Officer Down

Police Officer Greggory Casillas
Pomona Police Department, California
End of Watch Friday, March 9, 2018
Age 30
Tour 6 months
Badge 16

Police Officer Gregg Casillas was shot and killed as he attempted to arrest a man in the 1400 block of South Palomares Street following a vehicle pursuit.

The vehicle fled after officers attempted to stop it for reckless driving. The driver crashed into another vehicle before fleeing on foot and entering an apartment. As Officer Casillas and another officer attempted to make contact with the man he fired through the apartment door, striking both officers.

The officers were both transported to a local hospital where Officer Casillas succumbed to his wounds. The man surrendered after remaining barricaded inside his home for more than 15 hours. He was charged with Officer Casillas' murder as well as several counts of attempted murder of a peace officer.

Officer Casillas had served with the Pomona Police Department for six months and was still in field training at the time of the incident. He had been employed as a civilian with the agency for three years before entering the police academy. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Damned good shooting.....

Most cops never use their firearms during their careers. The stats are less than five percent of police officers use their weapons over a twenty year career. But you must be ready for it when ever that day comes. And it will not be as easy as the department range, as this video shows:

Louisville officer shoots through patrol car windshield, killing suspect

A police spokesman said that officers responded to a reported store robbery in the Portland neighborhood on April 24. A suspect matching the description of the store robber fled when police made contact with him. Police said that the suspect was “brandishing” a handgun and shot the suspect, who died shortly after being taken to hospital by emergency services. Police said that no officers were struck by gunfire...

Ion recalling Clint Eastwood’s immortal advise from Heartbreak Ridge, “Improvise, adapt, overcome!” This officer did, and handled the armed felon. But for some reason that wasn’t good enough for this TV reporter.

“...The former police chief for Madison, Wisconsin, David Couper, was quoted by The Courier Journal as saying the move seemed “reckless,” and that the bullet’s trajectory could have been changed when going through the windshield.”

OK, this is a shooting in Kentucky, why do you have to get an opinion from a former chief three states away? I am recalling the accepted (by the 4th Estate) definition of an “expert:” Anyone fifty miles away.

Sorry Chief Dave, the man handled the situation. Excellent work officer.

Officer Down

Police Officer Christopher Ryan Morton
Clinton Police Department, Missouri
End of Watch Tuesday, March 6, 2018
Age 30
Tour 3 years
Badge 319
Military Veteran

Police Officer Christopher Morton was shot and killed when he and two other officers responded to an unknown situation as the result of a 911 call at approximately 9:20 pm.

The call taker could hear screaming in the background on the call, but the caller did not otherwise communicate and hung up before officers arrived on scene. As the officers arrived at the home in the 300 Block of West Grand River Street a male subject opened fire on them with a semi-automatic rifle. The officers returned fire and entered the home in an attempt to take the man into custody. The man continued firing, wounding all three officers.

Officer Morton remained in a bedroom for approximately 15 minutes before being rescued by the other responding officers. He was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his wounds.

The subject then barricaded himself inside the home for several hours. A SWAT team entered the home shortly after midnight and located the subject deceased.

The ensuing investigation revealed that the original 911 call had been made from a home approximately 15 miles away and officers were dispatched to the wrong location when the call was traced to a different address. The male subject who opened fire on the officers was out on bail for weapons and methamphetamine charges and was under investigation for a rape. The female at the home was charged with distribution of methamphetamine following Officer Morton's murder.

Officer Morton had served as both a reserve officer and full-time officer with the Clinton Police Department for three years. He had recently returned to full-time status following the line of duty death of Police Officer Gary Michael on August 6th, 2017. He was a veteran of the Army National Guard and is survived by his parents and siblings.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Sage advise from one of the greatest rock bands ever....

As a child I remember the reports of the crash of a flight carrying the bank Lynard Skynyrd, and the loss of two of the original band members, Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines, as well as backup singer Cassie Gaines. I wasn't much into their music at the time, but I've learned to love their songs, such as Free Bird, Saturday Night Special, That Smell, What's Your Name, and this absolute classic, Simple Man. I danced with my mother to this at my wedding, and the wisdom shows the talent of Ronnie Van Zant's writing. Speaking to "my only son" (actuall Van Zant was one of three sons she had), and the enlightenment she wants to pass to her child.

