Just Wait Until You See How They "Execute" a Search Warrant

From the A.P.:

It was just too much, having to return to court twice on the same day to contest yet another traffic ticket, and Fire Chief Don Payne didn't hesitate to tell the judge what he thought of the police and their speed traps.

The response from cops? They shot him. Right there in court.

Yes, you read that correctly. Full story here.

Comments

[hmm]

Balko stole my scoop!!!

Having lived near a similar village, New Rome Ohio, I can say this isn't surprising.

[Brandybuck]

This was just an isolated incident. Reason needs to get back to reporting feel good stories about puppies. The rest of you need to take your meds like you've been told.

[WWJGD]

Oh, Radly...you always bring us the best violence.

[Hugh Akston]

What the flying fuck! When the revolution does come, historians will trace it all back to the stories posted on theagitator.com.

[SugarFree]

The the good officers of Jericho, Jack Dunphy salutes you. I'm sure Jack's next move would be to start shooting any judges who gave him any lip.

[R C Dean]

The punchline is that the local prosecutor won't be charging the cop with anything, but Mr. Payne may be charged.

Prosecutor Lindsey Fairley said Thursday that he didn't plan to file any felony charges against the officer or Payne. Fairley, reached at his home, said Payne could face a misdemeanor charge stemming from the scuffle, but that would be up to the city's judge.

[Daniel]

Were there any dogs wounded in the incident?

Let me guess, the police force was stood up with DHS money.

[Jozef]

Prosecutor Lindsey Fairley said Thursday that he didn't plan to file any felony charges against the officer or Payne. Fairley, reached at his home, said Payne could face a misdemeanor charge stemming from the scuffle

So the cop who shot him from his back will not be disciplined, but some charges may be brought against the victim. How long before the cops start charging people for the cost of bullets that remained lodged in them?

[ransom147]

R C:

no kidding, isn't that sweet? love the tag line too.

plus i thought jericho was in kansas? you can't believe anything you see on tv...

[Nipplemancer]

that is quite possibly the most fucked up little town in the universe. MTV should 'shoot' their next Real World season there.

[y]

What, no H&R story of Obama going for the children?

[sage]

I think the Fire Chief was also a racist. And a fascist. He had it coming.

[Johnny Longtorso]

Thank God we have a govt monopoly in violence, so we don't have free riders on the service of shooting anyone who complains who don't pay for them. Think of the externalities that could be caused by people freely complaining about their government.

[Johnny Longtorso]

MTV should 'shoot' their next Real World season there.

That would just cause the average viewer to cheer on police shootings. 🙂

[WWJGD]

MTV should 'shoot' their next Real World season there.

That would just cause the average viewer to cheer on police shootings. 🙂

Let's take it up a notch. Their "job" while on the show should Federal agents doing drug busts.

[Johnny Longtorso]

I believe LoneWacko should go to Jericho and ask the tough questions of the local cops, then post the results (his getting shot) on YouTube.

[Solanum]

sheriff's deputies are asking where all the money from the tickets went. With 174 residents, the city can keep seven police officers on its rolls but missed payments on police and fire department vehicles and saw its last business close its doors a few weeks ago.

Missing money, the judge rubber stamping these tickets, and the prosecutor trying to keep the lid on this thing. Yep, nothing to see here. Move along.

[MP]

This town has 174 residents and 7 cops? WTF?!?

[Nipplemancer]

i wish all police forces disbanded 'till things blow over' after they shoot an unarmed man.

[sailshonan]

Y'all think Radley may just have stumbled upon an ole script for a "Dukes of Hazzard" episode?

[Xeones]

Holy... holy shit.

Arkansas is gunning for your spot, Mississippi.

[J sub D]

New professionalism! This is just goddam surreal, even for fucking Arkansas. The punchline -

Prosecutor Lindsey Fairley said Thursday that he didn't plan to file any felony charges against the officer or Payne.

Can we finally take away Arkansas and Mississippi's electoral votes. Revert them to territorial status or return the land to the indians?

[Michael Ejercito]

And yet we are supposed to turn over health care to the government?

[Sal Paradise]

What a bunch of rookies. You're supposed to shoot his dog, dumbass.

[Indians]

You wiped your ass with them. We don't want them back.

[Solanum]

J sub D,

It gets even worse:

Fairley, reached at his home, said Payne could face a misdemeanor charge stemming from the scuffle, but that would be up to the city's judge. He said he didn't remember the name of the officer who fired the shot.

