Today marks the one year anniversary of the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson. Several hundred people, including activists and religious leaders, gathered on Canfield Drive and observed four and a half minutes of silence before marching to a local church.

Since the Michael Brown incident, there have been other incidents of what activists are calling a war on black lives by white police officers. From Eric Garner to Sandra Bland to Christian Taylor, it seems this is all we are talking about.  Social media is exploding with rants, hashtags, and protests that #blacklivesmatter.

And then Cecil the Lion gets killed, and #lionslivesmatter.

Don't #alllivesmatter?  That's what they taught me in Sunday school when I was a little kid. Every Sunday at the Episcopal church we sat at little tables and colored pictures of Jesus with lambs, his outstretched hand beckoning the flock. "Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight..." we sang in unison, happy smiles on our faces.

When in the world did we become so fractured, again?   Never in my life have I been so aware of racial tensions throughout the country, and I lived through the '60s.

In 2009, we had the President of the United States standing up on television asserting his personal view that "there's a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos stopped by law enforcement disproportionately."

Now, we can get into statistics and studies and evaluate the bias, or lack of bias, of whomever conducted said studies, and we can argue about that all day long. But it seems to me that if you're breaking a law, any law, then you may have to answer to that at some point.  Bottom line.

Just stick to Michael Brown for a moment. If he hadn't walked into the store, assaulted the owner, and stolen some cigarillos, Darren Wilson would never have confronted him.

Did Brown deserve to die for stealing cigarillos?

No, of course not.

Did he deserve to die for leaning into Wilson's car and assaulting him?  Well, no, but you up the danger-stakes somewhat when you assault an officer.  Brown made some pretty bad choices there.

The New Yorker has a long profile of Darren Wilson and the incident in Ferguson that day. Both Wilson and his wife have left the police force and can no longer work in law enforcement because they are considered a liability -- too dangerous. They live in hiding behind sunglasses and security cameras. Wilson has been cleared of any wrongdoing but now is facing a civil suit by Brown's parents. All of these people feel all this "resentment" and anger toward Wilson who, to be honest, was just doing his job. When we look at the actual facts and put aside the emotion of the case, it's not hard to see that. Yes, it was tragic, of course.

But, my point isn't to retry Darren Wilson or what happened that day; let's look at the Sandra Bland case. Why are the police being blamed for her death? She refused to comply with a reasonable order, was confrontational and uncooperative every step of the way, and then took her own life.  But we're going to demonize the police for that all over social media.

My family was on the receiving end last fall of police error, as you may remember if you've been around a while. A neighbor heard kids screaming, thought some woman was being abused, called the cops, and they stormed through my front door with weapons drawn and demanded to know where the screaming was coming from. It was terrifying. And yes, it made us furious. But it was all a mistake. We still have some bitterness about it because the department covered their guy and admitted to no wrongdoing whatsoever, but it's all in the past and as a retired police officer himself, my husband realizes that things happen. It's a very stressful job and certainly a thankless one.

As I reflect back over the past year, and the explosion on social media demonizing police, I personally feel the need to step back from that.

Just this week, here in Shreveport, we lost a bright, young police officer who was shot in the head and killed by a cold-hearted criminal who was already wanted for attempted murder. Officer Thomas LeValley answered a domestic call and was killed for it. They are burying him today.

And yet the drum-beat of anti-police rhetoric continues. Even here in Shreveport, some don't even have the decency to hush until after this boy is buried.

As a nation, we have to stop this. We have to pull together and we have to, absolutely have to, stop letting the Louis Farrakans, the Jesse Jacksons, and the other race whores drive division between us. Do I blame Obama for all this?  No, not directly, but do I think he has set race relations back fifty years?  You bet I do.  Social media hasn't helped, but Obama has been far, far from a peacemaker on this.

It's time for us all to take responsibility for our own actions, put morals and integrity back on the table, teach our children respect for authority and laws, and quit giving a pass to criminals because they've had a hard life.

All. Lives. Matter.

