It was on the radio this morning that the officer is owner in a company that sells clothing that "glamourizes" prison and gangster lifestyle. Now ain't that a kick in the head...

What is it with CA and pursuits??? There's like two a day.

Do I agree with the cop kicking the guy....I' don't know, but I will say chasing a car for more than 30 seconds (in my opinion) the police are the ones causing the danger to the general public.

There are 5-20 helicopters following the perp, let him go and catch him when he thinks he's safe outside the car. If you chase them, nothing good can come from it. YOMV

Agreed. I've often maintained they need to have some skin in the game. As I'm sure you are well aware, this is de rigour in the medical field. You guys save more lives in an average week than a cop will in a career, yet you must carry your own coverage and are held individually liable for your actions.

Granted, dealing with criminals is different. Every one of them is innocent, every one of them was subject to police brutality upon arrest, yadda yadda yadda. There has to be some protection, and due respect given the police. That much is a given.

However, when one delivers a boot to the head like this, or a boot to the stomach like we saw (again, on video) from one of ours up here, I also believe that "higher standard" has to kick in (pardon the pun...). The punishment for hiding behind one's badge to mete out this kind of abuse should be severe. It should be levied upon the officer himself, not the jurisdiction - and therefore the taxpayers - that employs him.

That's the rub. This perp should not be entitled to a dime. Just because people think every slightest injustice entitles one to a jackpot settlement is not reason to make cops walk on eggshells. Anyone who leads cops on a high speed chase is no different than some nut firing a gun at random in a crowded mall. Such nuts should be taken out, by lethal force if necessary, whatever it takes to end the threat.

The perp caused the entire situation by his own actions. He should be required to make license plates for prison wages until any damage he caused and court costs are all repaid.

Why not run from the cops? In CA you stand a very good chance of getting a jackpot payout for doing so.

Whatever happened to "no persuit" policies? What did this clown do to warrent such a long chase? It had better have been pretty damn serious for the cops to stay after him for so long, through heavy traffic and through neighborhoods. Please don't tell me he ran a red light, or was speeding, or something like that. Especially if they knew who he was (from the plate, priors, "known gang member", etc.) so they could have collected him up later.

I can agree with that.

It's not a single sided issue.

A perp should understand there may be consequences for their actions and should not be rewarded for those consequences.

At the same time police need to understand that there are consequences for their actions as well.

Want me to pay for your ticket to the dictatorship of your choosing, so you can live in such a place?

Because that crap aint what America is about comrade.

Exactly.

Totally disagree.

There should not even be high speed pursuits.

I usually agree with you, but in this one i think you're waaaaay off the mark.

Do you mean have all on-ground pursuit totally called off, or just have them back way off so the perps can't see them and have the helos keep them informed so when the perps do stop and get out they can be there soon afterwards?

Because otherwise, it sounds like you're asking the helos to be the sole pursuit, and they should land and give chase on foot after the perps abandon their vehicle.

If you're advocating the former, keep in mind the perps would probably know about the car/s still in pursuit because many times they're on their cellphone to their buds watching the pursuit on TV.

Local TV news had a segment on a new police vehicle with a "plate reader". Well they are driving around and find some car (being driven) with no insurance or something.

So the cops put on the lights and the car takes off. This is in a semi-suburban setting. Two accidents later, including a civilian who was hit getting into the chase the bad guy is caught after crashing (three accidents total).

Idiot had borrowed the GFs car, but has some small time outstanding warrant..

Anyway, all that chasing and mayhem was not worth it. How many people were almost killed? And how many innocent people's property was damaged? They could have waited for this guy at the GF house and got him there.

Look, tons of municipalities have totally outlawed high speed pursuits and life still goes on here. Except now we don't have to worry about getting ran down by crazed criminals trying to get away from da man, and the equally crazed cops trying to catch them.

With the exception of pursuing a known murderer, or rapist, or some other extremely dangerous violent felon, there should be no such thing as a high speed pursuit.

The payoff is simply not worth the risk.

I've pursued people trying to get away when i show up to repo their whip. If it crosses a certain threshold of danger (as in ANY other cars are on the same road with us, or they start running stopsigns and red lights) i just let them go. When i let them go, i get nothing, since repossessors are 100% commision paid.

I once chased a Jaguar XJS down back alleys at 4 AM in my 928S...in reverse.

LOL! Aint that a kick in the head. That's a Dean Martin song too.

I heard the same report. Ironic, now there's criminal investigation against him.

Here is the moron in question. Bet his momma is so proud.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1242412652.jpg

The real question: Why is he on the streets?