[Abdul]

There are sooooo many good parts to this story.

My favorite: Sheriff's deputies once had to repossess one of the town's police cruisers for failure to pay on a lease,

When the sherrif is repo'ing your police cars, it may be time to leave Jericho to Skeet Ulrich and his rangers.

[TrickyVic]

"""And yet we are supposed to turn over health care to the government?"""

Funny how you will post that on every government thread, execpt when the topic is torture.

[Xeones]

or return the land to the indians?

Why do you hate the Indians, J sub? RACIST

[JB]

Wow. It's getting so that the rational response when you see a cop is: open fire.

You cops want to live longer? Stop enforcing stupid laws. 'It's the law' or 'it's my job' didn't work for the Nazis as an excuse and it doesn't work for you.

[TrickyVic]

"You can't even get them to answer a call because normally they're writing tickets,"

""Alexander, the judge, has voided all the tickets written by the department both inside the city and others written outside of its jurisdiction - citations that the department apparently had no power to write""

"Meanwhile, sheriff's deputies want to know where the money from the traffic fines went. Martin said that it appeared the $150 tickets weren't enough to protect the city's finances. Sheriff's deputies once had to repossess one of the town's police cruisers for failure to pay on a lease, and the state Forestry Commission recently repossessed one of the city's fire trucks because of nonpayment."""

And the money shot.

""""City hall has been shuttered since the shooting, and any records of how the money was spent are apparently locked inside. No one answered when a reporter knocked on the door on Tuesday."""

Classic!!

[TrickyVic]

"""You cops want to live longer? Stop enforcing stupid laws. """

They take an oath to uphold the law. I would expect them to duly follow that oath. If you have a problem with laws, take it up with the lawmakers.

Allowing cops to ignore laws (and rules) is the part of the problem.

[Pro Libertate]

How can shooting an unarmed man in the back result in no charges? It's attempted murder, period.

[John Thacker]

The good news for people who live in this town is that they can-- and have-- moved away. Businesses have left, people have left.

The highway doesn't move, though. The state may should build a bypass around the place.

[Michael Ejercito]

Funny how you will post that on every government thread, execpt when the topic is torture.

I would post that if the police in America used torture.

[prolefeed]

Prosecutor Lindsey Fairley said Thursday that he didn't plan to file any felony charges against the officer or Payne. Fairley, reached at his home, said Payne could face a misdemeanor charge stemming from the scuffle, but that would be up to the city's judge.

Wow. Just wow. This statement has gotta make the day of whichever lawyer sues the cities' sorry ass.

[Pablo]

"I would post that if the police in America used torture."

Ever hear of something called a Taser?

[Elemenope]

This town has 174 residents and 7 cops? WTF?!?

Personally, my favorite part is how all seven cops were in court when the thing went down. Were there donuts?

[Isaac Bartram]

...i thought jericho was in kansas?

Jericho's like Springfield. There's one in almost every state.

[Curtis]

It's unclear exactly what happened next, but Martin said an argument between Payne and the SEVEN POLICE OFFICERS who attended the hearing apparently escalated to a scuffle, ending when an officer shot Payne from behind.

Seven police officers could not control one person without shooting him. Good training.

[JB]

They take an oath to uphold the law. I would expect them to duly follow that oath.

Just as you expected Nazi guards to live up to their oaths?

Cops are just as culpable for the bad laws they enforce. They have a choice when becoming a cop and they have a choice once they are a cop. Sure they face being fired, but tough.

[J sub D]

or return the land to the indians?

Why do you hate the Indians, J sub? RACIST

Nonsense. Arkansas and Mississippi would be fine places if we just relocated the present residents.

I think our Native American citizens would appreciate the gesture.

[TrickyVic]

""I would post that if the police in America used torture."""

You expressed a disturst of government, not police per se. The police isn't going to run your health care, but maybe they can help you with that red herring.

"""How can shooting an unarmed man in the back result in no charges? It's attempted murder, period."""

Becuase it's not against the law if they are acting properly (defined by them) under the color of law. This is why most cops are aquitted of charges for crap like this. All the cop has to say is that he was defending another officer.

[R C Dean]

The police isn't going to run your health care,

Of course not. Don't be silly.

The IRS is.

All the cop has to say is that he was defending another officer.

Or, in this case, that he was defending six other officers.

[Tulpa]

City hall has been shuttered since the shooting, and any records of how the money was spent are apparently locked inside. No one answered when a reporter knocked on the door on Tuesday.