UPDATE #2: 11/1/14:  I've received some emails asking about the status of this investigation; there is no update to share yet.  I can only say that we have filed a formal complaint with the Internal Affairs Department of the Shreveport PD and we are awaiting the outcome of that investigation.  Beyond that I don't want to say anything else; I want to let the investigation take place without putting the officer or the PD on trial here.  

The comments on this post have been vigorous and interesting.  Please remember to refrain from insulting each other!  Be nice!  And remember, not all officers are over-zealous like this one.  Most are doing good, honest work.  

I'll update more details when I can.  Thanks.

UPDATE:  The Shreveport police administration is actively responding to this investigation in a positive manner and have been in contact with us.  I'll update with what I can when I can, but please know that we do support the Shreveport police department and the officers on the job.  This was a bad situation and hopefully an isolated one.  Thank you for your support.

As the wife of a retired police officer, I appreciate more than most people the dangers that police officers face on a daily basis.  It's a dangerous job and most people wouldn't do it.

That being said, I had my first encounter with an over-zealous police officer last night and it scared the ever living hell out of me.

Scene:  Saturday night, about 8:30.  Steve and I are sitting in our living room with the World Series on television.  Kansas City was leading the Giants 4 - 1.  Steve can't stand listening to Joe Buck so the sound was turned way down.  He was working on his computer and I was reading a book on my iPad, and all three dogs were sleeping around us.

We have relatively new neighbors in the house directly behind us and these people have small children.  Lately the weather has been cool, turning to fall, and the evenings pleasant so the children are often playing out in the backyard, squealing and screaming as kids will do.  Yesterday their father was out there with them doing some home repair because I heard saws going and some hammering.   The kids don't bother me; I'm glad kids play outside and are not stuck in front of video games.

As Steve and I are watching the game, we can hear the kids playing and screaming; he asked me if I heard that because he wasn't sure what he was hearing; it could have been on the TV, which as I said, was turned way down.  I confirmed that I heard the kids screaming and we went on about our business.

About 15 minutes later, about 8:45, Steve looks up from his computer and says, "Hey, there are police outside, I mean RIGHT outside."  He could see the lights flashing through the blinds.  He got up and peeked out the blinds and saw patrol cars, and he saw officers with flashlights running down the driveway that cuts between my house and the neighbor's house: it's a wide double driveway that we share.

I stood up from the couch to look and as I crossed my living room I saw officers with flashlights running between my house and the neighbor's house on the other side.  One was shouting "It's back here, it's back here!"

I said, "Steve, they're over here now," and pointed to the window.  About that time there is a fierce pounding on my front door and lights pointed at my house.  "Open up!  Open up right now!"  Pounding, pounding on the door.

Steve tells me to grab the dog (the Lab who is very protective, but not barking) opened the front door and starts to ask what in the world is going on when this cop with his gun drawn and aimed at Steve's chest starts screaming "Get back!  Get back!  Who is screaming in this house?  Who is screaming!"  The cop props one foot on the threshold-step and continues screaming at us.

Steve raises his hands in an open gesture, the way you do when a cop is aiming a gun at you, and said, "What are you talking about?  Nobody is screaming in here!"

The cop, with the gun still aimed at Steve, looks at me and yells:  "Who else is in this house, who is doing that screaming?!"

I said, "Nobody is screaming in here!  It's those children behind us!  We have kids living behind us and they play in their backyard!"  And Steve is saying "We're just sitting here watching the baseball game!"  And the dog is standing there, who I've never managed to grab because this happened so fast, but he isn't barking or charging at the cop, thank goodness.

Steve tells him, "I'm a police officer, I'm a retired Bossier City police officer; we are just sitting here watching baseball!"

At that point the cop turns his gun so he's no longer aiming it at Steve but still has it in a firing grip, he turns to the officers standing behind him and in the driveway, and says "It's the house behind, on the other street!"  and takes off running.

Steve hollers after him, "What's your name!" and the officer gives it to him.

We closed the door in stunned silence.

We stared at each other, in silence, and then the fear and adrenaline hit me.  I started shaking and trembling and could not stop.  I sat back down on the couch, got back up, Steve is dumbfounded and then furious.  He gets on his cell phone and calls to speak to a supervisor and I walked outside on the back deck to see if I could hear anything.