This is an awesome live version of the song. Enjoy. And have a great weekend.

Officer Down

Police Officer Rodney Scott Smith
Hickman Police Department, Kentucky
End of Watch Friday, March 2, 2018
Age 45
Tour Not available
Badge 511

Police Officer Rodney Smith drowned when his patrol car was washed into a flooded field off of Bernal Avenue.

The area had become flooded as a result of the overflowing Bayou de Chien. He was checking the area when he went missing at approximately 9:15 pm. Multiple agencies responded to the area and began a massive search. His body and patrol were located separately in a flooded field off of Bernal Avenue the following morning.

Officer Smith is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren, and mother.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

May be an option for active shooters...

Fact of life is the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. But this may be an option to buy time for the innocent people in the target.


A cure all, no, but something to look at.

Officer Down

Deputy Sheriff Jacob M. Pickett
Boone County Sheriff's Office, Indiana
End of Watch Friday, March 2, 2018
Age 34
Tour 8 years

Deputy Sheriff Jake Pickett succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained while attempting to apprehend a wanted subject.

The man had fled from Lebanon police officers who had gone to his home to serve a warrant on a different person. The officers recognized the man as also having warrants but he fled in a vehicle with two other people when the officers tried to take him into custody. Deputy Pickett, a canine handler, joined the pursuit until it came to a stop on Indian Springs Road.

The wanted man fled on foot with Deputy Pickett and his canine in pursuit. Deputy Pickett was shot in the head as he rounded the corner of a building. The subject was shot and wounded by another officer before being taken into custody. The second subject continued to flee in the vehicle but was taken into custody following another pursuit that ended on I-65.

Deputy Pickett was transported to Witham Hospital before being flown to St. Vincent Hospital, in Indianapolis, where he succumbed to his injuries. He was kept on life support until the evening of March 4th, 2018, so that his organs could be donated.

Deputy Pickett had served with the Boone County Sheriff's Office for three years. He had previously served with the Tipton County Sheriff's Office for two years and the Marion County Sheriff's Office for three years. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

A K9....

With a real personality!

This is too cool to not share!

A sign of liberty in the Rocky Mountain High state....

I lived in Colorado from 1989 to 1992, and like California, the state's physical beauty is breathtaking. I took the family there this last summer and they were astonished at the Rocky Mountains, Pike's Peak, and Garden of the Gods, among other things.

However, over the last 25 years Colorado has been invaded by libtards from states like California, and unfortunately they are bringing their crazed ideas with them. And Boulder is known for it's crazy ideas, and now they've passed another one. They want to ban "assault rifles," whatever the hell that is.

I found this article oner the weekend and it's interesting:

To Boulder’s anti-gun bigots, I will not comply with your hate law

My home town of Boulder is about to define me as a criminal if I do not disarm or move.

Let this column serve as a public notice, I will not comply.

I was raised in Colorado and moved to Boulder in 1984, graduated from CU there and stayed. I proudly represented Boulder on the RTD Board of Directors. My late daughter rests in a Boulder cemetery. I plan to be laid to rest beside her when my time comes. All that to say my roots are deep in my hometown.

But to be who I am, to be true to my values I hold dear, I must choose to leave or go to jail.

Boulder prides itself on promoting inclusion, diversity and tolerance. And there was a time it lived up to those now-empty words — a time when Boulder was diverse enough to welcome such opposites as the beatnik, Buddhist Naropa Institute and Soldier of Fortune magazine.

But it’s getting very clear Boulder doesn’t want my type in their lily-white, homogeneous town...

Remember, it's inclusive and tolerant for their kind of people, not for others.

Boulder City Council is on the verge of passing a sweeping anti-gun ordinance, laughably called an assault weapons ban. So loosely written, this ordinance would ban the first gun I ever owned, a simple .22 caliber rifle, the same type most farm boys get on their twelfth birthday. Its sin? It can be fitted with a pistol-grip or a folding stock...

...The Anti-Defamation League and The Gay and Lesbian Fund sponsors a program plastered throughout Boulder schools call “No Place For Hate.” They ask students to make a resolution of respect: “I will seek to gain understanding of those who are different from myself.”

But Boulder’s council has done nothing to understand the culture and values of gun owners and little to understand much more than the cosmetic aspects of guns.

