Police Officer Sean L. Sluganski
McKeesport Police Department, Pennsylvania
End of Watch Monday, February 6, 2023
Age 32
Tour 8 years, 1 month
Badge 300
Cause Gunfire
Weapon Handgun
Offender In custody
Domestic, EDP
Police Officer Sean Sluganski was shot and killed while responding to a domestic situation at the 1300 block of Grandview Avenue in McKeesport.
The subject's mother called 911 reporting that her son was having a PTSD episode and was being aggressive. Officer Sluganski and another officer arrived on the scene and attempted to contact the man as he walked away. The subject produced a handgun and opened fire, wounding both officers. The subject was shot in the leg by return gunfire and then fled to a nearby convenience store where he exchanged shots with a third officer before being taken into custody.
Officer Sluganski was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his wounds. The other officer was critically wounded and flown to a trauma center.
The subject was charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, assaulting a law enforcement officer, and criminal attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.
Officer Sluganski had served with the McKeesport Police Department for three years and previously served with the Charleroi Regional Police Department. He is survived by his fiancée and infant daughter.
This article is the third in a series about policing and public safety policy. Today, we’ll talk about “Broken Windows Policing.” Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is widely and properly credited with cleaning up the mess his predecessor, David Dinkins left him. Giuliani in turn, credits Broken Windows Policing for his success.
The Broken Windows theory of policing was first publicized by George Kelling and James Wilson in the March 1982 edition of The Atlantic. In their article entitled Broken Windows; The police and neighborhood safety, Kelling and Wilson formally stated something we already knew. If you fail to repair a broken window, it won’t be long before the rest of them are broken. They applied this concept to crime.
The Broken Windows article covered in some detail how neglect in enforcing the little things, ultimately led to the decline of neighborhoods and increased violent crime. It is all about perceptions. People no longer felt safe, so they left if they were able. Criminals saw open and notorious disregard for the law in minor infractions and correctly surmised that the risk of being caught for major ones, wasn’t all that high. This is an extensive piece with a lot of ideas that while thought provoking, are at the same time, pretty much common sense. It’s well worth the read if for nothing more, than to see how so may disparate things actually work together to foster neglect, blight and crime.
Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his Police Commissioner, William Bratton put the concepts of broken Windows Policing together with data driven decision making (CompStat) and ended up turning New York City around. Before being selected as Police Commissioner, Bratton, a long time fan of this type of community policing (and of Kelling & Wilson) had run a successful initiative while Chief of New York’s Transit Police. Rudy Giuliani’s election as Mayor, enabled him to enact this policing philosophy throughout the city.
The results speak for themselves. In Bratton’s own words:
To see things clearly, we need to roll back the tape. Starting in the 1960s, everywhere in America, crime began rising. It continued to climb through the 1970s, and accelerated in the 1980s, particularly in our nation’s great cities, where the introduction of crack cocaine precipitated stunning amounts of violence. By 1990, there was an awful peak. New York City suffered 2,245 murders that year, a life stolen every four hours. Put another way, in 1990 the city accounted for 2.9% of the nation’s population and 9.6% of the nation’s homicides — and this at a time when America was much more violent.
And then it tipped. Slowly and localized at first, but then faster and increasingly widespread, three decades of seemingly inexorable crime increase tipped. By 2017, New York City had 2.6% of the country’s people and 1.7% of its homicides. The city, once the site of a tenth of the country’s murders, now literally has less than its share — and that’s a share of a whole that has dropped everywhere.
Kelling and Wilson were right. The left likes to scoff at them, derisively snorting about focusing on “more important stuff.” That’s because they know it works. The left also likes to take advantage of a common sense truism—there is never any single, major silver bullet to resolve any problem of consequence. Thus they attack single initiatives as not fixing the whole problem. Effective policing and public safety is comprised of a number of moving parts that all need to coordinate with and support the others.
Having said that, the opposite is not true. It is possible to damage or destroy an effective system by degrading or removing a single, critical piece. We’ll discuss that tomorrow in Part IV; That Don’t Look Right!