I saw flashing police lights and the neighbor's back flood light was still on.  I heard a stereo playing, maybe from their house, maybe another house.

I went back inside and Steve was still on the phone demanding to speak to a supervisor.  He finally got a lieutenant to come to the house to talk to us; he came within about thirty minutes and he had Mr. Over-Zealous Cop with him.  We had the door open, watching through the storm door for the lieutenant to show up and we saw Mr. Over-Zealous walking the supervisor through the run down the driveway and down the other side of the house, explaining what they did.  Then Mr. Over-Zealous walks back to the street, crosses his arms, and leans against his patrol car watching us as we speak to the supervisor.

In the end, the whole thing was terrifying.  I know it could have been much worse; I kept thinking what if my dog had jumped at the cop?  He would have shot him.  What if the cop thought Steve was making a threatening move?  Would he have shot him?  He was definitely drawn down on him.  What if my 22-year old son had come out of his room, walked around the corner into this scene - would he have shot him?  What if Steve and I had gone out and my son was home alone to face this craziness?

The what-ifs kept me up all night long and haunt me.

Like I said, I know it could have been worse, because no shots were fired in this case, and you certainly read about incidents that have gone wrong all the time.

I blame all this on the over-militarization of the police force.  Officers dress like SWAT teams now in all black or in riot gear with cargo pockets all over them.  What happened to first assessing the scene before you draw down on a civilian?  What happened to knocking on the door and saying, "Hey, we've got a noise complaint and just need to be sure everything is OK in here."   And if he really thought someone was in mortal danger, why just take our word for it before running off to terrorize someone else?  When they were running between the houses, we had open windows (actually OPEN windows, as well as open blinds and curtains) and any officer could have looked inside or listened to see what was going on before drawing down on us.

I know police work is dangerous and I know that domestic calls are often the most dangerous.  I appreciate the difficulty of their job.  But with any job, your first responsibility is to do no harm, to avoid making any situation worse, and to act responsibly.

It is my own personal opinion that this officer is a menace and should not be on the street.  He very easily could have done something very, very bad last night.

The SIGIS fundraiser for Cpl. Breck Scott wraps up Monday.  Please watch the video here to see Cpl. Scott, now back at home from Houston, express his thanks for all the donations and prayers he has received.  He will be wearing an elaborate brace on his leg for 9 months.

You can still donate to the SIGIS fundraiser for Cpl. Scott through Monday by clicking the "Donate" button in the sidebar.

Previously:
Blue Knights Texas Chapter VII Donates to Cpl. Breck Scott
Cpl. Breck Scott Has a Visitor
Cpl. Breck Scott Recovering From Surgery
The SIGIS Fundraiser for Cpl. Scott Continues
Corporal Breck Scott to Undergo Four Surgeries
Corporal Breck Scott Headed to Houston

Last call for the fundraiser for Shreveport police Cpl. Breck Scott; our fundraiser here ends Monday.  If you haven't yet found a few dollars to send for this worthy cause, please try.  The original story is here.

If you live in the Shreveport area, the El Chico restaurant on Greenwood Road is holding a fundraiser on August 12:

A local El Chico restaurant will be holding a benefit for a Shreveport police motorcycle officer who was seriously injured in the line of duty last spring.  El Chico Restaurant at 2127 Greenwood Road in Shreveport will donate a portion of their proceeds to Cpl. Breck Scott on Aug. 12. Cpl. Scott, a seven year veteran of the department, was injured April 5 when he was struck by a vehicle while operating his department issued motorcycle.

Breck has suffered extreme complications due to injuries he sustained in the crash and has had multiple surgeries since that time.  El Chico Manager Albert Waters remarked, “We want to invite everyone to come out and help us with this fundraiser for Breck and his family. This is a tough time for them and we want to do our part to help them out.”

The benefit will run from 10:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. with 10% of the gross sales being donated to Scott.

I want to thank everyone who has donated so far and I want to thank Mike at A Cop's Watch for all he has done in support of Cpl. Scott.  I can only imagine how appreciate Cpl. Scott's family is of Mike's personal visits while Cpl. Scott was hospitalized in Houston and of the support of The Blue Knights Texas Chapter VII.

