Y'all seen this one? Plenty videos on tube about it, but it's purty hush hush on details. The warrant was over a weedeater of all things. Apparently was stolen from a county Judge executive, the thief told them where it was located 😏

https://www.lex18.com/news/covering...-man-after-serving-warrant-to-wrong-home

Just another example of why LE officers need to be paid among the highest of professions instead of what they are. If pay was high then it would attract the best, brightest and educated in our society inatead of having to get whatever they can take that can pass the background check.

Agreed. It’s totally crazy to me that municipalities don’t pay more than they do.

I hate to say this, because there were some phenomenal individuals in our graduating APOST class, but there were also several there that couldn’t get hired doing anything else, so they became LE officers.

I don't take exception with you on much Jawbone. But that's not a money issue. You could've paid them 200k a year and it wouldn't have saved him. It's happened in plenty of other instances where officers were well paid and departments better ran.

As long as law enforcement have a militant attitude, no amount of common sense will ever over ride the buffoonery. There is no world where I knock on a door at night over a warrant for a stolen weedeater. Nor a world where I follow orders to knock a fuggin door down over a weedeater. Busting doors down when you could simply monitor and pull them over somewhere.. There were a LOT of bad decisions involved. Not just one. American law enforcement has a military attitude and it shows. In very rare instances it's called for. Very very few. But never over a damned weedeater.

Agree. The profession attracts too many of those who crave power and are willing to abuse it. I can't imagine with all we know that there isn't a psychological evaluation that could be done to weed those types out. Giving those personality types military weaponry and gear is a recipe for disaster but departments arent slowing down in their zest to acquire as much of it as they can. If police need that type of gear then it's time to call in the National Guard.

Agreed but I also agree the job doesn’t attract the best overall, due to low pay. No offense to those reading this in those positions. I know a LOT of great officers but I also know some pure idiots. There’s one female officer in the area I live that is so power hungry that I’ve told my boys if she ever pulls them over to provide their id, insurance and registration but say nothing more than telling her you want a supervisor there. When the supervisor asks why, tell them she’s an egotistical, power hungry maniac who we question her honesty and integrity.

So Fatty and Bill do you think that by paying LE what it is worth you are not going to attract a better quality of individual to the job, or even get more candidates that will allow you to better weed out the undesirable candidates that are now, all too often getting hired?

OR you could verify the address on the arrest warrant. I hope the family sues the Fu** out of the police department and win.

I worked for Fairfield to start my fire service career. 2nd lowest paying at that time. Dead last now. I'd take the quality of the firefighters there over many I worked with at higher paying departments.

I retired from a higher paid department after transferring. There were a lot of good ones there. There were a bunch of crappy ones too. I watched more lose their jobs at that department than at the other.

So no, money doesn't guarantee quality. Never has, Never will. It doesn't weed out the undesirables. The officers and fellow firefighters / police officers did.

Policing is no different than fire in regard to pay. Police does attract a different personality and without proper oversight, you get the situation from the OP.

There is NO EXCUSE for this situation. Money didn't cause it. Money won't fix it.

I always like to offer solutions. I'm a solutions oriented person. It doesn't always make friends, but it is what it is. I honestly don't know what the solution is here. But I do know money won't fix it.

One don’t have to do with the other really

Not paying attention to detail is not acceptable
With todays google earth and so forth how????

Better pay will actually provide better officers. Anytime there is competition for a desirable position the best will come out for it.

Don’t have a problem with militarization so to speak for specialized units, but not everyday patrol. There is or should be a difference.

The actual militarization comes from the federal level if I understand correctly.

The one thing I have noticed on YouTube is those folks wanting an information with law enforcement, I guess their 15 minutes of fame. Don’t push buttons and usually works out.

Wrong address AND after they killed him the officers gathered together and got their story straight BEFORE radioing in about shots fired...

The Civil Rights Lawyer (YouTube) covered this a day or so ago.

With the current pay for LEO's you attract 3 types of individuals: Folks that really have a desire to serve and protect others (these are the minority), folks that were "just looking for a job with retirement" (these are the majority), and idiots (these comprise of the majority of the minority).

I make this statement based on 20 years of criminal defense. I know genuine officers who are good people, I know officers who were picked on in school, never had dates, couldn't play sports, etc. and now they have a gun and a badge and they are out to get revenge or on a power trip. Lastly, I know officers who are there to draw a check and get their 20 years in with a minimum of effort.

Maybe I shouldn't be this way BUT when an individual is in "special education" in grade school I don't think we should give this individual a badge and a gun and put them in the position of making life or death split-second decisions.

First, I never excused this event. I explained how you can prevent it from happening as often in the future. You are incorrect in your assertions and not only I, but many, many other CJ educators agree in that point. In fact, most people that have studied policing will agree that professional pay increases professionalism. That should be a given.

Absolutely! My point is that when you can attract enough candidates you can pick and choose who you want, which should be from your first category. Sadly though because of pay and the current environment, departments are left with hiring the people that meet the minimum requirements.

I'm not saying you excused anything. Never said anything like that. We can agree to disagree about money.

Those cops should be charged with Capital Murder! No qualified immunity. That is the real problem.

Not sure how to fix the money issues or training issues but the hardware is an easy fix the solution is the Ruger GP100 or Smith L frame .357 revolvers for a minimum of 18 months on the job. In my Aldeer life I'd say 90% of law enforcement I've shot with are outstanding people that feel LE is a calling much like ministry. The other 10% shouldn't have access to automobiles much less firearms. I've never been Daniel Horner or Jerry Miculek but I'd say I was decently okay as a handgun shot nothing extraordinary. The 10% folks couldn't hit a B34 8 ring at 12 yards or an 8 inch white painted steel plate at 20. It's all light and sweet busting chops about missing til the Ro tells them that some brass hawk like Dave could do permanent ballistic interface to ol'Nylon tactical plate carrier Glock totin' Methyl Ethyl Seal Airborne Ranger crewcut Ray Ban wearing wannabe. 30 something years ago either in Nevada or California (old age ain't for sissies!) Didn't an older couple face off a wrong address squat team and while the man of the house was killed and wife shot up a lot they managed to incapacitate 5 or 6 squat member and 3 of them permanently?

There are plenty of high paying police departments in California and they still have too many bad officers willing to abuse their power.

There is no way in todays world that you can't identify the small peckered, short man syndrome guys that gravitate to the profession and weed them out with a proper psychological evaluation. It's not that hard to figure out the ones with a servants heart and the ones with a tyrants heart.

The pay may sound high to you but it isn't considering the cost of living.