know why some overgrown children hate authority figures, but its misguided.

[CoastalMaine]

Is it legal for residents of Maine to own tasers as well? It's not in Mass., but it is in Florida. You can buy them over the counter at gun shops down there. Just curious.

[dubthang]

Originally Posted by jcinsov

No better? well, while i will admit that sometimes jackasses make it into the academy, there is a background investigating involved with the hiring process.

DO innocent people occasionally get hurt? yes, is that an indictment of the police? not at all, **** happens. I would rather have armed police than ones at the mercy of a crazed perp.

Again, i don't know why some overgrown children hate authority figures, but its misguided.

It's not about overgrown children hating authority figures. It's about having neighborhoods that have a large percentage of people that are not from the U.S. The large mix of ethnicities raises tensions in areas that are already suffering from things like poverty, joblessness, broken homes, drugs, race issues, etc. Having somebody get shot and killed only adds to this tension. Perhaps tasers will be a way to help some of these people get along with the authorities, and not just hate/fear them.

[mainelander]

Originally Posted by dubthang

It's not about overgrown children hating authority figures. It's about having neighborhoods that have a large percentage of people that are not from the U.S. The large mix of ethnicities raises tensions in areas that are already suffering from things like poverty, joblessness, broken homes, drugs, race issues, etc. Having somebody get shot and killed only adds to this tension. Perhaps tasers will be a way to help some of these people get along with the authorities, and not just hate/fear them.

i really don;t care if foreigners especially illegal ones don't like the police.
prisons are full of people that willingly break the law and don't care how nice the police are