So you are on duty and get a 911 call. Are you obligated/required to respond or get to say nope?

Call is for a mugging......you get to the person, find out it is a lady....purse stolen, she got punched in the face and is bleeding. You ask if she can describe her attacker and she points to a guy sitting 50 feet away.....that's him. Guy is 6'8", 300 pounds and looks like he could be an NFL lineman. Her purse is on the ground next to him. You approach him, ask if he stole the purse and he says....."yup.....what you gonna do about it pork"?

Can you say....."nothing......have a nice day sir".......or are you obligated to attempt an arrest?

He is unarmed, but resists........what can you do short of going lethal? You get backup and 1/2 hour later.......6 of you are bloody, bruised and beat up......and he is no closer to jail than when you started. Can you call it a day and leave?

What are your options and what are you obligated to do?

hayday, how did you come up with that fantasy?

Probably has already happened just like that, at some point in the past, Danny. Certainly a possibility now, with all the 'anti police' and 'entitlement' attitude we see everywhere these days.



Charlie

Watching closing arguments yesterday.

I heard a story from cops one time about arresting a football player. They arrested him and stuck him in the back of a police car, and when they started fighting his brother, he put his feet up on the cage and pushed, and he was so stro g that he vent and pushed the cage forward, to the point where it was ruined. I can't imagine trying to fight a guy like that.

BTW, was present for such a conversation between my dad and a State Trooper back in the 60's. That was before Mace or Tasers. Trooper said he liked to use his 5 D cell flashlight........and busted em over the head with it. Kept spares in the car as backup. Not sure that would fly today.

since Rodney king was beaten with a mag light most departments limit flashlight length to 9 or 12 inches so you can't get a good swing


the only correct answer is , call for backup and follow your departments procedure for use of force , that might escalate through several means of less than lethal.

if you run the play book and ultimately it escalates to the guy dead you did it as you were trained and should be insulated from any wrong doing as long as the department procedure was followed. the department can be sued but you should not be criminally liable for anything.

break from the book and they will hang you out to dry.

I knew a guy in H.S. who was pretty big. He got involved in a bar fight/riot. Cops showed up , cuffed and stuffed him into a police car. He spun around while cuffed and kicked out the back window. Proceeded to crawl out while cuffed. More cops showed up and re-restrained him.

A lot of our decommissioned cars get sold without door panels, because they get kicked and ruined, and we only have so many spares. So when they get auctioned off, a lot of them have no rear panels, and some have no seats either.

Knew an old long retired state trooper that often worked alone in rural Alabama. Claimed his preferred bar fight tool was a reising submachine gun that the military handed down after WWII. Claimed half a mag through the roof of the honky-tonk tended to quiet things down. Some of those old guys had some wild stories from way back but that was an entirely different time.

The problem is the far left has an agenda going on

I guess the point is.......when you put on the uniform.........when some dude has done something to get themselves arrested, the expectation is LE is going to do it's best to take him in? If it takes 2 guys or 20.......dude is going in? Dude does not get to walk just because he is a tough customer? At least that is the expectation placed on law enforcement?

Let's throw a twist in it.

Big guy purse snatcher is black.

Big guy purse snatcher is white.

I know they get treated equally but does anyone think that thoughts of oh crap maybe I should go lightly or not at all might be thought.

Now add in location and bystanders with phones.

I don't expect any sworn individuals to make a public comment but I can honestly understand why second guessing may happen.

Not only that but it seems now a days it's normal or ok to fight and argue with the police and than get upset when people get shot over it.

What you’re gonna want to do is , carry a throw down 4 piece spicy mixed with a side of collards.... drop that up wind of the perp... when he bends over to get it ... sneak up and jerk his britches down ... then give him a bare butt tazing until back up arrives with a catch pole

I guess what I'm after is what choice does law enforcement have? Can LE just walk away.....knowing tough customer Dude has committed a crime.......or what?

Do they have discretion to stand down and do nothing........ or what are the expectations?

Any law enforcement that "stands down " in a situation like that shouldn't be in the profession. Lots of options there

I wouldn't necessarily say stand down but keep in sight and wait for the cavalry might be in order.

I am sure they do something , call backup , peper spray, tasar, most cops around here would not mind haul off an jack u in nose if try some funny stuff, pullout there service gun would go pretty quick , they get u , an most cops around here are not considered rough compare some states or areas, go to some bigger towns or outstate, try that's that an be jail, probly get busted nose an blackeye , fat lip an peperspray, see some mugshots online in Iowa in bigger town of resist arrest , eyes swell shut , black blue eyes and face, busted face an lips , town cop in this small town, watch out, bust ppl all time, ridiculous 25 mph on bussiness hiwsy for over Mike an anywhere top speed, always hiding look bust someone, into busting ppl try get work morning in hurry, , sit down hill where everyone speeds bfore on ramp freeway, walk every other other morning an stands around off duty plain clothes on hill, last year he ran out at me go 40 down hill an start yell me , just see him yesterday , about same place

And I guess same question applies......even if suspected purse snatcher is a15 year old kid who weighs less than his kid sister. When presented with evidence of a crime, does an officer have the discretion to stand down, look the other way and do nothing or is the expectation he must arrest the suspect?