This would be one case where I would support sending a SWAT team to serve a warrant.

There are so many good parts to this, but this one warms the cockles of even my law-and-order libertarian heart:

Another officer suffered a grazing wound to his finger from the bullet.

Yeah, that's the problem with opening fire into a scuffle involving six of your buddies on one guy...

[Chief Red Deer]

"Can we finally take away Arkansas and Mississippi's electoral votes. Revert them to territorial status or return the land to the indians?"

No wantum.

[Citizen Nothing]

Good thing the cop only grazed his buddy and didn't kill him, or Payne would have faced a manslaughter charge, at least.

[bigbigslacker]

A white Ford Crown Victoria sat in her driveway with "public property" license plates. A sales brochure advertising police equipment sat in the back seat of the car.

Nobody knows where the money went, but the mayor of a town of 174 people is provided with a car. Towns ten times that size don't provide employees with vehicles.

The residents need to get together, call it a militia if you like, and remove the vermin from that town.

[HeadTater]

I know there are still plenty of good cops out there who don't abuse their position or anything like that, but it seems like that number is going down.

Big city cops, rural cops, it seems like no size of community is safe from the worst thugs of all: the police. Know I know why the gansta rappers hate the cops so much.

[Caption Contest]

"Know I know why the gansta rappers hate the cops so much."

Because the cops interfere with their criminal enterprizes.

[Robert]

Can't the fire chief get even by burning down the town?

I liked the ticket for 58 mph in the driveway. Hey, that's what the radar said. And the house was doing 75!

[yet another dave]

Actually I would have thought that this vicious criminal would have warranted the typical response of 7 x 9 = 65* shots... leading to 27 gunshot wounds... taking into account all the holes in the walls, ceilings and windows overlooking the playground between the courthouse and the school (never mind the dog) rookies indeed

*considering at least two of those gunslingers keep a full clip and one chambered all the time

[TrickyVic]

"""I liked the ticket for 58 mph in the driveway. """

I have a feeling that the 58 in a driveway is a mostly untruthful statement. The odds are he was clocked at that speed but pulled into the driveway before the officer caught up. Thus getting a ticket for 58 mph while in his drive way.

[Invisible Finger]

The odds are he was clocked at that speed but pulled into the driveway before the officer caught up.

In rural areas, half-mile long driveways aren't that unusual.

[R C Dean]

Actually, since the driveway is private property, speed limits don't apply. You can drive as fast as you frickin' want in your own driveway.

[Pro Libertate]

Would breaking the sound barrier in my driveway constitute an actionable nuisance? Discuss amongst yourselves.

[Craig]

The best/worst part of the story is that this town of 174 residents used to be patrolled (adequately) by the county sheriff. Then this sorry excuse for a hamlet was gifted with a 7-man police department from "grant money" -- I presume from federal grant money, part of the war on terror, or putting 100,000 cops on the streets or some such nonsense.

[Craig]

Can't the state attorney general press charges, and send in the state police to arrest the armed thug who shot a man in the back in the court house? Of course, as a libertarian, I think a volunteer mob of local citizens with a rope, or at least a rail, tar, and feathers would be a more appropriate and more voluntary response. They could even give the guy a quick citizens' trial first.

[hmm]

We're due for a good old fashioned tar and feathering.

[db]

Would breaking the sound barrier in my driveway constitute an actionable nuisance? Discuss amongst yourselves.

Wouldn't be much louder than a gunshot depending on the ballistic coefficient of your car.

[Michael Ejercito]

Ever hear of something called a Taser?

Yes.

Of course, there is a difference between using it to subdue a criminal suspect and using it as an interrogation tool.

[Syd Henderson]

Am I the only one who finds it odd that this place with 174 citizens is repeatedly called a city in the story and has a building called a city hall?

[Deja Moo]

Michael Ejercito | September 4, 2009, 9:09pm | #

Ever hear of something called a Taser?
Yes.

Of course, there is a difference between using it to subdue a criminal suspect and using it as an interrogation tool.

Or because the suspect "just pissed me off."

Not that anybody would actually admit that.

[*]

Know I know why the gansta rappers hate the cops so much.

They're just jealous of them.

[Kant feel Pietzsche]

Well, sure. They have more juice, though usually less bling.

[WAINGROVE]

"Man, he was making a move! I had to get it on."

[blogimi Dei]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiX7GTelTPM

NWA
Fuck Da Popo!