Boulder has become a place for hate.

Should this ordinance pass, it will require me to permanently move my guns out of Boulder. What a spectacularly privileged, Boulderesque idea. Only in Boulder and Aspen is there an assumption that you’re wealthy enough to have a second home or storage in another city.

You can’t keep your soon-to-be-illegal guns at a friend’s house in another city either. The new 2013 anti-gun state laws say you can only do that for three days before you’ll both be criminals.

If I can’t afford to move my guns out, which I can’t, I am to destroy them or surrender them. There is a possibility council might take pity and let me keep my own property by creating the state’s first database of people whose values they do not understand or respect...

...Jon Caldara, a Denver Post columnist, is president of the Independence Institute, a libertarian-conservative think tank in Denver.

The rest of the article is worth reading, but I'm drawn to the part where a city is requiring a citizen to turn in a legal item, a firearm, or destroy them. They are denying a citizen his personal property without compensation. Granted, I have not read the full text of the proposed legislation, but this seems like a serious violation of the Constitution's "takings" clause. Per Amendment V, "...nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." Then again, when has the Constitution been a hindrance to liberals.

Now for something classy.....

Last week I posted on 2001: A Space Odyssey, and it's stunning opening music, Also sprach Zarathustra. Well I was looking around and found this incredible version of the song:



And while I was there, found this version of Ride of the Valkyries:



And The Empire's March, also know as Darth Vader's theme:



And can you review classical music without this!


Happy Friday the 13th and have a great weekend!

What's going on in the World Today 180412

HYPERLINKS MAY REQUIRE AN EMAIL:

USA
U.S. Naval Update Map: April 12, 2018

U.S. Air Force To Kick Off Competition For New A-10 Wings

Mar 27, 2018 Lara Seligman | Aerospace Daily & Defense Report
President Donald Trump’s signature on the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill last week gave the U.S. Air Force the green light to move forward with re-winging the A-10 Warthog so the venerable attack aircraft can fly into the 2030s.

The fiscal 2018 appropriations act includes $103 million for the Air Force to restart production of A-10 wings—a necessary step to keep the aging fleet flying for at least the next decade. Out of a fleet of about 280 A-10s that need new wings, Boeing has re-winged about 170, but the remaining 109 aircraft are still flying with their original wings from the 1970s...



Secretive X-37B Military Space Plane Wings Past 200 Days in Orbit
By Leonard David, Space.com's Space Insider Columnist

That mission, known as Orbital Test Vehicle-5 (OTV-5), began Sept. 7, 2017, when the robotic spacecraft launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.

According to Air Force officials, one payload flying on OTV-5 is the Advanced Structurally Embedded Thermal Spreader, or ASETS-11, of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). This cargo is testing experimental electronics and oscillating heat pipes for long durations in the space environment. [The X-37B Space Plane: 6 Surprising Facts]

The X-37B space plane has a payload bay about the size of a pickup-truck bed, which can be outfitted with a robotic arm.
The X-37B space plane has a payload bay about the size of a pickup-truck bed, which can be outfitted with a robotic arm.
Credit: Boeing





AFRICA

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

ASIA

New Version Of Turkish Anka UAV Emerges

LONDON—Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has developed and flown a heavily modified version of its Anka medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned air system equipped with a signals or communications intelligence payload.

Images of the platform, believed to be called the Anka-I, were uploaded to social media sites by Turkey’s defense procurement agency SSM on March 24 and quickly deleted, but not before several users had saved the images and re-uploaded them.

The Anka-I is believed to be a development of TAI’s Anka-B, introducing additional performance and endurance over the Anka-A development aircraft. But it can only be operated through line-of-sight operation because it lacks the beyond-line-of-sight satellite communications system of the Anka-S model currently entering service with the Turkish air force.

The Anka-I is believed to be using a sub-suite of Aselsan’s Multi-Int intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensor suite developed for multimission aircraft, replacing the standard electro-optical camera and side-looking airborne radar of other versions. The aircraft carries 14 different aerials around the fuselage as well as large cheek fairings containing four sensor apertures. It is unclear whether the cheek fairings are on both sides of the aircraft, as the images online only show the aircraft on the starboard side...

