Arkansas Blog

What were the supposed to do? Pepper spray is not considered lethel and its use today is a result of people demanding that the police use more non-lethal means to deal with violent offenders. They are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Rarely are people (including police) damned if they don't use pepper spray.. and less likely are folks to be damed if they don't kill people.

Back off, take a breather, call for backup. A dude that big can't run fast or far.

At least old strange has another good day... cheering for death!

This guy apparently had a history of assaulting police officers. I'm sure everyone involved is not happy with the results, but there is no one to blame other than the assailant. If you assault a police officer, you have to expect they will use force in response.

Eureka, you obviously have no experience working with police. I have. You act as if backup is always readily available and can be there within seconds. Dream on!!!! What you advocate would get cops killed. I don't support that nonsense. Pepper spray is not normally lethal and as such should be used. You lefties never give up as long as it is not your butt on the line.

"QUOTE=strangelove - You lefties never give up as long as it is not your butt on the line."

Hmmm....so does that mean you do when your butt is on the line? :)

I'm trying to keep a mental list of things Strange is "experienced" in, according to its posts. So far we've got statistics, and now working with police. A few more details revealed may eventually lead to the construction of a profile, which in turn might help all of us understand it a little better...

Plenty of people die or suffer serious injury when "non lethal" weapons like spray and tasers are brought into the mix. They should be used when no other possible means, including stepping away are available. Perhaps this is one of those times.. The very fact you never even ask those questions nor allow for the possibility speaks evil volumes on your behalf.

Suggesting there may "just may" be better ways, with less immediate gratification, but far better results for everyone involved.. including the police is what we should always do... Your irrational exuberance when death is in the discussion... well it's par for the course.. and mighty dangerous when your single mental bullet mentality prevails.

If their is anything resembling a god above.. please god tell us all strangelove is nowhere near holding an official capacity in a police department or even an beanie baby animal shelter. And if he ever was... we should all demand a review of every step he took at that time.

'Blue sky ideas' get cops killed. They suit up everyday and take death on or possible disability and the least we can do is give them a fighting chance to survive. I won't even get into what it does to their psyche to live in the cesspool of society that they must experience to do their jobs. They are using non lethal weapons because of the histrionics by liberals. I have no problem with non lethal weapons where appropriate but you can't tie their hands when they are threatened because of a one change in a million that someone will die. Nothing in life is full-proof. Life is dangerous. When someone threatens others and breaks the law then law enforcement officers must use whatever means they judge to be appropriate for the situation. They deserve the benefit of a doubt because they are the ones that risk their lives to maintain order for you. Try doing something different. Try supporting the officers who are the only thing between you and the animals that exist within our society.

I didn't say that I had been a police officer. I said that I had worked with them. Try getting your facts straight.

The question is.. would the policeman have used lethal force if it was the only thing available. My limited information.. but impression is perhaps that is not the case.

If he wouldn't have, then why couldn't he have stepped back in some manner anyhow?

That guy was probably wrong, and obviously an enormous fellow for any one officer to handle... I mean really.. step back and call for assistance!

And you know he is now a dead human being in this story.. as well as the living peace officer who has to live with it.

Your approach insures more of the same, if not worse. Mine simply asks was it possible there might have been a better way.

Yes, and your approach lacks any understanding of reality. You can't always stand there twiddling your thumbs while some nut goes beserk. I have seen three good size officers having difficulty subduing a guy on drugs who was of average size. They had to subdue him because he was attacking his wife. When someone is a nut case you can't be sure of what they are going to do. You can't just stand there and wait for the calvalry to arrive when you have someone who is violent. He might take off and injure someone else nearby. Use your common sense here.

From what I have taken away from all the reports Ive heard and read backup was already there. The guy was known to be violent the officers knew him and knew what he was capable of. A huge very strong fellow, assaulting the police officerS involved, and would not let go of one of them. NLRPD are some of the highest trained officers in the state. I do not think anything they did was overstepping their boundaries for nonlethal force. No matter the outcome of all of this I would stand by any NLR Police officer and believe they did what they needed to do to protect themselves and citizens.
As far as Backup is concerned. It is not uncommon for the area (The B zone) this happened in to only have 2 or 3 officers patrolling every night from JFK Blvd to Maumelle, and from I 40 to north of sherwoood. Pretty big territory for 2 or 3 officers wouldn't you say? Try living here or at least getting to know our officers before you condemn them. We depend on these people to keep us safe. We have too, They are all we have, and most of us are pretty protective of them too.

based on the preliminary investigation, including independent witness statements, there is no indication that officers caused the death of Brown, and the officers involved in the incident have not been placed on administrative leave.