NationStates Jolt Archive

Some of you may remember that a Minneapolis home was raided by police back in December of 07. Some of you may also remember that it was the wrong house and that I made a thread about the incident. Well, nearly a year has passed and the officers involved in this raid on the wrong house are getting freakin' medals for it. You heard right, Minneapolis cops can now go around shooting up the homes of innocent people and expect a medal of valor for it so long as someone has the guts to try to defend themselves and those around them.

I suddenly want to be a Minneapolis cop.

Source: that bastion of right-wing conservative group-think, the Star Tribune (http://www.startribune.com/local/26083024.html?location_refer=Local%20+%20Metro:highlightModules:1).

Houston cops have a similar situation, wherein they're rewarded for arresting swarms of people who haven't broken any laws whatsoever.

B-b-b-b-but the cops are there to HELP you! They PROTECT you from BAD PEEPLES! And they CAN'T make mistakes, because they're COPS!

The poor family thought they were being robbed. 'dynamic entry' and wearing ninja suits doesn't display the 'serve and protect' ideal I hope the police strive toward.

Source: that bastion of right-wing conservative group-think, the Star Tribune (http://www.startribune.com/local/26083024.html?location_refer=Local%20+%20Metro:highlightModules:1).

It has right wing bias it means the story isn't true they are just making it up.

Minneapolis police spokesman Sgt. William Palmer said Tuesday the department has acknowledged the raid was a mistake and has apologized to the family. But he said the officers "performed very bravely under gunfire and made smart decisions."

Err... Instigating a no-knock SWAT raid against innocents is considered a smart decision by police in Minneapolis? I see... Remind me not to move there.

Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan said that he knew giving the award might get negative attention but that "we've never not recognized an officer shot in the line of duty."

There's always the first time...

And does taking a hit in the protective vest really count?

Wow...this is just all kinds of stupid.

Wow...this is just all kinds of stupid.

Kind #1:
Lack of information.
The eight officers -- who had SWAT training -- entered the house expecting to find a violent gang member. Instead, they found Vang Khang, a 35-year-old homeowner who thought he was being robbed.
Kind #2:
Rewarding mistake
Eight Minneapolis officers received medals in City Hall Monday for their valor in a botched raid that the city apologized for last year.
Kind #3:
Relying on tradition to the point of obsession.
Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan said that he knew giving the award might get negative attention but that "we've never not recognized an officer shot in the line of duty."
:D

Wait. Isn't Minnesota supposed to be a Blue State?

Wait. Isn't Minnesota supposed to be a Blue State?

I dunno, everyone I saw there was pretty happy.:p

Would it make everything alright if they gave the family medals too?

Wait. Isn't Minnesota supposed to be a Blue State?

Well, they've gone for the Democratic candidate in every Presidential election since 1976, including being the only electoral votes besides D.C. to go to Mondale in '84.

The current Governor is Republican (and a name tossed around as a potential McCain VP choice), the Senate delegation is 50-50, and the House delegation is a 5-3 split in favor of the Democrats.

State Senate is 45-22 in favor the Dems, while State House is 85-48-1 in favor of the Dems (though I have no idea how the lone Independent leans).

So, make of that what you will regarding "red" and "blue"...

...although, I'm of the opinion that police officers tend more to "red" than to "blue" no matter where you go. *shrugs*

Would it make everything alright if they gave the family medals too?

You win the thread.

Minnesota is a cross between Red and blue. The Metro area is most of the population, and Democrat leaning, while everywhere else(including where I live), is hard core Republician

You win the thread.

Yay! *hangs it on the refridgerator with a magnet*

Some of you may remember that a Minneapolis home was raided by police back in December of 07. Some of you may also remember that it was the wrong house and that I made a thread about the incident. Well, nearly a year has passed and the officers involved in this raid on the wrong house are getting freakin' medals for it. You heard right, Minneapolis cops can now go around shooting up the homes of innocent people and expect a medal of valor for it so long as someone has the guts to try to defend themselves and those around them.

I suddenly want to be a Minneapolis cop.

Source: that bastion of right-wing conservative group-think, the Star Tribune (http://www.startribune.com/local/26083024.html?location_refer=Local%20+%20Metro:highlightModules:1).

Was this house located on the "wrong side of the tracks", as they say?

Surely it's a simple thought process:

Correct reactions to raiding wrong person's house:
- Apologise profusely (although it appears they did do this)
- Give compensation to victims
- Conduct appropriate investigation to find out how it went wrong (even if the conclusion is "we had bad intelligence, it happens", it should still be carried out.

Incorrect actions:
- Giving those involved medals.

The police force cannot work effectively unless it has the trust and cooperation of the community, this is one of the basic tenants of policing. This trust has to be earned by showing that, as much as is humanly possible, the police work towards stopping the guilty and arresting the innocent. Showing that you are actively rewarding those who mistakenly assault innocent members of the public is effectively shooting yourself in the foot as far as trust and community relationships go.

Incidents such as these, when not properly handled, make people believe that the police force is just another gang. Needless to say that's an undesirable development.

There is no way to justify the giving of medals to these police officers for this incident. I don't care if they were under fire; they barged into the wrong house and were only attacked by someone defending theirself from what they thought were robbers. They should be getting punished, not celebrated.

call up a reporter, maybe one of those muck rakers or the guys who go after consumer fraud on the tv. tell him/her your story. maybe they would like to make the cops look bad.

If I were that cop, I wouldn't want those medals. At all.