Vietnam: A Coast Guard Counter in the South China Sea

As China continues to steadily ramp up its quasi-military forces, countries around the South China Sea are responding by strengthening their own maritime enforcement capabilities in the competition for sea lanes, natural resources and disputed territory. On April 11, Vietnam's National Assembly released a draft bill outlining potential changes to the authority, functions and structure of the country's coast guard. Significantly, the proposal would empower the coast guard with greater flexibility on when to open fire at sea, raising the risk of skirmishes in waters where the undefined boundaries already lead to fishing conflicts and other disputes...


EUROPE

Merkel’s Military Revival

Germany is poised to become Europe’s first line of defense, but facing down a revanchist Russia will require more spending and better coordination among NATO allies.

For months after Germany’s September 2017 election, it was unclear whether Chancellor Angela Merkel could form a viable new government. The widespread anxiety over the outcome of the coalition talks finally dissipated after the Social Democratic Party (SPD) decided on March 4 to join the government, cementing Merkel’s continued leadership. With political instability and populism rising across Europe, the formation of a new coalition government in Germany led to universal expressions of relief.

But if Germany wishes to achieve its ambitious regional and global leadership goals, it will need to enhance the ability of its armed forces, the Bundeswehr, to act abroad. And this will require a substantial increase in national defense spending. Germany has long lagged in defense spending despite being Europe’s largest economy.Germany has long lagged in defense spending despite being Europe’s largest economy. Among NATO allies — all of whom are treaty-bound to meet a mandated annual defense target of 2 percent of GDP — Germany ranks 17th in the EU at 1.2 percent and is nowhere close to meeting this target at present. Over the past two decades, German defense spending has gradually decreased to the current level of $45.9 billion, which renders Germany largely unable to project force abroad...

LATIN/SOUTH AMERICA

Mexico: Revised NAFTA Details Likely In May

Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo said there is an 80 percent chance that NAFTA parties could reach an agreement in principle by the first week of May, adding that progress was made when the United States backed down from its 50 percent domestic content requirement and 85 percent regional content requirement for automobiles, Inside U.S. Trade reported April 9. Guajardo also noted the urgency for the United States to present a plan for a revised trade agreement to the U.S. Congress, before midterm elections in the fall. Though U.S. President Donald Trump hoped to present a revised NAFTA deal at the Summit of the Americas from April 13 to April 14 in Lima, it is more likely that a preliminary deal could be revealed.


AFGHANISTAN

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

CHINA

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

IRAN

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

IRAQ

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

ISRAEL

Everyone Loves Israel Now

There's much more to the Arab world's newfound friendship with Israel than ganging up on Iran.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the Arab world today is how relatively uncontroversial Israel has become. During 11 days of travel through Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, we heard the Israeli-Palestinian conflict mentioned only once. This is a dramatic shift from decades during which hostility to Israel served as perhaps the most important unifier of often fractious Arab governments.

But if the change is real, it’s also very easily misunderstood. At a conference held at Brandeis University’s Crown Center for Middle East Studies last year, an Arab colleague was asked, “When will Arab states finally accept Israel?” His concise, and accurate, response: “When they realize that they are better off with Israel there than had Israel not been there...”

KOREAN PENNSULEA

The US-DPRK Summit: Assessing Chinese Anxieties

The visit by the mysterious North Korean visitor on Monday raises wide speculation about what China and North Korea are jointly planning ahead of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s summits with South Korean President Moon in April and with US President Trump in May. Information about the meeting is scarce. And the visit is probably best characterized as the convergence of Chinese desire to remain relevant and North Korean desire to manipulate US and China against each other. It is a direct result of the announcement of a Trump-Kim Summit earlier this month and reflects the Chinese maneuver to address the potential exclusion of China in a deal that could impact the future of not only the Korean Peninsula, but also the region.

When news broke on March 8 that President Trump had agreed to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the whole world was taken by surprise. In China, the announcement evoked two different reactions. Among Chinese foreign policy wonks, there was palpable anxiety over the perception that the Chinese government had been reduced to the role of an interested bystander and that its strategic interests would be sacrificed in the US-DPRK bilateral negotiations. Officially, China’s reaction appears to be much more positive. In President Xi Jinping’s phone conversation with President Trump on March 10, he hoped that “US and North Korea will initiate their engagement and dialogue as early as possible and strive for a positive result.” The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a positive statement...

