This is scary. I wonder just how long before the gun-fetishist vigilantes begin 'helping', bringing along their personal firearms, not because the situation requires a weapon, but 'just because they can' and using that to throw their weight around as having quasi-official status.
The New York Times has the report.
What's your opinion? Is this a good initiative or not?Roman Sarkisian easily passes for your average Fresno police officer: crew cut, tight-set jaw and “just-the-facts” demeanor.
“I like to do law enforcement stuff,” said Mr. Sarkisian, 23, an immigrant from the republic of Georgia who is studying criminology at the city college here. “I like helping out putting bad guys in jail.”
But Mr. Sarkisian is not a police officer, and he does not carry a gun or a Taser. He is a police volunteer, part of an experiment by departments across the country that enlists trained amateurs to perform a broad — and occasionally dangerous — array of investigative duties like collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses, searching for missing persons and looking into long-dormant cases.
Hamstrung by shrinking budgets, the police say the volunteers are indispensable in dealing with low-level offenses and allow sworn officers to focus on more pressing crimes and more violent criminals.
Please leave a comment.
"Is this a good initiative or not?"
ReplyDeleteWell, so long as they receive the blessing of a high priest of the state then they can do no wrong.
What's funny is that this isn't anything NEW at all.
ReplyDeleteBefore professional police departments took over law enforcement, it was the responsibility of regular citizens to collect evidence, interview witnesses, serve warrants, convene grand juries, and other duties that we now think are a strict monopoly of the state.
http://www.constitution.org/lrev/roots/cops.htm
We are ALL responsible for law enforcement, it's just been taken from us by the police that want to justify their existence.
...Orygunner...
it'll be a good deal. they can plant the weapons and do much of the lying and wa-la the real badges are off the hook even better than before.
ReplyDeleteThis is scary. I wonder just how long before the gun-fetishist vigilantes begin 'helping', bringing along their personal firearms, not because the situation requires a weapon, but 'just because they can' and using that to throw their weight around as having quasi-official status.
ReplyDeleteWhat's this? Afraid of a police state and abuse of power?
Relax princess, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Yes, it's a great idea to have unsworn "interns", largely ignorant of genuine procedure and (at least in the case of Mr. Sarkisian) a fairly apparent attitude of "wannabe". It's worked out so well in the past; Munich in the 30's, much of the American south from 1870 or so until at least the 1980's, Red China in the 70's, Cambodia in the 70's, Indonesia in the 60's...Oh, wait, am I confusing a "police and citizens" initiative with mob rule? Sorry, my bad.
ReplyDelete"He is a police volunteer, part of an experiment by departments across the country that enlists trained amateurs to perform a broad — and occasionally dangerous — array of investigative duties like collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses, searching for missing persons and looking into long-dormant cases."
ReplyDeleteIt really took you this long to dig this up?
Been there done that for 5 years now.
Is this a good initiative or not?
ReplyDeleteAnything that helps blur the line between the "Only Ones" and private citizens, and helps lead to the understanding that private citizens are no less worthy of the right to the means of defense from goblin scumbags, is of course a good thing.
I think democommie and Dog Gone have the right ideas. Bad idea.
ReplyDeleteI think democommie and Dog Gone have the right ideas. Bad idea.
ReplyDeleteWell of course you three, along with the city of New London, Connecticut wouldn't like the idea--what if the volunteers are too smart?
"It's worked out so well in the past; Munich in the 30's, much of the American south from 1870 or so until at least the 1980's, Red China in the 70's, Cambodia in the 70's, Indonesia in the 60's.."
ReplyDeleteYou mean California is becoming more and more like a fascist cesspool of a police state? Unpossible!
Absolutely NOT!!!
ReplyDeleteA civilized society does not need to be adding fuel to any fire of *wannabe's*.
Defense attorney's are rightly gonna have a goddamn field day with stuff like this.
ReplyDeleteMakes it a hell of a lot easier to get your client off when some college student who is not an LEO is the one who collected the evidence.
Zorroy, You're gonna have to modernize your links. That one which you've been touting lately is almost a generation old. For all the good that information does us, the New London cops might all be geniuses now.
ReplyDeleteZorroy, You're gonna have to modernize your links. That one which you've been touting lately is almost a generation old. For all the good that information does us, the New London cops might all be geniuses now.
ReplyDeleteI decided a while ago that my time can be better spent than watching the forcible citizen disarmament circle-jerk that this site has become, but you wanted an update.
Ask, and you shall receive:
The Dayton Police Department is lowering its testing standards for recruits.
It's a move required by the U.S. Department of Justice after it says not enough African-Americans passed the exam.
Dayton is in desperate need of officers to replace dozens of retirees. The hiring process was postponed for months because the D.O.J. rejected the original scores provided by the Dayton Civil Service Board, which administers the test.
Under the previous requirements, candidates had to get a 66% on part one of the exam and a 72% on part two.
The D.O.J. approved new scoring policy only requires potential police officers to get a 58% and a 63%. That's the equivalent of an ‘F’ and a ‘D’.
Gotta love political correctness, doncha? Just as it's now politically incorrect to refer to someone as "mentally retarded," so we have to call them "progressive," now it's apparently "racist" to demand that cops be smarter than owl shit, and the dumb-as-owl-shit standard is to be mandated by the federal government.
Attorney General Eric Holder needs a Handicapper General working under him, though. Where's Diana Moon Glampers when you need her?