Dog Brothers Public Forum

"A Houston police officer fatally shot in the head a schizophrenic, wheelchair-bound double amputee threatening people with a pen at a group home for the mentally ill after authorities said the man advanced on the officer's partner, police said."

He had a black felt pen. This happened in a mental hospital.  The man was in a wheelchair.  While the Officer had a Tasar he decided to shot and kill him instead.  

And we wonder why cities are paying out millions of dollars for police incompetence.  Too bad the officer doesn't have to pay a portion out of his salary.  Instead, he
doesn't lose any pay or benefits and keeps his job.  A fifth year policeman,  this is the second time this officer has shot and killed someone.  Imagine if a staff member
at the hospital shot and killed this patient?  The employee would be fired on the spot; maybe arrested.  More police officers need to get fired in examples like this; not put
on "administrative leave" with full pay.

http://articles.cnn.com/2012-09-23/us/us_texas-amputee-shooting_1_police-officer-houston-police-department-john-garcia

"The pepper ball hit the sophomore in the eye and caused permanent damage, eventually leading Nelson to lose a football scholarship and drop out of the university, the court said.

Writing for the court, Judge Stephen Reinhardt said police used excessive force. "A reasonable officer would have known that firing projectiles, including pepper balls, in the direction of individuals suspected of, at most, minor crimes, who posed no threat to the officers or others, and who engaged in only passive resistance, was unreasonable," he wrote.

Police officers generally cannot be held liable for damages in a civil lawsuit. They lose immunity if it can be shown that their actions violated a "clearly established" constitutional right.

The court said the police violated Nelson's 4th Amendment right to be free of unreasonable seizure, and that earlier court rulings should have alerted police that their actions were illegal."

I wonder how many millions of dollars, AGAIN, the taxpayers will need to pay out to cover gross police incompetence.  And often, usually, they don't even get fired.   

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-uc-davis-pepper-20120712,0,3671184.story

Is there a one or two day price if someone is not interested in all three days?  For example, no offense, I have no interest in day one.

Day two and three sound quite interesting.

A Texas father caught a man sexually assaulting his 4-year-old daughter and punched him in the head repeatedly, killing him, authorities said.

The father was casually acquainted with the alleged abuser, said Lavaca County Sheriff Micah Harmon.
The girl was left inside the family's house during the social gathering, while other members of her family were tending to horses, the sheriff said.
The alleged abuser was known for his horse-grooming abilities, Harmon said.
The father returned to the house, caught the man in the act, and stopped him by striking him in the head several times, Harmon said.
The man was pronounced dead on the scene, while the daughter was taken to a local hospital in Victoria, Texas, for examinations before being released.

The incident took place Saturday.
Harmon described the girl as "OK besides the obvious mental trauma."
Asked whether they would press charges against the father, the sheriff responded, "You have a right to defend your daughter. He acted in defense of his third person. Once the investigation is completed we will submit it to the district attorney who then submits it to the grand jury, who will decide if they will indict him."
Harmon described the dad as "very remorseful," adding that he didn't know the man was going to die.
Authorities were withholding the deceased man's name while they notified next of kin. Officials did not know immediately if he has a prior criminal history.
Lavaca County Precinct Judge Alene Lyons, who is coordinating information in the case including autopsy results, said Monday
that a preliminary autopsy report indicated the victim "died from blunt-force head and neck injuries."
"It will take six weeks to get the full report back because they also did a toxicology report," Lyons said.

Woof,
 No mention of restoration of gunrights in most States and pro self defense laws being enacted.

Is there any provable correlation? 

Mick:

Some things to consider:

In my experience, which may or may not apply to you, many people tend to have their shoulders somewhat internally rotated.  If when you stand without thinking your thumbs point inward instead of forward (i.e. parallel to each other) then to some degree probably there is internal rotation of the shoulder joint.  This then means that the joint tends to become annoyed by use.  Rest will allow the inflammation to settle down, but if the alignment issue has not been dealt with, then returning to working out will tend to annoy it all over again.

Why does the shoulder joint get internally rotated?

Typically because the hips are tilted forwards.

Why do the hips tilt forwards?

Typically because the hip flexors are tight and the muscles complementary to them (glute and one of the heads of the hamstring) have lost the ability to execute peak contraction movements well.

There is more to this analytical framework, but perhaps those thoughts may serve to help you find the cause and solution of your particular issues.