Bad History Makes for Flawed Policy

“North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the United States,” President-elect Donald Trump tweeted a day after Kim Jong Un’s New Year’s Day speech last year. “It won’t happen.”

Now the North Korean leader has made Trump’s pledge possible. He has stopped testing just short of demonstrating a reliable thermonuclear weapon and an ICBM with a reentry vehicle capable of delivering it. If President Trump is prepared to negotiate in earnest and live up to his commitments, he might make his wish come true—but not if he heeds advice to confront Kim at the summit with an ultimatum to disarm or else. John Bolton may offer that advice in the mistaken belief that brandishing sanctions and threatening war gives Trump leverage, but Kim retains far greater leverage by resuming tests.,,

RUSSIA

Syria: What to Make of Russian Threats Against a U.S.-Led Strike

Russia's explicit threat issued on April 11 to shoot down missiles and target deployment sites in the event of a U.S.-led military strike on Syria has caused a great deal of consternation. The statement fits with a Russian pattern of threats against U.S. assets in the war-torn country, and it is not likely to change U.S. intentions to punish the Syrian government for its purported use of chemical weapons against a rebel-held area. The latest developments appear to be just another chapter in the continuing back-and-forth between the countries over Syria; they include Russian moves to cut communication avenues with the United States, the United States responding to ameliorate the issue, then the two sides eventually returning to talks over deconfliction, where the two sides coordinate military action to avoid incidents between them. Those talks are where Moscow has routinely tried to steer the dialogue away from battlefield tactics and toward the overarching strategic issues between it and Washington...

...At this point, we are not seeing signs of U.S. carriers surging into the region. Of the carrier groups currently deployed, the USS John C. Stennis is training in the Pacific Ocean and the USS Theodore Roosevelt is conducting a port visit in Manila, Philippines. The USS Harry S. Truman, which left April 11 from its home port in Norfolk, Virginia, cannot realistically be in position to participate in a Syrian strike for an additional four or five days. The present force structure implies that any U.S. response will remain a punitive strike with a limited range of targets. Delay of the strike to allow more assets such as the Truman to move into place could portend an intent to expand the target set or conduct a more sustained strike over time for greater effect.”

MIDDLE EAST GENERAL

The Signs, Options and Risks of a U.S. Strike on Syria

- The United States is building a military coalition to deter Syria's use of chemical weapons.

- This coalition may conduct a broader operation with a bigger target list than the U.S. strikes conducted in April 2017, but it would not be intended to change the civil war's frontlines.

- Like 2017's strikes, any potential operation will try to avoid Russian casualties and mitigate risk of further political escalation for the coalition.

The United States is building a coalition against Syria to respond to an alleged chemical weapons attack on April 7 against civilians and rebel forces in Douma, near Damascus. The primary objective of an operation against Syria will be to deter the further use of chemical weapons, something that a punitive missile strike launched last April by the United States did only temporarily...


Saudi Arabia shoots down missiles from Yemen; one dead from debris

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi air defenses shot down seven ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi militia on Sunday, with debris killing a man in what was the first death in the capital during the Saudi-led coalition’s three-year military campaign in Yemen.

Saudi forces destroyed three missiles over northeastern Riyadh shortly before midnight, as well as others fired at the southern cities of Najran, Jizan and Khamis Mushait, the coalition said in a statement carried by state news agency SPA.

Debris from the missiles fell on a home in Riyadh, killing an Egyptian resident and wounding two other Egyptians, said coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki, according to SPA.

Reuters reporters in Riyadh heard several booms and saw smoke in the air. Another witness said he saw a long stream of light followed by additional explosions....

CYBER ISSUES

NOTHING SIGNIFICANT TO REPORT

TERRORISM

Motive Matters: Why the Austin Bomber Wasn't a Terrorist

By Scott Stewart
VP of Tactical Analysis, Stratfor

Although the wave of fear caused by Austin bomber Mark Anthony Conditt subsided after he took his life with one of his own bombs as police closed in on him, a great deal of debate continues over whether he should be labeled a terrorist. Unfortunately, this is a controversy that arises nearly every time there is a case of mass violence in which the perpetrator did not have an affiliation with, or act in support of, a terrorist organization.

