The Camden Cop Who Really Hated his Job

The Courrier Post Online reports

But an intensive investigation found the incident had been staged, said a knowledgeable source who spoke anonymously. The source said Frett's wife allegedly fired the shot in an attempt to wound the officer in the leg, so that he could qualify for early retirement. The shot missed, however.

In Pennsylvania he probably would have gotten a slap on the wrist, but in Joisey, he's finished. He's off the police force, and I don't suppose he'll be allowed to own guns in the future.

One strike you're out, is what I always say.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Crooked Cops in Northern California Town

This kind of thing is probably a bigger problem than we realize. SFGate reports.

A second member of an anti-drug law enforcement squad in Contra Costa County was charged Friday with selling drugs seized in raids and other crimes.

San Ramon police Officer Louis Lombardi, 38, of Discovery Bay was charged with stealing guns, selling drugs, embezzlement, illegally possessing an assault rifle and conspiracy.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Nassau County Cop Suspended for Brandishing Gun

The New York Post reports along with a fascinating video.


To me it didn't look like the bartender was frightened or even surprised. I wondered if maybe they were friends and this was their idea of playing around. 

Whatever it was, it certainly merited suspension, don't you think?  And, naturally it makes you wonder how common is this behaviour. Would it be more prevalent among cops than among civilian gun owners?  What do you think?

Please leave a comment.

Zorroy Deigns to Visit

Our old friend Zorry, whom speaking personally, I've missed tremendously around here, has deigned to drop us a comment on an old post.

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.

I 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?

Is Zorroy as fun to read as ever? I found him so. What obout this evidence that the police departments are lowering their standards? Do you see that as a problem? I certainly do.

Please leave a comment.

UCSF Gun-Drawing Incident

The video shows the incident.  All I could think was that poor cop could see he was being filmed by a number of the protesters.  He must have known he was in trouble.

But is he in trouble?  Did he do wrong?  Is it permissible for police to draw their weapons like that as a deterring action?  I think Robert Farago has said you do not draw your gun until you're ready to shoot.

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Sheboygan Cop Disciplined

We discussed this story when it happened last August. A drunk cop at a bachelor party fooling around with the boys ends up shot with his own gun. Now, a few months later, the news comes out about some mysterious and unnamed punishment.

A Sheboygan County deputy is being disciplined by his department after he was shot with his own gun while-off duty at a bachelor party in August.

The sheriff's department says Friday that an internal investigation found that Deputy Anthony Blodgett violated two department policies at the Aug. 7 party in Rhinelander.

Blodgett remains employed by the department. A news release says the department will have no additional comment.

I wonder what that disciplinary action was exactly. Do you think he's been stripped of his weapons and assigned to the property shed in the basement? Somehow I doubt it.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Pennsylvania State Trooper Nicholas Petrosky

Gun-friendly Pennsylvania has had its share of gun stories lately, but this one has a couple of interesting angles to it.

The 4-year-old son of a Belle Vernon Pennsylvania State Trooper accidentally shot himself in the leg with his father's gun Thursday night.

According to Donora police, Trooper Nicholas Petrosky was drying his son after a shower when the little boy grabbed his father’s gun, which had been placed on the bathroom counter.

Police said it was the trooper’s personal gun, not his state-issued weapon, that went off.

I'm not sure why the State Police felt it was important to clarify that it was his personal weapon, but it made me realize that the police and gun owners in general are not distinct and separate groups. This is where they overlap.

Apparently, State Trooper Pertosky was one of those guys we've been talking about lately who believe in carrying a gun in the home. I suppose, during certain intimate moments even these guys must briefly disarm themselves, as Petrosky did. That's where the trouble comes in, at least in this case.

Another interesting aspect is one that comes up every time I call for the future disqualification of someone responsible for a gun "accident."  He's learned his lesson and will never let that happen again, they say, they, being the die-hard pro-gun guys who will never give an inch in the argument.

In other situations they call for punishment, severe and swift.  But with gun stupidity, anyone can make a mistake, right?

One strike you're out, is what I apply to anyone who allows his 4-year-old son to shoot himself with a gun. By "out" I simply mean permanent disqualification for owning or using firearms for life.

What's your opinion?  Please leave a comment.

Another Cop's Gun Found by Kids

This time it's in Florida, last time it was North Carolina.

One strike you're out, officer. Surrender the guns and look for a new line of work.

Is that too severe?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

San Jose Cops Kill Man with Knife

The Mercury News reports on the latest incident of cop with gun vs. man with knife.

After entering the apartment, Sgt. Ronnie Lopez and his partner confronted the subject.

They found the man holding a knife, with a nail gun nearby.

When asked whether the man was moving toward the officers and was a threat to their safety, Lopez described him as "armed and confrontational." Three officers fired approximately six shots at the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

In Somerville MA the cops know how to describe it - key word: lunge.

What's your opinion? Are the San Jose cops too honest? Does "confrontational" merit six bullets? I don't think so.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Baltimore Cop Fired for Ranting

At first I thought how ridiculous to fire a cop for yelling at a kid when they often give them a slap on the wrist, or nothing at all for shooting people.

But then I watched the video. What do you think? Please leave a comment.

3-Year-Old Shoots Self With Cop's Gun

Local Fox News in North Carolina, that gun-friendly paradise, reports on the latest. (via Il Principe)

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department have released the name of the officer who left his off-duty weapon within reach of a 3-year-old child in Gaston County last week.

...the child got hold of Mercedes' off-duty firearm and fired a shot into his own thumb.

The boy was transported to Carolinas Medical Center and is expected to be okay.