That makes excellent sense.  If I recollect, you mentioned that you focused a lot on alignment.  Do you have any particular exercises or books on the subject that you
recommend?

"As for the number of people willing to be policemen, well there is a long line of applicants, especially in this job market.  The pay is good, the benefits overly superb, and the job rewarding, albeit sometimes dangerous."

this I find glib.  Besides the fact that lots of applicants are less than desirable, there is also the matter of the willingness to act knowing that one's split second decisions could put into play one's life's savings and family financial security in the hands of a jury of Rodney King's peers. 

No offense, but I think your answer is "glib".  You are making an assumption that the applicants "are less than desirable".  I disagree, especially in this economy.  My brother has a landscape business.  He has healthy young guys with Master's Degrees offering to do hard day labor for him.  The requirements to join the LAPD, an excellent department, are minimal; a high school diploma is about it.

http://www.joinlapd.com/qualifications.html

We are ALL judged by our peers if we commit a crime.  Even in a civil trial we are all judged by our peers.  And if we commit an act that is determined to be gross negligence, our life savings and family security is in their hands.  Like a doctor who shows up drunk and performs surgery, or misses an obvious diagnosis (expert witnesses will influence that issue like they would a policeman's action) gross negligence should be punished.  ER doctors for example, make split second decisions that affect lives on a daily basis.  Frankly, much more often than the average policeman on the beat.  The system seems to work well; why are Police exempt?  Would you want a doctor to operate on you for a serious matter who knows that no matter how badly he messes up, he will never be personally responsible?

I don't want a doctor who thinks that he is not responsible for his actions nor do I think a policeman should be exempt in cases of gross negligence. 

Most on this site like/want government to be run like a business.  In many respects I agree.

What private business would give full pay to incompetent employees to stay home?  These four were not as of today criminally charged, but no one doubts their culpability. 
Simply put, if this was a private corporation, they would have been fired without severance a long time ago.  And everyone would say good riddance. 

_____

"Wolfe is the first officer seen in the video using physical force against Kelly Thomas, striking him with a baton.

"Why is Officer Wolfe still on paid administrative leave?" one resident asked. "Why is he on a holiday at our taxpayer expense? That's horrible, unconscionable and it needs to change yesterday."

Wolfe was one of four officers -- including Officer Kenton Hampton, Sgt. Kevin Craig and Cpl. James Blatney -- who were not charged in connection with the beating.

All four officers are currently on paid administrative leave.

Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas has not ruled out additional charges in the case.

The City Council also announced that it had approved a $1-million settlement resolving Cathy Thomas' legal claims in the death of her son. Ron Thomas has a separate claim that remains unresolved. The couple is divorced.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/05/kelly-thomas-case-angry-fullerton-residents-want-cops-fired.html

Maybe they should make the Officers personally liable for gross negligence just like any other citizen.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0516-kelly-thomas-settlement-20120516,0,5351009.story

The City of Fullerton offered $1million to Thomas's family and they turned it down.  The amount is only rising.  No city can afford bad cops.

In private industry these individual cops/employees would have been fired a long time ago and left on their own.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/09/opinion/navarrette-police-brutality/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bait-car-show-20120508,0,818573.story

Seriously speaking, if you want fabulous food, a diversity of culture, fabulous weather, you can ski today and go to the beach all in the same day; if you want entrepreneurs all around you,
if you want excitement and opportunity, an international flavor, come to LA.  If you are a redneck, hate other cultures and minorities, if you don't like the sun, beaches, or ski resorts, if you are narrow in your thinking, don't come here.  It's all here; it's up to you.  Whatever you make of it.  And oh yeah, we have evil and deception too.     And you can still vote Republican; but you will be in the minority.   

An award to a gangster

The city's payment of $4.5 million to a gangbanger would be a reminder that the actions of police officers are sometimes costly. It would also serve to remind us that police need incentives to perform well.

April 6, 2012

It is natural that some members of the Los Angeles City Council are flinching at being asked to pay $4.5 million to Robert Contreras, a gang member who committed a drive-by shooting, then fled police in a failed attempt to elude capture, only to end up shot and crippled. In a city that is scraping to preserve services through this economic downturn, it is a bitter pill indeed to pay off a gangster.

Yet pay him off the council should. This is ground the city has covered many times before, and though it's never pleasant, it's a reminder that the actions of police officers are sometimes costly, and there's no way to avoid paying that price.