This is Part II of a series on Policing and Police Reform. The series will explain some critical components of policing and public safety, culminating in a final piece that puts all the components together into a coherent system. Today, we will discuss Three Strikes laws and how they affect public safety.
In 1993, the State of Washington became the first state to enact what has become known as “Three Strikes” laws. Upon conviction of a third serious felony, the perpetrators would receive a mandatory life sentence without parole. In the Washington legislation, “serious felony,” was defined as rape, robbery, child molestation, serious assault, manslaughter or murder—a pretty tight definition encompassing violent behavior.
Since then, 28 states (including California!) and the Federal government have legislated some version of Washington’s law. There is no doubt that Three Strikes laws have had some deterrent effect on crime. Criminals actually changed their behavior. From Washington Policy
Many police officers, corrections officers and others, both inside and outside the criminal justice system, have noted that criminals fear Three Strikes. These people have also found that some criminals have modified their behavior. For once, felons are worried about the criminal justice system and that has proven to be a deterrent factor.
Some of the more extensive records have been kept by Detective Bob Shilling, who is in charge of the sex-offender detail of the special assault unit for the Seattle Police Department.
Between the time when Three Strikes first made the ballot and its election-day victory, Detective Shilling recorded that 17 two-strike (or worse) sex offenders fled to other states from Seattle alone.
In addition, more than 42 Seattle sex offenders called with questions and concerns about which crimes were listed as strikes and whether their priors counted as strikes.
In the week following the passage of Three Strikes, Detective Shilling met with three sex offenders, all two-strikers. The first sex offender complained that it wasn’t fair that he already had two strikes against him. The other two sex offenders sought treatment for the first time in their lives and wanted Detective Shilling’s help in finding a program. Both stated their fear of a life-without-parole sentence under Three Strikes. More important, neither has re-offended to date.
California has what is widely regarded is the most far reaching Three Strikes laws. That has caused some controversy. From FindLaw.com:
Three strikes laws have been the subject of extensive debate over whether they’re effective. Defendants sentenced to long prison terms under these laws have also sought to challenge these laws as unconstitutional. For instance, one defendant was found guilty of stealing $150 worth of video tapes from two California department stores. The defendant had prior convictions, and pursuant to California’s three strikes law, the judge sentenced the defendant to 50 years in prison for the theft of the video tapes. The defendant challenged his conviction before the U.S. Supreme Court in Lockyer v. Andrade (2003), but the Court upheld the constitutionality of the law, finding that it didn’t violate the “gross disproportionality principle.
The Federal Government also has a Three Strikes Law, also from FindLaw.com (emphasis mine):
Under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the “Three Strikes” statute provides for mandatory life imprisonment if a convicted felon: (1) has been convicted in federal court of a “serious violent felony”; and (2) has two or more previous convictions in federal or state courts, at least one of which is a serious violent felony (the other offense may be a serious drug offense).
The statute defines a serious violent felony to include the following:
* Murder; * Manslaughter; * Sex offenses; * Kidnapping; * Robbery; and * Any offense punishable by 10 years or more which includes an element of the use of force or involves a significant risk of force
Here is where both California and the Federal government went off the rails. They both took a great idea and tried to make it the panacea for all criminal issues. The focus was supposed to be on violent crime and its deterrence. By adding other, non-violent offenses to the “strike” definition, they brought unnecessary ire from minority communities, by effectively sentencing folks to life in prison for piddling drug beefs. Fixing some of this, was the centerpiece of President Trump’s sentencing reform.
What still needs to be fixed, is the linkage between drug offenses and Three Strikes. In my (not so) humble opinion, the biggest danger drugs produce is the violence that accompanies their distribution and sale. At the end of the day, if we have to prioritize, It’s the violence we want to target.
Much has been made by the leftists about New York’s (until recently) drop in violent crime, despite the efforts of former Mayor DeBlasio in neutering the NYPD. What they don’t take into account, is all the violent felons that are more or less permanently locked up because of Three Strikes. The continued drop in violence can be directly attributed to violent felons, no longer at large to ply their trade.