If you'd like to donate to help cover Cpl. Scott's medical bills not covered by insurance please hit the Donate button in my sidebar or if you prefer to make your donation directly to the fund set up for Cpl. Scott, you can make the check out to Breck Scott, put "For Deposit Only" on the back, and reference acct. number 5732676084. The address for Capital One Bank is 333 Travis Street, Shreveport, LA 71101.  You can do that anytime, even after the SIGIS fundraiser ends.

C'mon!  Last call!  It's a good cause!

Previously:
Blue Knights Texas Chapter VII Donates to Cpl. Breck Scott
Cpl. Breck Scott Has a Visitor
Cpl. Breck Scott Recovering From Surgery
The SIGIS Fundraiser for Cpl. Scott Continues
Corporal Breck Scott to Undergo Four Surgeries
Corporal Breck Scott Headed to Houston

Here's another reminder for the Cpl. Breck Scott fundraiser which is now winding down.  We're wrapping up our SIGIS fundraiser in a few days but you'll still be free to send in donations through the Capital One account.  If you want to donate through this blog, the last day is August 15.

I want to give a huge shout out to The Blue Knights Chapter Texas VII.  Mike at A Cop's Watch reports that they were able to hand deliver $500 to the family yesterday.  Mike has visited Cpl. Scott twice now and reports that as of yesterday Cpl. Scott looked good and is in good spirits.  They are expected to release him Friday and send him back to Shreveport.

You can read about The Blue Knights here.  They do a lot of great charity work and are to be commended. 

Mike's personal blog is here.

For new readers, Cpl. Scott has undergone four surgeries now and is facing a long road of rehab and physical therapy.  The SIGIS fundraiser is to help with costs not covered by insurance.

Cpl. Scott is a Shreveport police officer who was injured in a motorcycle crash last April.  Doctors have been trying since then to save his leg which developed a serious bone infection.  The prognosis looks good, now, but he's got a long, painful road ahead of him.  His motorcycle career is over, but he still wants to work at his job.

If you'd like to make a donation, hit the "Donate" button near the top of my sidebar.  If you prefer to make your donation directly to the fund set up for Cpl. Scott, you can make the check out to Breck Scott, put "For Deposit Only" on the back, and reference acct. number 5732676084. The address for Capital One Bank is 333 Travis Street, Shreveport, LA 71101.

Remember, no amount is too small!

Previously:
Cpl. Breck Scott Has a Visitor
Cpl. Breck Scott Recovering From Surgery
The SIGIS Fundraiser for Cpl. Scott Continues
Corporal Breck Scott to Undergo Four Surgeries
Corporal Breck Scott Headed to Houston

Mike at A Cop's Watch went to visit Cpl. Scott in Houston yesterday.  Please read his report here.

Cpl. Scott is recovering from his fourth surgery in less than two weeks on his leg which was injured in a terrible motorcycle crash last April.  The good news is that it looks like they've saved his leg, but the has a long, long, long road in front of him.  Cpl. Scott described the surgery to KTBS before he left:

"It's going to be four surgeries. The first three, they're going to go in there and clean (the infection) out and put some antibiotic wash in there," Scott said Thursday at his home in Shreveport. "The fourth surgery, they're going to go four inches down my leg and break it right here and put that apparatus on." That device will stretch his leg and allow the bones to connect again so that his injured leg can become the same length as his other one. "It could take up to two years to go in there and work on that bone and get it to grow and fuse to that ankle," Scott said.

SIGIS has been running a fundraiser to help Cpl. Scott and his family with costs not covered by insurance.  We've got two more weeks running on the fundraiser before I forward all proceeds to the Capital One fund set up for him.

You can donate through this blog by hitting the Donate button at the top of the sidebar, or you can donate directly to Capital One.  Make the check out to Breck Scott, put "For Deposit Only" on the back, and reference acct. number 5732676084. The address for Capital One Bank is 333 Travis Street, Shreveport, LA 71101.

