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Police Owe Nothing to Man Whose Home They Blew Up, Appeals Court Says

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Re: Police Owe Nothing to Man Whose Home They Blew Up, Appeals Court Says

#91

Post by belenos46 »

acdha wrote: post #52
tolien wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'd love to see more training for the police officers to help in situations, but I don't see tax payers wanting to pay for it I don’t think it’s more training they need, but different training (so rather than more money, it’s a matter of spending the money they already have differently). A whole industry has sprung up of ex-military personnel and LEOs providing training which isn’t far off the sort of thing you’d g…

It’s worth noting that the vets I know are somewhat offended by that comparison because they had considerable training about use of force to prevent things like this — their commanders cared about the residents’ opinion of them far more than many police departments seem to.

Agreed. All my vet friends get pretty worked up about this topic, particularly the lack of oversight. Even if you're in an active war zone, if you raise your weapon (even if the person you're aiming at is holding a weapon), it goes in your after-action report and is reviewed by your superiors to see if your actions conformed to the rules of engagement in that scenario.

Re: Police Owe Nothing to Man Whose Home They Blew Up, Appeals Court Says

#92

Post by dls2016 »

LorenPechtel wrote: post #45
Keverw wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's a little strange they'd even chase someone over two belts and a shirt... I wonder if they knew he was armed, since it was shoplifting and not like a bank robbery, but escalated though from there anyways. Just really surprised they'd prioritise such low value items. I know I've heard in some cities like San Francisco, the police are so busy with everything else even cars being broken into or stolen isn't…

The police aren't interested in investigating low-value cases. However, with a suspect in sight they'll go after them even if it's low-value.

Then why don't they investigate wage theft? Googling around suggests that the cost to the US economy is about the same as shoplifting (and I'm guessing individual cases could be much higher value than shoplifting). When was the last time a battering ram was used in pursuit of a wage thief? Or when was one even arrested?

To answer my own questions, police do not care so much about the "value" of the target. Their behavior is much easier to explain once you realize that their job is to protect capital.

Re: Police Owe Nothing to Man Whose Home They Blew Up, Appeals Court Says

#96

Post by readams »

mattacular wrote: post #13
lvturner wrote: post #6

I'm just amazed at how the theft of two belts and a shirt from Walmart escalated to the point where a house blew up. It's like something out of a comedy calamity movie. How common is escalation like this during the course of law enforcement? (I'm hoping this is an extreme case?)

This may be an extreme outcome but excessive escalation by the police in America is also the norm. Look at recent encounters with NYPD in the subway over a man not paying the fare (value less than 5$).

It's more fair to say it rarely happens and when it does it makes the news.

Re: Police Owe Nothing to Man Whose Home They Blew Up, Appeals Court Says

#97

Post by SolaceQuantum »

merpnderp wrote: post #87
gldalmaso wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it common for the police to resort to explosives and military vehicles to handle a single armed person? Or maybe they have just too much leftover military toys and are eager to play with them?

You’re being pretty cavalier with the lives of the cops. Why shouldn’t they use armored vehicles to handle some asshole shooting at them and starting a firefight in a residential neighborhood?

But there wasn't a firefight except for the police bringing the guns on a guy who was hiding in a house. The police already have bulletproof armor, shields, etc. There was no need to destroy a third party's house.

Re: Police Owe Nothing to Man Whose Home They Blew Up, Appeals Court Says

#98

Post by eloff »

epistasis wrote: post #7

> Authorities say the suspect stole two belts and a shirt from a Walmart. After he left the store, police say, he broke into Lech's house for protection and was firing at officers with a handgun. Eventually, SWAT officers entered the home and apprehended him. ... > The court noted that if police officers "willfully or wantonly" destroy property, they can be sued in a civil tort case. Lech tried to pursue that legal a…

That doesn't seem out of control. This man was firing at police. That warrants a SWAT response. You've got a very high risk of officers getting killed.

What is fucked up is that there's no law that requires the government to compensate the homeowner.

Re: Police Owe Nothing to Man Whose Home They Blew Up, Appeals Court Says

#99

Post by panic »

ironchest wrote: post #65
panic wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is the video they're referring to: https://twitter.com/PopChassid/status/1187838293104304130

wat, is that for not paying the fair? that's utterly insane.

Yeah, though no matter what his supposed crime, the situation is still absurd. It's clear from the video that he wasn't a danger to anyone nor resisting arrest in any way.

Re: Police Owe Nothing to Man Whose Home They Blew Up, Appeals Court Says

#100

Post by nulbyte »

DaiPlusPlus wrote: post #23

One would assume that if the damaged caused by the police was justifiable, then the responsibility for damage compensation lies with the criminal suspect in the case - and if they're unable to compensate the homeowner then the remainder should come from the municipality or state's general victims' fund. Does Denver or CO have such a fund?

Justification of an act does not relieve one from its consequences.
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