Sure, everybody's gonna be OK. The boy will grow up with no thumb. The cop will be brought back from administrative leave with a slap on the wrist, after all, accidents can happen to anybody. And the mom will continue to hang around with stupid and irresponsible gun owners.

That's a good day in North Carolina.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Cop Shot With Own Gun at Bachelor Party

The Sheboygan News reports on the wild incident.

A criminal complaint said Davis M. Manci, 27, was holding the .40-caliber automatic weapon at his hip in a "cowboy" pose when he pulled the trigger believing the weapon was unloaded. The bullet grazed Deputy Anthony Blodgett's left hand before passing through his left thigh and lodging in his right thigh.The shooting took place about 1:30 a.m. Aug. 7 at a party in Rhinelander where both Manci and Blodgett had been drinking, according to a report by the Forest County Sheriff's Department. Blodgett, 25, was off duty, and the gun involved was a personal weapon he was authorized to carry.

I'm not sure what the laws are in Wisconsin or what the police policies are, but wouldn' you think the off-duty cop should be responsible for his own gun?

While sitting around a campfire later, Manci asked to see Blodgett's gun, which was carried in a cloth holster. Blodgett unloaded the gun and gave it to Manci, who pulled the trigger several times.

The gun was then given back to Blodgett, who said he reloaded it in plain sight.

A short time later Blodgett, Manci and another man were playing pool in the basement, so Blodgett removed the gun and holster and placed them on a shelf. Blodgett heard someone tell Manci, "Put that away. That's how kids get hurt."

Blodgett saw the gun in Manci's hand, and a moment later he saw smoke and felt a warm sensation.

Isn't drinking to the point of intoxication at a bachelor party enough? That combined with failure to maintain complete control of the weapon, should result in immediate suspension as well as criminal charges. Don't you think?

A spokeswoman for the Forest County District Attorney's Office declined to say whether Blodgett could face charges.

Sheboygan County Sheriff Mike Helmke said Blodgett is on sick leave recovering at home. An internal investigation is under way to determine if any sheriff's department policies were violated.

I always say cops should be held to a higher standard. FWM always says they should be held to the same standard. In Sheboygan they're held to a lower standard, and not only there. The police cover-ups and special treatment are a disgrace.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Two Strikes You're Out

The Chigcago Tribune reports on the antics of a clumsy deputy.

A Lake County sheriff's deputy has been placed on leave after her gun fell out of its holster and skidded across the floor of the crowded courthouse lobby Wednesday morning.

The gun did not discharge, but the incident, which occurred about 8:30 a.m., prompted at least one witness to phone security.

The sheriff's office confirmed the courthouse deputy is the same officer who accidentally shot herself while retrieving her service weapon from the trunk of her car in the Lake County Courthouse parking garage in February 2009. The bullet went through Deputy Karen Harris' hand and then lodged in her abdomen, but she eventually recovered and was able to return to work.

What's your opinion? Should she be given another break and after some administrative leave with pay, return to duty? Or, do you agree with me, that she should have been fired and stripped of her gun-owning rights after the first incident?

Please leave a comment.

Dallas Ex-Cop Sentenced

The Dallas News reports on a case in which punishment was meted out to an ex-cop.

A former Dallas police officer who pointed a gun at country music singer Steve Holy during an off-duty night of drinking is going to jail for 45 days.

Randy Anderson, 27, was sentenced Wednesday as part of a deferred adjudication probation. He won't have a conviction if he successfully completes his probation for aggravated assault. Anderson and his attorney declined to comment.

Another former officer was charged aggravated assault but his trial date has not been set.

The confrontation occurred in 2007, after Holy invited the officers to his home after a nearby bar closed. An argument ensued and Anderson pulled the gun. Anderson testified at trial that he only pulled his gun after Holy acted aggressively.

What do you think "deferred adjudication probation" means? Is that like going to jail for 45 days, after which completing a period of supervision successfully, followed by having your criminal record expunged and then being free to own guns?

He won't have a conviction if he successfully completes his probation for aggravated assault. Anderson and his attorney declined to comment.

I'll bet they refused to comment. They were probably too busy going off to the bar to celebrate. Is there no end to the special treatment cops get even when they lose their jobs over the criminal act? Ex-officer Randy Anderson has proven himself unfit to own a gun, don't you think?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Cop Fired for Sexy Gun Photo

(picture credit AP)

The Daily News reports on an incident that cost one deputy his job and three others a suspension.

An embarrassed Sheriff Gary Painter fired one Midland County deputy and suspended three others without pay after a scantily dressed waitress holding a rifle posed for photographs on the hood of a patrol vehicle.

Round Rock officers were dispatched to the restaurant after someone reported the waitress with the weapon, which had been given to her by one of the deputies who had been attending a training session near Austin.

The incident occurred last week in the parking lot of a Twin Peaks restaurant, which promotes its "fun, friendly and sometimes flirty atmosphere!"

The deputies told Painter that they had about three to five beers each.

A fifth deputy who remained inside the eatery got a letter of reprimand.

Now, I'm the last one to want to give the cops a break. I believe they should be held to a higher standard. But losing your job over a stupid stunt like this, to me seems ridiculous. What is wrong with these people? Every day in the news there are reports of cops abusing their power, even shooting people in the back, and for the most part they get away with it. But in this case one guy is fired and three suspended without pay. Does anyone else think something's wrong with that?

They admitted drinking "about three to five beers." That means they probably drank more than that, who tells the truth to that question in that situation? Then they started playing around with the gun and the waitress. Very stupid, very irresponsible, but is it criminal enough to get fired over?

On the other hand, maybe this is exactly the way we can weed out the least qualified cops. If a guy demonstrates such poor judgment as this in a fairly innocuous situation, perhaps he's a risk when things get dangerous. What's your opinion?