As part of sentencing reform at both the Federal and state level, we need to keep Three Strikes laws, but remove all association with non violent felonies. That way we keep violent felons away from innocent citizens. At the same time, we put the leftists in the position of defending violent criminals. It’s very easy to garner sympathy for somebody who was put away for life, for what on its face, appeared to be far less than a Capital Crime. It’s much harder to gain that same sympathy for somebody who beat a little old lady senseless and stole her weekly food money.
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Police Officer Gonzalo Carrasco was shot and killed at 11:45 am at the 2600 Block of Pine Street in Selma.
While on patrol, Officer Carrasco was stopped by a homeowner who stated that a man was on her property. When Officer Carrasco investigated, the subject fired several shots, striking Officer Carassco. The subject fled the scene.
Officer Carrasco was transported to the Community Regional Medical Center, where he succumbed to his wounds.
The subject, a felon on probation, was arrested a short time later and charged with murder, being a felon in possession of a gun and ammunition, and probation violation.
Officer Carrasco had served with the Selma Police Department for two years and was part of the Explorer Program at the Reedley Police Department. He is survived by his parents, brother, sisters, and girlfriend, who is expecting his first child.
Long time fellow Army officer, former cop, mentor and friend, as well as founder of the American Free News Network, has a series on Terry Stops, aka "Stop and Frisk." The rest will be posted over the week.
Some time back, I remember listening to the David Webb Show** and he had on a retired NYPD Police Captain. His guest was pretty brutal in his assessment of the then Mayor of Gotham. His view was pretty close to mine, although not quite as salty. His words did however, provide the start point for this little piece.New York Mayor Warren Wilhelm Jr. also known as “Bill DeBlasio” had gone from prohibiting Terry Stops by his Patrolmen, to outright elimination of critical units within the NYPD—I’m thinking the Anti Crime Unit.
That’s not the primary purpose of this article. Over the next day or so, we are going to talk about some of the most effective techniques of reducing violent crime. Today’s article will focus on the Terry Stop, also known as “Stop and Frisk.”
The Terry Stop got its name from a Supreme Court case back in 1968. In the Reader’s Digest version, a police officer observed two men acting suspiciously. They appeared to be “casing” a business in preparation for an armed robbery. The Officer approached the two men, patted them down and discovered a firearm. Both of them were convicted on a weapons charge.
It didn’t stop there. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court which ruled that the pat down and subsequent search was legal. I remember how it got explained to me when I went through the Police Academy. You need “reasonable suspicion” for a Terry Stop. Reasonable suspicion is somewhere between mere suspicion (or a hunch) and probable cause or actual knowledge.
Bob Weir over at American Thinker explains all of this in detail and from a Patrol Officer viewpoint. It’s a great article. I highly recommend it.
Since that SCOTUS decision, hundreds of thousands of illegal firearms have been taken off the street and countless lives saved…many of them Black lives. Of course, like any other common sense program that actually works, Democrats are against it. And like many things Democrats are against, they feel the need to throw the race card. Enter Mayor Willhelm…Ahem! DeBlasio who pledged to greatly reduce the practice and has done so. Most recently, in an act of spineless pandering to the mobs, he disbanded the City’s Anti-Crime Unit which worked in plainclothes and made very effective use of the Terry Stop to get illegal weapons and their criminal possessors, off the street.
That is one of the huge, direct benefits of the Terry Stop. It gets a criminal off the street, however temporarily. It gets that illegal firearm of the street, permanently. There is also a modest deterrent effect. Illegal gun possession carries a pretty decent penalty for a convicted felon. Knowing he can be stopped and patted down, may reduce a felon’s inclination to carry a firearm, or at least make it more risky to do so. Obviously, the Communist front groups known as ANTIFA and Black Lives Matter, now have no such concerns, thanks to the previous Mayor of New York and the leadership Democrat burgs.
Tomorrow, 3 Strikes and how Democrats want to throw the baby out with the bath water. Stay tuned.