In addition, via KTBS, there will be a benefit golf tournament this month to help with costs as well:

E.G. Huckabay Lodge #3 of the Fraternal Order of Police is scheduled to host a benefit golf tournament in honor of Corporal Breck Scott.Corporal Scott is a Shreveport motorcycle officer who was seriously injured in a crash four months ago.He recently underwent his fourth and final operation at a Texas Hospital.The golf tournament will help with expenses not covered by insurance.The four person scramble is scheduled for Tuesday, August 30th at Querbes Golf Course in Shreveport.The entry fee is $240 per team, prizes will be awarded to the top contenders.Any inquiries should be directed to Corporal Bill Vincent at 318-673-7262. 

Here at SIGIS we've collected just over $100; please consider making a small donation today.  No amount is too small and every little bit helps!  It's good to help others!  Donate!  And to those of you who have made a contribution already, thank you.

Also thanks to Right on the Left Coast for their linkage and participation in helping Cpl. Scott and his family.

Previously:
Cpl. Breck Scott Recovering From Surgery
The SIGIS Fundraiser for Cpl. Scott Continues
Corporal Breck Scott to Undergo Four Surgeries
Corporal Breck Scott Headed to Houston

Cpl. Breck Scott is recovering from three of the four surgeries in Houston, via Chris Redford at KTBS.  The fourth surgery is scheduled for tomorrow.

Remember the SIGIS fundraiser for Cpl. Scott and donate what you can in support.  Hit the tip jar button in the sidebar, near the top.  He and his family will have to remain in Houston for several week as doctors work to save his leg.  According to Redford and Cpl. Scott's family, the infection is gone and doctors say the leg is salvagable!  This is great news!

If you prefer to make your donation directly to the fund set up for Cpl. Scott, you can make the check out to Breck Scott, put "For Deposit Only" on the back, and reference acct. number 5732676084. The address for Capital One Bank is 333 Travis Street, Shreveport, LA 71101.

Remember, no amount is too small and it feels good to help others!

To those of you who have donated already, thanks again, millions!


(Note:  Cpl. Scott, as far as I know, does not even read this blog or know of its existence and he is in no way affiliated with this blog, the author or the political opinions expressed here.)
 
Previously:
The SIGIS Fundraiser for Cpl. Scott Continues
Corporal Breck Scott to Undergo Four Surgeries
Corporal Breck Scott Headed to Houston


Photo credit:  Chris Redford, KTBS

Please don't forget the SIGIS fundraiser for Shreveport Police Cpl. Breck Scott!  As the original posts filter on down the blog I'll post the occasional reminder so we can keep it going.

Cpl. Scott is in Houston now undergoing four separate surgeries in an attempt to save his leg which was injured in an accident while he was on duty last April.  The leg hasn't healed properly and he now has a terrible bone infection.

The first surgeries are to clean out the wound and help clear the infection.  Then in a "high tech" surgery they'll go back in, break the leg, and put on an apparatus that will stretch his leg and allow the bones to reconnect.  Very painful and a long healing time.

Cpl. Scott's family is there for support but can't we do something to support them?  As I said before, police officers put their lives on the line for us every day and don't get paid nearly enough for it.  If you're in a position to help, even a little, SIGIS is running a fundraiser to supplement the fund that has been set up for Cpl. Scott at Capital One bank.

You can donate through this blog (link in the sidebar near the top) or you can donate directly to Capital One.  Make the check out to Breck Scott, put "For Deposit Only" on the back, and reference acct. number 5732676084. The address for Capital One Bank is 333 Travis Street, Shreveport, LA 71101.

Every thing that hits my tip jar until August 15 will go to the Capital One fund.

And to those of you who have already donated, thanks a million!  We're in triple digits now!

Update:  Thanks Sarah for your donation!
Update:  Thanks Phil for your donation!
And thanks Stacy and Zilla both for your donations!


Remember!  No amount is too small!  Donate what you can spare today!

(Note:  Cpl. Scott, as far as I know, does not even read this blog or know of its existence and he is in no way affiliated with this blog, the author or the political opinions expressed here.)