In the Austin case, Conditt left a lengthy recording in which he reportedly confessed to the bombing spree and even outlined how he constructed each of the devices he deployed. However, what he did not provide in that message was any indication of motive based on ideology, hate or politics. In fact, according to an account of the recording published by the Austin American-Statesman, authorities have noted that Conditt felt no remorse for the killings, describing himself as a psychopath.
MISC
Battlefield Biotech: The Rising Competition Between China and the U.S.

Biotechnologies, especially gene-editing techniques, are evolving at a rapid pace. China's domestic sector is catching up with the West most rapidly in the area of health care.

China's compulsion to overcome environmental and demographic constraints will ensure it continues to give priority to developing its domestic biotechnology sector.

The West, in turn, will watch for shifts in Chinese policy that would allow for foreign participation in the country, while moving to protect its intellectual property there..
MISC
Boeing, Rolls-Royce Back Reaction Hypersonic Engine Developer

LOS ANGELES—Boeing and Rolls-Royce have joined BAE Systems as key investors in UK-based hypersonic engine developer Reaction Engines.

The emergence of Boeing and Rolls-Royce as new backers in the latest round of strategic fundraising represents a significant endorsement for Reaction, which is designing and testing an air-breathing, combined-cycle rocket engine concept. Dubbed Sabre, the rocket burns liquid hydrogen with oxygen it extracts from the atmosphere rather than from onboard tanks, enabling long-range hypersonic cruise as well as, potentially, cheaper access to space.

Reaction says the £26.5 million ($37.5 million) in new funding also includes additional investment from BAE Systems, which injected £20.6 million into the company in 2015. Other investors in this round include Baillie Gifford Asset Management and Woodford Investment Management. Reaction says the funding, which will take the form of a subscription for new shares, is still subject to the approval of existing shareholders...

Officer Down

Deputy Sheriff Alexis "Thunder" Eagle Locklear
Scotland County Sheriff's Office, North Carolina
End of Watch: Thursday, March 1, 2018
Age: 24
Tour: 9 months
Badge: 143

Deputy Sheriff Alexis Locklear was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Old Wire Road, near Arch Mclean Road in Wagram, just after 7:00 pm.

He was responding to assist another officer who was involved in vehicle pursuit when his vehicle left the road into a wooded area.

Deputy Locklear had served with the Scotland County Sheriff's Office for nine months. He is survived by a 4-year-old child.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh.

America 2018.....

God help us all!!!!

As a patrol sergeant, a common event in my day is going by with a unit because someone wants to "Speak with a supervisor..." Hey, I got the stripes, it comes with the job, got it.

But you know it's gonna be a headache when I speak with the man on the scene by phone, and he says, "Sarge, we arrested this dude for criminal trespass, and his mother wants to talk to you...." I know I'm going to regret this, but, I'll ask, "How old is the suspect?"

My officer responds, with a slight tone of amusement in his voice, "The dude's forty...."

After arriving and seeing the suspect in the back seat, I explain to Mom that it's not up to her, or him, or the man who called on his. The district attorney's office has accepted charges and we have to book him. She seems to understand, and I keep my comments to myself about a forty year told needing mom to handle his business.

Well, after he started screaming, "I'm mental, I gotta go to the hospital! I've not taken my meds! I'm bi-polar, schizophrenic, I'm ready to kill myself!," and starts to slam his head against the divider in the patrol SUV. I notice he likely doesn't know how to balance a checkbook, but he knows the right words to trigger a mental health evaluation before he goes to jail. And as much as I really don't care if his overacting will result in his splitting headache or other injury to himself, he might damage the vehicle, and that we can't afford right now. Also, if he bust his head, not much will flow out, but I will likely be writing a lot of paperwork.

So the officers and I have to pull him out, he keeps kicking and screaming, and after his next piece of Shatner like overacting, he screams at the top of his lungs, "I can't breath!" He ain't that bright, because if he had any knowledge of the human body, he would know you can't scream when you can't breath. After reminding him that the act has already been done by Eric Gardner, and I then mentioned (screamed actually) he was on camera. I find that calms a lot of suspects down, knowing they can't lie about what's happening.

After the medics check him out, he goes to get evaluated at the psych center, and I get to write another report because of an idiot. If he had just cooperated he would be out in a day, now he's gotta sit in a hospital for a day or two, then get goes to jail for trial, etc.