**David Webb can be found on Sirius XM 125 (Patriot) M-F, 9-1200 EST.
Here is some other reading for those interested in this particular piece of Police procedure:
One of my favorites from the man, and unquestionable my favorite video. It's simple, Bruce, and guitar, and his music. And a very well written song about the frality and insecurites you have in a relationship.
I don't know what drew me to this song, but here it is. Brilliant Disguise.
With the end of Queen Elizabeth's reign on September 6, 2022, the world saw an extremely rare event. Elizabeth was in Africa February 2nd, 1952, when her father, King George VI passed. She immedately accended to the throne, but her formal cornatin wasn't till June. Charels became king immediately upon Ellizabeth's passing on September 6, 2022, but his cornation is set for May 6, 2023.
If you haven't see it, I would recommend the series The Crown. It follows Elizabeth from child to older monarch, and you get the view of a head of state, and her dealing with the real powers behind, and in front of the thrown. And the dealing with her family, parents, siblings, and children. Expecially the kids. The grandkids will likely be part of the 6th and final season (don't think it's a spoiler, but Season 5 ended with Chuck and Di's divorce).
I know this scene took liberites, but it shows the shock she must have go through. She left on her tour of Africa as a princess and heir apparent. She walked in, likley not thinking right if you will, as she knows her father has passed. It was known that she and George VI were very close, and she was groomed for this day. But to have your mother and sister curtsy. But it was likely a real shock when the Queen Mum, her grandmother and mother of the late King did it.
Here is the scene. Powerful. Trust me, the series is well worth your time.
Master Patrol Officer CJ Williams passed away after suffering a medical emergency during a foot pursuit.
Officer Williams was assisting a Grady County sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop in the area of 10th Street and Robinson Avenue. The subject fled the vehicle, and the officers pursued him. During the chase, Officer Williams collapsed and was unable to be revived.
Officer Williams had served with the Cairo Police Department for two years.n
Rest in Peace Bro…We Got The Watch
K9 Graffit
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Colorado
End of Watch Monday, February 13, 2023
Breed German Shepherd
Gender Male
Age 8
Tour 7 years, 6 months
Cause Gunfire
Weapon Handgun
Offender In custody
K9 Graffit was shot and killed while assisting in the search for an armed subject.
Officers with the Golden Police Department and the Colorado School of Mines Police Department attempted to apprehend a man who was unconscious in his vehicle near 19th Street and Elm Street at about 12:15 am. When officers tried to wake him he drove away but stopped at 19th Street and Tangent Way. As officers approached him again he rammed several patrol cars in an attempt to escape. The officers broke the driver's window and put the car in park, but the subject fled on foot into a wooded area while pointing a handgun at them.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Canine Unit joined the search for the armed subject. When K9 Graffit located the man, the subject fired multiple shots, striking K9 Graffit. A deputy returned fire but did not hit the man who continued to hide until surrendering around 5:00 am.
K9 Graffit had served with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office for 7 1/2 years.
Rest in Peace …till our next roll call at the Rainbow Bridge!
In Memory of all Police Dogs
They handled themselves with beauty & grace
And who could ever forget that beautiful face
Whether at work; or at home; whatever the test
They always worked hard; and did their best
They were real champions; at work or at play
But their lives were cut short; suddenly one day
While working on the job with their partner one day
They put themselves out on a limb; out into harms way
They gave the ultimate sacrifice; any dog can give
They gave up their life; so someone could live
The best of their breed; as his partner and anyone would say
Many hearts are now broken; that he had to prove it this way
Now as the trees are blowing in the gentle breeze
The sun is shining; thru the leaves on the trees
The meadows are green; and the grass grows tall
Off in the distance they can see a waterfall
As they look over the falls; down through the creek
The water flows gently; as a rabbit sneaks a peek
Far up above; in the deep blue sky
They see the birds soar high; as they fly by
They see animals playing; at the bridge by a waterfall
Chasing each other; and just having a ball
They play all day; from morning to night
There's no more rain; just warm sunlight
Off in the distance; they hear trumpets blow
Then all the animals look up; and notice a bright glow
The harps would play and the angels would sing
As they know they've come home; they've earned their wings
We remember that they died; in the line of duty
And are now with the Lord; sharing in heaven's beauty
Off to the meadows now; where they can play and roam free
With an occasional rest stop; under a tall oak tree
No more bad guys to chase; or bullets to take
Just a run through the meadow; down to the lake
A quick splash in the water; then back to the shore
Then it's off to the forest; to go play some more
These special dogs are back home; up in heaven above
They're cradled in God's arm's; and covered with His love
We'll light a candle for all of them; in the dark of night
In loving memory of all; these very special knights
Mrs. Beverly McConnell (Paula Prentiss) to her husband, Lieutenant Commander William "Mac' McConnell (Tom Tryon) before he ships out.
