A matter of perspective....

A few days ago I learned of the death of Deputy Sheriff David Michel of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, just outside of New Orleans. Deputy Michel was padding down a suspect, Jerman Neveaux, when Neveaux started to fight. The suspect was able to pull out a pistol, shot Deputy Michel once, and as the man was on the ground critically wounded, shot him twice more in the back. The reason this waste of sperm murdered him? Because he was "...on probation after recently pleading guilty in New Orleans to misdemeanor possession of stolen property, told authorities he didn't want to go to jail for having a gun..." Fathom that for a few seconds.

Well, he was captured a few hours later and is in the hospital, held on 1st degree murder. But now we have a complaint that "excessive force" was used in the arrest of little Jerman Neveaux, age of 19.

Questions of excessive force surround arrest of suspect in deputy's killing

Cellphone video recorded of the arrest of the suspect accused of fatally shooting a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deputy has led to questions about whether excessive force was used to take him into custody. Sheriff Newell Normand said his department is investigating the matter…

…The cellphone video, which was obtained by our news partners at Fox 8 News, was recorded from an upstairs window of a neighboring apartment.

A woman who answered the door at that neighboring apartment on Thursday morning said she did not record the video but did witness part of the arrest.

The woman was asleep when she woke to the sounds of a commotion that sounded like it was coming from her backyard. When she looked out the window, she saw the deputies on top of a man later identified by authorities as Neveaux.

"All I seen was the man handcuffed and they was beating the hell out of him," the woman said…

Here is the video:

Now I've looked at the video and I don't see if the man is handcuffed. If anyone can see the suspect, I don't know. But think of something. This sack of shit had just murdered a cop. He was armed, the assumption must be that Neveaux is desperate, thinking "what I got to loose?" And the deputies must take him into custody. While he is down on the ground and surrounded by over 6 deputies trying to get him into custody, he's not handcuffed.

At the 6 second mark, his hands are up, free, and there is no handcuff visible.

At the 42 second mark, his hands are still up and not handcuffed.

At the 45 second mark, a deputy kicks him several times.

At the 55 second mark, a deputy punches him multiple times.

The video stops a few seconds later so I can't make any more comments. I will say this, everything I saw on that video was justified.

If you are offended by the following statements, tough shit. We (cops) have a very hazardous duty to preform. Every day thousands of us get up, put on body armor, strap on a Sam Brown, and move out onto the streets. It's not safe out there. And in this instance, one of ours went down. The men in this video took the sack of shit who should have never been born into custody. And if it takes a few hard strikes to insure he doesn't murder another cop (or civilian for that matter), so be it. Last week I posted an excellent quote on arresting someone, and it needs to be restated:

“There is no "nice" way to arrest a potentially dangerous, combative suspect. The police are our bodyguards, our hired fists, batons and guns. We pay them to do the dirty work of protecting us, the work we're too afraid, too unskilled or too civilized to do ourselves. We expect them to keep the bad guys out of our businesses, cars and houses, out of our faces. We want them to "take care of the problem." We just don't want to see how it's done. 

Charles Webb, Ph.D.”

Perhaps Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men said it better:

...I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to...

I've had discussions with a close friend about optics and law enforcement. I've made it very clear, I don't care. I've been on both sides, holding onto a suspect praying help arrives soon and hauling ass to a cop needing help. And the only issue is getting though alive.

Forgive me if I seem a bit arrogant in this, but I don't care. End of discussion.