I am annoyed at this stupidity, but I remind myself. If it wasn't for stupid people, I would be out of a job!

Here's to a better week!

Officer Down

Sergeant Mark J. Baserman
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, Pennsylvania
End of Watch Monday, February 26, 2018
Age 60
Tour 11 years
Incident Date Thursday, February 15, 2018

Sergeant Mark Baserman succumbed to injuries sustained when he was attacked by an inmate at State Correctional Institute-Somerset on February 15th, 2018.

The inmate, who was serving a life sentence for first-degree murder, attacked Sergeant Baserman as he sat the officer's desk in a housing unit's day room. Earlier in the day, Sergeant Baserman had confiscated a towel being used by the inmate to obscure his bunk. The inmate punched Sergeant Baserman in the head numerous times then continued to kick him in the head after he fell to the ground.

Another officer who came to Sergeant Baserman's aid was also attacked before the inmate was subdued.

Sergeant Baserman was transported to a local hospital where he remained until succumbing to his injuries.

Sergeant Baserman was a U.S Army veteran and had served with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections for 11 years. He is survived by his wife, stepdaughter, step-grandchildren, and brother.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Time for some Also sprach Zarathustra...

More commonly known as the theme to 2001: A Space Odyssey.

I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that.

I've watched this movie countless times and it's always great to me, a true classic. Orders of magnitude better than the 1984 sequel, 2010: The Year We Made Contact. Damn good book, but they destroyed the story in the movie.

This week was the 50th anniversary of the movie premiering, and it broke many of the stereotypes of science fiction. It was not a "B movie," didn't have a shoe string budget, the plot line and script were excellent, up and coming actors (if not "A list") were cast in the roles. They had to spend a fortune on models as computer generated special effects were not even a pipe dream at that time. But if you watch this short interview with the actors, there are many items we take for granted today that this movie, in the late 1960s, forecast, like tablet computers and Skype.



There is no doubt this movie inspired other movie makers, such as a young George Lucas, who would write a movie for a generation growing up without heroes.

If you want a few more stills of the movie, this article from SF Gate is great.

Have a great weekend!

This is what we call fake news....

In the days after Hurricane Harvey hit last August, we had serious problems with looting. Personally, I will cut people some slack if they are lifting food, water, baby supplies, even some cloths. We were in a disaster area and food and water were in short supply in some areas.

Now this is interesting. The local ABC affiliate is reporting on a looter who was caught in the days after Harvey hit. Now take a look at the headline, which, for many people, will be the only part of the story they look at:

Looter gets 20 years for stealing cigarettes and TVs during Hurricane Harvey

OK, a man is stealing cigarettes right after a Cat 5 hurricane hits the Houston area. Now some of the details left out, unless you real the full article:

The Harris County District Attorney's Office said Gamelin was caught stealing televisions and cigarettes from a store on Silber Road during the height of the storm.

Gamelin was on parole for a drug conviction when he took more than $5,000 worth of loot.

Police said Gamelin used a Ford van to smash open the cart doorway. He then climbed through the hole and removed a television and tobacco products from the store...

OK, first the man is on parole, so I think a felony of burglary will will be enough to violate that. Or the fact he has likely committed felony level of criminal mischief. Or it's likely (assumption on my part) he has been convicted of theft twice before, and the third time is a state jail felony.
Perhaps our news readers should get a better knowledge of the law before they read about it.

Officer Down

Sergeant Mujahid Ramzziddin
Prince George's County Police Department, Maryland
End of Watch Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Age 51
Tour 19 years
Badge 2770

Sergeant Mujahid Ramzziddin was shot and killed at approximately 10:15 am while attempting to protect a female subject who was being attacked in a domestic violence incident in a neighborhood near the intersection of Chadds Ford Drive and Chadsey Lane.

Sergeant Ramzziddin, who was off duty and lived nearby, attempted to protect the female and confronted the man who was armed with a shotgun. The subject, who had a protective order issued against him, fatally shot Sergeant Ramzziddin before stealing his service weapon and fleeing in a vehicle.

Responding officers pursued the man approximately 10 miles before he stopped and attempted to flee into a nearby wooded area. The man was shot and killed by pursuing officers after shooting at them.