Previously:
Corporal Breck Scott to Undergo Four Surgeries
Corporal Breck Scott Headed to Houston

You may remember last week I posted about Shreveport police Cpl. Breck Scott who is headed to Houston to undergo four surgical procedures in an attempt to save his leg which was injured in an accident earlier this year.

Remember that any donation that hits my tip jar in the next month will be donated to Cpl. Scott's fund at Capital One bank.

If you would prefer to make a donation straight to Capital One they ask that you send a check rather than try to donate over the phone.  Make the check out to Breck Scott, put "For Deposit Only" on the back, and reference acct. number 5732676084.  The address for Capital One Bank is 333 Travis Street, Shreveport, LA  71101.

Cpl Scott begins his surgeries this week and it will be an extended stay for him and his family in Houston.  Any help you can give, no matter how small, would be appreciated.

I'll push through any updates that come. 

(Thanks Mike for the Capital One info.)


Previously:  Corporal Breck Scott to Undergo Four Surgeries 

Update:  Thanks to Phil for the very generous donation!   Your compassion is heartwarming and inspiring.

(Note:  Cpl. Scott, as far as I know, does not even read this blog or know of its existence and he is in no way affiliated with this blog, the author or the political opinions expressed here.)

In April of this year Shreveport police Cpl. Breck Scott was injured in an accident:

A Shreveport police motorcycle officer was injured Wednesday when another driver turned in front of him near Christus Schumpert hospital.  Health care workers who noticed the wreck rushed to the scene, lifted the truck enough to get the injured officer out from under it and began treating him. Cpl. Breck Scott suffered a broken leg.

I remember when the accident happened for two reasons.  One is because Cpl. Scott was one of the motorcycle officers who sat in front of my house one afternoon ticketing speeders on my street.  As it turns out, he and Steve know each other so Steve walked out and visited with him for a while that day.

The second reason I remember the accident is because in the news story at the time, one of the citizens who ran outside to help spoke about how they all banded together to lift the car off of Cpl. Scott.  It was quite moving (apologies to KTBS but I'm quoting your whole story; it may not be there later!):

Sherita Gilbert's minister had told her that God had plans for her. It happened sooner than she expected -- two days later, when Gilbert and her aunt became an injured Shreveport police officer's Guardian Angels.

Gilbert had just gotten off work at a hospice this past Tuesday morning when a motorcycle officer collided with a pickup whose driver had turned in front of him. The driver of the pickup had been blinded by the morning sun. Gilbert and her aunt, Vivian Turner, saw the accident at the corner of Fairfield Avenue and Olive Street and jumped into action to help Officer Breck Scott.

"He went up in the air, came over and hit the hood and hit the ground," Gilbert said. "The truck ran over him from the waist down." Just looking at it, we didn't think he was alive," Turner said of her initial reaction to seeing the injured officer.

Turner called 911 and Gilbert ran to help Scott, whose legs were pinned under a tire. With the help of another woman and a man who also saw the accident, they managed to lifted [sic] the wheel off the officer, who had been able to radio headquarters for help. The Fire Department had not yet arrived.

"I couldn't get it at first," Gilbert said. "I said, 'Lord, please give me strength to get this truck off of him.' It was like God came quickly. It seemed like a piece of paper that you could just pick up."

Gilbert believes divine intervention gave her and the others the strength to lift the truck. On Sunday, her pastor told her that God was going to use her to help someone, she said. Little did she know that would happened two days later.

"Just doing what I had to do," Gilbert said of their actions. "I would not have thought twice for anybody." Gilbert said there is a fourth Guardian Angel: The man who helped them lift the truck disappeared and she doesn't know who he is. Scott suffered a broken leg but is expected to make a full recovery. He's walking on crutches and has begun physical therapy at LSU Hospital. Gilbert and Turner visited him at the hospital on Thursday.

As long as that link remains active, there is video there of Sherita Gilbert telling her story.  Watch it.

Tonight there was an update on Cpl. Scott. That "full recovery" they were predicting hasn't quite happened yet.  Cpl. Scott has a severe bone infection and is at risk of losing his leg:

The doctor told him the infection was so bad he risked losing his leg if he didn't have the high-tech surgeries done, Scott said.

Scott's motorcycle riding days are over but he wants to save his career. No medical retirement for him.