The real answer: Because our prisons are totally overcrowded from the war on drugs.

Hey Sniper,
Why don't you take your poor, pitiful, tattooed friend home and re-rehabilitate him.
I'm sure you would carefully take this perp into custody if he had your car and showed total disregard for every one else.
I'm also quite certain you wouldn't have any problem using deadly force if you found him uninvited in your home.
Car theft is out of control in most parts of this country. For whatever reason this is not a high priority for our law enforcement or our courts.
Nor far behind is burglary.
For the well off among us, it is a insurance problem.
For many hard working Americans without theft or burglary insurance it can be devastating.
Yes he probably should have been in prison.

So your solution to car theft is lethal force/death penalty?

I am sure a quick glance at his rap sheet would make it clear to all of us he should never have been released the last time he got out of jail. Just like it will be clear the NEXT time he is released from jail.

Our prisons are full of "criminals" from the war on drugs, it must be ended- we have 25% of the worlds prison population FFS.

+10!

What many don't understand, or can even begin to comprehend is the officer's perception of the immediate threat. It's so easy to pass judgement from the safety of an arm chair and reviewing the video over and over again. Is it fair for someone with no understanding of police tactics or never experiencing close hand to hand combat to even begin to comprehend what it is to have to make a life or death decision in a split second with your own life on the line? One perception I have (without having been on scene) is the clear disregard for human life evidenced by thought processes of an individual who decides to lead police on an extended pursuit reaching speeds of 80 mph on the WRONG SIDE of the street during the middle of the day. It's this type of criminal thinking that often leads to a suspect assaulting, or even killing anyone that gets in his way- law enforcement officers included. I wasn't there, but have a much better idea of this than many folks posting here. I have personal knowledge and many interactions with convicted felons from the same well armed gang as Mr. Rodriguez. They are known for being one of the more violent southern Hispanic street gangs in the San Gabriel Valley area. With that being said, until Mr. Rodriguez is donning the silver bracelets he is so accustomed to wearing, it's still game on. There are seconds leading up to his being on the ground that are not captured on video. Did he have the appearance of a concealed weapon on his person? Did he throw anything else while running?

Let's look at the specifics... One kick to the head, not multiple kicks. A single kick like that is often used as a distraction or stun technique. It was not meant to kill or injure. Why use that, instead of waiting for back up to arrive? After all, the officer did have his gun drawn... Because in theory, that kick to the head could have potentially saved several lives. Again, until the suspect is in mechanical restraints, and searched, he's still considered a threat. He could draw a weapon and attempt to attack officers. If Rodriguez reaches his hands to his body, the officer shoots him. Respect the perceived threat through the officer's eyes, not yours. The kick was completely effective. A kick to the head is easier to recover from than a bullet. He was placed into handcuffs with no injury to the officers, or the public, with the exception of a lump on his mellon.

At the end of the day, what could have potentially ended in tragedy, concluded with relatively little damage to personal property, and little injury. The very sad part is, a POS gangbanger may likely have just hit the lotto. I'll never understand the outpouring of public sympathy for a criminal engaged in very criminal acts. I'll bet that particular kick to his head pales in comparison to the fights he's been involved in with his gang rivals, and even his little homies... The irony is that kick to his head not only potentially saved his life, but will probably make him a millionaire... :mad:

Think this one through.... Who do you really think is going to be a cop under these conditions? Look to past history. Remember the early to mid-80's in Miami?

A little comic relief...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsCuurneZVE&feature=PlayList&p=6021A3B328E 5CFCB&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=9

I know this is straying off topic, but I have to comment!

I'm not sure what the prison situation is in PA, but I can vouch for CA. It's not really due to the war on drugs. CA prisons currently house approximately 35,000 illegal alien convicted felons. Furthermore, the Governator is considering releasing them to the federal government, if they are immediately deported back to Mexico. I'm sure NONE of them would ever consider breaking the law again by coming back to CA. Approximately 20,000 other "non-violent, non-serious" convicted felons will also be released early. Our State prisons are almost at 200% of their designed population capacity. The 3 strikes law is what did it for us. Statistically overall lower crime rates don't come without financial burden's though.

We are in for a long, hot, ugly summer in CA. It's gonna look like the wild west again before it's over... Soon enough, Californian's are gonna wish we had more cops like the one in the video...

Get over it people!

Bad Guy: Gang Bangin' idiot putting public safety at risk by endangering innocent lives.

Good Guy: Cop who safely placed a criminal into custody before he could make any more victims out of innocent bystanders!