Sergeant Ramzziddin had served with the Prince George's County Police Department for 14 years and had previously served with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC, for five years. He was awarded the county’s Medal of Valor in 2006 for his courage while engaging an armed suspect. He was a veteran of the District of Columbia Air National Guard and U.S. Marine Corps.

Sergeant Ramzziddin is survived by his wife and four children.

He was posthumously promoted from the rank of Corporal to the rank of Sergeant.

Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch

Nemo me impune lacessit

Day is done, Gone the sun, From the lake, From the hills, From the sky. All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh. 

Why do I have a real bad feeling about this...

Oh, yea, it's from California.

All my life I've heard a saying, "You want to see America in 20 years, look at California today...." Well, in twenty years, I'll be retired from law enforcement. Thank God!

The latest from the Cereal State, the land of fruits, flakes and nuts:

Proposal would limit when Calif. police can shoot

‘Necessary’ force suggested; cops wary of change

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Several lawmakers and the family of a 22-year-old unarmed black man who was fatally shot by police proposed Tuesday that California become the first state to significantly restrict when officers can open fire.

The legislation would change the standard from using “reasonable force” to “necessary force.”

That means officers would be allowed to shoot only if “there were no other reasonable alternatives to the use of deadly force” to prevent imminent serious injury or death,said Lizzie Buchen, legislative advocate for the American Civil Liberties Union, which is among the groups behind the measure...

So a cop hate group is pushing this with the largest cop hate group, the Democratic party. No, no issue with this.

...“We need to ensure that our state policy governing the use of deadly force stresses the sanctity of human life and is only used when necessary,” said Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, a San Diego Democrat who introduced the bill. “Deadly force can be used, but only when it is completely necessary.”

The goal is to encourage officers to try to defuse confrontations or use less deadly weapons, said Democratic Assemblyman Kevin McCarty of Sacramento, who is co-authoring the legislation.

“We should no longer be the target practice or victims of a shoot first, ask questions later police force,” said Assemblyman Chris Holden, chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus.

I am recalling the great quote of Al Pacino in Scent of a Women, "What a crock of s^&t!" The goal is not to defuse confrontations, the goal is to stop cops from using firearms, and letting crooks go. The people ain't stupid, they know if a cop is worried about being fired if he is doing his job, he will not do his job. He will "Go Galt," answer calls for service, but otherwise not stick their neck out. They have lives, families to support, mortgages to pay. If they do nothing but the bare minimum, they will make it to retirement.

But some in law enforcement called the proposal irresponsible and unworkable.

Officers already use deadly force only when necessary and are taught to try to defuse dangerous situations first when possible, said Ed Obayashi, a Plumas County sheriff’s deputy and special prosecutor who trains officers and testifies in court on police use of force.

Tinkering with legal protections for police could make it more difficult to hire officers and be dangerous because they may hesitate when confronting an armed suspect, threatening themselves and bystanders, Obayashi said...

And that is the purpose sir.

Now I find this interesting:

Two Sacramento officers chased Clark, who was suspected of breaking into cars, into his grandparents’ darkened backyard and opened fire within seconds and without identifying themselves as police because they said they thought he had a gun. Investigators found only a cellphone...

Mr. Clark didn't know two men, in police uniforms, with badges, flashlights, pistol belts, etc were not cops. Got it. Please, give me a break. The investigation will show what it will, but implying Clark didn't know they were cops is another "...crock of s^&t!" Oh, I repeat myself, this is AP.

Now here's another great legal mind giving a YouTube/Facebook training opinion on use of deadly force:

Changing the legal standard might mean that more people confronted by police “could go home. They may be able to wake up” the next day, said Clark’s uncle, family spokesman Curtis Gordon.

“A life may be saved in that blink” of time before officers open fire, he said. “If you feel some sort of repercussion, you may act a little more cautiously.”

Mr Gordon, you are somewhat right, but not for the reason you think. A "blink" is all the time a cop often has to make a decision to fire or not. And your nephew put them into that position. If he had simply show the officers his hands, not run, put both in the mindset that they were pursuing a guilty man, this could have been averted. But if you get what you want, you can live with it. The cops won't pay for it. The politicians, living in their gated communities won't pay for it. The police will simply pull back, and the wolves will move back into the neighborhoods to prey on you and your family. Congratulations, you got what you wanted.

Again, "What a crock of s^&t!"