"It's going to be four surgeries. The first three, they're going to go in there and clean (the infection) out and put some antibiotic wash in there," Scott said Thursday at his home in Shreveport. "The fourth surgery, they're going to go four inches down my leg and break it right here and put that apparatus on." That device will stretch his leg and allow the bones to connect again so that his injured leg can become the same length as his other one. "It could take up to two years to go in there and work on that bone and get it to grow and fuse to that ankle," Scott said.

The surgery will be done in Houston, TX.

I applaud Cpl. Scott's service to our community and I am humbled by his courage, his fighting spirit, and his desire to finish his police career without taking medical disability.

SIGIS is opening a fundraiser for Cpl. Scott:  any donation to my tip jar (link also in sidebar) between now and August 15 will be forwarded to the fund that has been set up at Capital One Bank for Cpl. Scott.  If you want your donation forwarded to this fund, please put Cpl. Breck Scott on the donation.  If you prefer, you can make the donation directly to Capital One Bank by calling 318.674.3855 and tell them you would like to donate to Corporal Breck Scott's fund. 

Cops put their lives on the line for us on a daily basis and don't get paid nearly enough for it.  I'm happy to do anything I can to support them.

(Note:  Cpl. Scott, as far as I know, does not even read this blog or know of its existence and he is in no way affiliated with this blog, the author or the political opinions expressed here.)

Tragic news this morning.

A Shreveport Officer, Sgt. Tim Prunty, pictured below, was shot and killed while on duty last night.  From The Times:

The incident happened at around 3:30 this morning . Sgt. Prunty stood beside his patrol car outside the Circle K in the 3300 block of Bert Kouns Industrial Loop when a man pulled into the parking lot and opened fire, police said.  The suspect, 24 year old Chris Cope, fled the scene. Sgt. Prunty was taken to LSU Medical Center and was later pronounced dead.  Based on witness accounts of Cope's car, police located the car going north on Pines Rd. near W. 70th Street. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver refused, police said. Officers then pursued Cope until he pulled over on Rasberry Lane near Financial Plaza. He was taken into custody without incident.

Officers searched the car and found a firearm investigators believe was used in the shooting.  Police said Cope was then taken to the Shreveport Police Complex where he confessed to shooting Prunty.  [Cope] will be charged with first degree murder of a police officer.

This enrages me that this officer, just standing there in the parking lot, is gunned down in a completely unprovoked manner.  It's never okay, of course, but according to reports, this officer had no run ins or conflict this this suspect.  What kind of scumbag would do something like this?  One of the comments on the KTBS story suggested putting the hanging gallows back in the courthouse square for something like this.  I'd have to agree with him on that one.

You can follow the developing story at The Times, KTBS, KSLA, or over at My Bossier.


Sgt. Prunty's twin brother is also a Shreveport Police Officer.  Prayers, of course, to the family.

I'll follow up here with details of services or memorials for the family as news breaks.

Update:  Here's the video of the news conference by Chief Shaw via KSLA:



Update 10:55:  The Times has the suspect's picture.  I'm not going to publish it, but if you want to look at the scumbag, it's here.

Update 12:30:  Mayor Glover has ordered all municipal flags to be lowered to half staff.  The Officer Down Memorial Page now has an entry for Sgt. Prunty.

 Update 5:10:  KTBS reported on their broadcast this evening that the suspect is the son of a retired SPD Captain.  Bless that poor family, too.  Good grief this world amazes me.  The suspect is 24 years old and had three prior misdemeanors.

Update 7:15:  A Cop's Watch has memorialized Sgt. Prunty.

New York police officers are outraged at a proposal by Brooklyn Assembly Members Annette Robinson [D.-Bedford Stuyvesant] and Darryl Towns [D.-East New YorkMichael Paladino, president of the Detectives Endowment Association that would require police officers to shoot to wound, rather than kill, a suspect.

The New York Post article is here.

This proposal has come up before and been defeated each time.  It returns now as a reaction to the shooting of Sean Bell in 2006. 