Contreras was a gang member up to no good on a September night in 2005 when he ran from the police, but the officers that night failed as well, shooting Contreras when they believed he was turning on them with a gun. It turned out to be a cellphone, and Contreras ended up paralyzed.

Yes, it is Contreras' actions that started the chain of events that left him crippled. For those criminal actions, Contreras went to prison, as he deserved to. But a separate jury ruled that the officers were wrong to shoot him, and it awarded him $4.5 million for his injuries. The city can settle now for that amount or appeal and risk paying him much more.

Critics of the payout are irritated that the jury was not told of Contreras' crimes before it decided whether he deserved compensation. But those facts were not germane. His arrest and prison term were the consequences of his crimes; his lifetime of paralysis is the consequence of the officers' mistakes, at least in the eyes of the jury.

The understandable reluctance to reward Contreras in one sense parallels the unsatisfying resolution that occurs when police officers conduct an improper search, rifling a house, for instance, without a warrant. They may find guns or drugs that amply implicate a suspect in a crime but be forced to let the suspect go when the search proves inadmissible in court. Why should society be forced to see a guilty suspect go free just because police officers misbehaved?

The answer is that police need incentives to perform well. If they can violate a suspect's rights or shoot an unarmed man, there must be a price to pay. If not, they'll do so with impunity. Sadly, it's the city that pays the bill.

Copyright © 2012, Los Angeles Times

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/02/29/frank-hall-coach-who-chased-the-chardon-high-school-gunman-is-a-hero.html

I usually do; note my previous post subject line "Citizen's right to record".

But this post was more for entertainment.     I doubt if anyone will be doing research on the subject.   

That said, I will always try to summarize; I agree it really does help.

http://www.wbaltv.com/r/30451217/detail.html

Sorry.....  It was said strictly in jest; tongue in check.  It never occurred to me that anyone would take my comment about advertising for tenants or employees between the ages of 21-37.  Nor was I imply in any way that you ever had or would even consider doing so.

Although, when flying, I long for the good old days.

ps  It's different in other countries.  I have a cute friend who was hired by Sony Entertainment HQ in Tokyo to be their receptionist.  The ad directly said things like "cute" no more than 110lbs, and under age 23.  The previous receptionist, also cute, was let go because she turned 26; "too old" they said. 

pps I'm still a little upset that government agencies are able to impose rules like this but private employers are forbidden by law.  Hire the best available; if the 40 year old applicant can pass all the tests equal or better than the 37 year old, why not hire him/her?

An Oklahoma 911 operator calmly advised a recently widowed mother who asked if it was permissible to shoot an intruder, officials said Wednesday.
"I've got two guns in my hand. Is it OK to shoot him if he comes in this door?" asked Sarah Dawn McKinley of Blanchard.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/04/justice/oklahoma-intruder-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

I think those are all good lessons, but in this instance he didn't even have a weapon according to the article.

It's nice to hear when the "victim" wins.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/12/chicago-man-beaten-when-he-tries-to-rob-mixed-martial-arts-expert.html

"If a cop missed that little update it might help if you could hand him the statute, it could save you a trip to jail and working things out through a lawyer."
An important point.

I'll second that. In a similar vein I nearly always carry a folding knife.  I was at the local community
college when a staff person reported me. I was "arrested" by the ignorant campus police.  However, I do carry a copy of the
law pointing out that folding knives in the folded position are legal on college campuses among other issues.  After
a brief discussion I was let go and my knife was returned to me.

Without having a copy since they didn't know the law I would have wasted time and money.

Registration links are up in the catalog.  We will be offering early registration discounts so stand by!   

Sounds good; what is the early registration discount?

I too enjoy, but feel constrained by Bikram.  "Lock out your knee" isn't always the solution.  Nor is "push is past where it hurts". 

Yoga Hop in contrast doesn't focus on form, although some participants are very good, or a set program, , but rather the focus is to keep moving.
The environment is artificially warm, but nothing near Bikram sweat box hot.  It's a fun alternative.

It's a good workout; a lot of twisting and stretching with some strength and abdominal exercises.  I believe they have another location in Santa Monica. 
That's not too far from your house.  You might try it.  I suggest the hour and fifteen minute class; you need to check since most of their classes are only one hour.
But I think you get a little extra work and it makes a difference.

GM - I thought I did stfu?      I did read your posts.

Have you heard from me recently on this subject?

On another matter, seemingly more egregious, Ramos posted bail.  I look forward to following this case.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/09/fullerton-officer-manuel-ramos-bails-out-of-jail.html