Copwatch

I'm one of those people who has no sense when it comes to budgeting or money management. So I do not plan ahead when it comes to grocery shopping and therefore I buy my groceries almost daily. I buy what I want to eat for that day and that's it. Therefore I was at the grocery store the other morning as the NH State police were conducting an investigation into a police shooting which happened in the plaza last week. The po pos did the shooting, though no one was killed this time.

I know police put themselves in danger for what they believe to be the betterment of society but I feel as though they often use unnecessary force. Apparently this guy, who I don't know personally though he happened to work at the same facility as I do, was driving like an asshole around Keene the other morning during rush hour. He was obviously high and driving the wrong way down the road and over curbs and shit but wasn't being violent in the sense that he was crashing into things like people or other cars, and he did not have a firearm. He drove into a shopping plaza which also contains the state police barracks and it seems like he intentionally tried to incite them by doing high speed donuts in their parking lot. It's clear by his criminal record that he has a dislike for law enforcement. They were pissed and attempted to stop him by setting up a road block. But they used only one cruiser to block him which seems sort of half assed to me as there is tons of room where they happened to be and there's no way one cop car was going to be effective. So the one female officer (women cops always have something to prove and, in my opinion, are way worse to deal with than male cops) decided to get out of her car, walk towards the oncoming vehicle, assumed a shooting stance and proceeded to fire three shots at the drivers side of the pickup the man was driving. She hit the vehicle but not the driver. Not more than a mile down the road, the now even more hysterical and disoriented man then head on collided with a bus.
Because people shopping in the plaza at the time felt threatened by the shots fired and felt as if the action was unnecessary, the officer is claiming that she thought the man was going to hit her and she was trying to stop him. However, eyewitnesses say that he was trying to avoid her and they were more scared by her firing than anything else.
Now, obviously this man was wrong to be driving around like a reckless jerk, but did she need to draw her weapon? Shouldn't that be a last resort? Especially in a crowded shopping plaza? I think she should at least be suspended and required to obtain more training in the use of deadly force.
A lot of people around here agree with me. But a lot don't. I just don't understand how people can unquestioningly accept the actions of police officers no matter what. The fact is that even "good" cops abuse their power to some extent, it's only human nature to relish the feeling of control. I don't blame them. But we as a society need to keep them in check. And if we don't put the smack down on shit like killing reckless drivers then we may as well just dress in sheep costumes and walk ourselves to the slaughterhouse.
So people speeding should now be killed because they are endangering the lives of others? What about running a stop sign? What if you don't notice the blue lights behind you soon enough for the copper's liking? Can he shoot you and say you failed to stop for him?
The fact is, this man was wrong and so was the cop.
Anyone who says you must be a criminal if you're afraid of the police is a fucking moron. You don't have to be doing anything wrong. It's your word against theirs, and unless you're one savvy motherfucker, you're gonna lose.
Cops are like Communism; if the system worked the way it was intended to it would be perfect. But human flaws will always ruin it and turn it into something scary it is not meant to be.

http://www.copwatch.org/

I liked this site because I think they have a good message. We do need to police our police. Officers are undereducated and under trained and it's not fair to us or them.