The reality is that this proposal is impossible to implement or enforce.  Police officers are trained to shoot "center mass" in order to stop the threat.  To expect them to be sharp shooters in the heat of intense conflict and be able to kneecap a suspect or shoot a gun out of someone's hand is simply ridiculous.

PoliceOne has two informative articles on the proposal and how impossible it is and potentially unsustainable:

A shoot-to-wound mandate would “not be valid legally” because it sets a standard far beyond that established by Graham v. Connor, the benchmark U.S. Supreme Court decision on police use of force, says former prosecutor Jeff Chudwin, now chief of the Olympia Fields (IL) PD and president of the Illinois Tactical Officers Assn.

Dr. Bill Lewinski of the Force Science Institute also explains to PoliceOne the practical problems with this proposal:

“Hands and arms can be the fastest-moving body parts. For example, an average suspect can move his hand and forearm across his body to a 90-degree angle in 12/100 of a second. He can move his hand from his hip to shoulder height in 18/100 of a second.

“The average officer pulling the trigger as fast as he can on a Glock, one of the fastest- cycling semi-autos, requires 1/4 second to discharge each round.

“There is no way an officer can react, track, shoot and reliably hit a threatening suspect’s forearm or a weapon in a suspect’s hand in the time spans involved.

There's more here.

It seems we're placing more burden on the peacekeepers and less on the criminals.  The police are charged with the responsibility of protecting the public and if that means stopping a guy waving a gun around in his tracks, so be it. Police officers make mistakes because they're human, but overall they put their lives on the line to protect yours.

Coincidentally, a Harlem police officer encountered an armed teenager hanging out on the streets at 1:30 a.m. yesterday.  The kid shot at the officer who responded with five rounds, one hitting the kid in the arm.  The kid ran off, the officer followed the blood trail and apprehended him.

Sometimes it's a judgment call, I suspect.  The officer instantly has to judge the threat and the threat to others.  And as Michael Paladino, president of the Detectives Endowment Association told the Post,

"I don't know of any criminal who doesn't shoot to kill. They are not bound by any restrictions."

The proposal came up before the Codes Committee but has been held for further consideration.  

If you Google Sgt. James Crowley's marital status, you get about 7,000,000 responses. Actually, most are just about Gates-Gate, but there is a curiosity about whether or not the good policeman is married.

Why did I Google that? Because a friend told me she had a hit about it on her sitemeter. I'm testing a Google-bomb. Hey, my stats are low today.

Sorry kids, yes he is. And with three kids. He spends his off-time coaching his kids' sports teams.

What is it about men in uniform? Or out of, for that matter?

Cops have the funniest stories sometimes. I know this because I've been dating one for five years. Last week I was reminded of one of Steve's "cop stories" when I got pulled over for an expired inspection sticker. Yes, I was guilty, I had procrastinated and not gotten it done. I was driving along, under the speed limit, safely buckled in, NOT talking on my cell phone, minding my own business and there you go. Bam. Flashing lights in the rear view mirror. Damn. I pulled over and I'm all "You're not seriously going to give me a ticket are you? If I name drop will that HELP?" No ma'am. I dropped Steve's name and rank and he's all, "You can call who ever you want to call and see if they want to help you but I'm giving you this ticket." Seriously?

And all I could think about was to ask him for his zip code. Years ago Steve pulled over a couple to issue a WARNING ticket - not a REAL ticket, just a warning about a busted light. The gentleman got out of the car all nice and polite and Steve explains the deal to him. Everything's cool until the guy's wife comes flying out of the car ranting and raving at Steve. Steve tells the guy, "Sir, you need to get your wife back in the car." The guy is all "I'm sorry, she just got out of the hospital and she's not well." (Really?!) Steve says, "Sir, you have to get your wife back in the car before this gets out of control." She's yelling and ranting at Steve, "I want your ZIP CODE! I want your ZIP CODE!" Steve looks at the guy, looks at her, and says "Seven eleven twelve, now get back in the car!" And she did. I guess she wanted to send him a Christmas card.

So after my new friend writes up the ticket for my inspection sticker, I thought, "I should have gotten his zip code. "

(Image credit: Discovery Education's Clip Art Gallery: Mark A. Hicks)