This is a story as old as mankind. Men going off to war, and their wives and them are concerned of making a family if he returns. A very serious concern. I'm reading George C. Marshall: Education of a General by Forrest C. Pogue, and currently it's covering his service in World War I. One of the items that stuck me was the loss of life. I've been told before both Britain and France lost a generation of you men in the trenches of World War I, and that was one of the (many) reasons France was taken so fast. The men who would have been there to defend France were never born because their fathers were killed a generation before. I've read that one of the reasons Field Martial Montgomery was not as aggressive to engage with his army after D-Day was he had the last army Britain could field. They were scraping to find manpower, reclassifying former draft rejects to fill their needs.
From the book (pages 157-158), "The British Expeditionary Force at the end of 1917 was nearly one hundred thousand men smaller than the year before, and there were not enough men left at home to make up the deficit. The French, in the same cruel state of exhaustion, had had to distance one hundred separate battalions for lack of replacements." Good God.
Well, a modern solution to the age old possibility of loosing the family after the father goes to war. Many Ukrainian couples are freezing sperm so they can have children if, God forbid, the father dies.
Before going to fight, many Ukrainians are freezing their sperm
It is one of the concerns for mothers and expectant mothers at the clinic, who spoke to AFP of their hopes and fears for the future as around five children are born at the hospital every day to both local women and internally displaced people (IDPs) forced to flee from Russian-held areas of the country. After the war began, the hospital set up a shelter in the basement including a room with beds for mothers and cots for newborns.
Natalia kyrkach-antonenko found out within two hours of it happening. An artillery strike. Shrapnel to the head. Death in seconds. Volunteers identified her husband Vitaly by his devilish looks and long hair; his nom de guerre “Beautiful” was no accident. One telephone call later, and Ms Kyrkach-Antonenko’s dreams of a family together were gone. But she had prepared for the eventuality. Now she intends to raise a family alone using sperm the couple froze on one of Vitaly’s two rotations back home. In an emotional appeal on social media, written a month after her husband’s death, she urged other couples to take out the same insurance policy. “It could be your only chance. Think and don’t put it off, I beg you.”
Russian tanks brought Ukraine’s booming fertility industry to a shuddering stop in February. The clinics reopened in April to a changed world. Previously the customers were typically foreigners, taking advantage of Ukraine’s liberal rules on surrogacy. Now they are often Ukrainian couples, anxious because the husband has to go and fight. Mother and Child, the country’s largest fertility clinic, launched a programme to meet the new demand, encouraging servicemen and women to freeze their sperm or eggs free of charge, lest they be injured or killed on the front. Their partners were offered large discounts on assisted-conception programmes that usually cost between $1,300 and $4,000. The most needy were given the treatment free. Doctors called the initiative “Hero Nation”, a nod to the growing number of babies conceived to dead or seriously injured parents. They credit the programme with helping the clinic return to roughly 80% of its pre-war capacity...
I've known people who have had issues with conception and gone to in vitro fertilization to have a family. One of the greatest technologies developed in the last century, People will go to their whatever means they have to to have a family, and now technology is helping men become fathers beyond the grave. Truly amazing.
In the late 60s and early 70s, the federal government put minorities applicants into positions there were under-qualified for, calling for "quotas" and "affirmative action" to remedy past discrimination. While multiple SCOTUS rulings have limited the use of the process, it's still exist, especially in certain blue states. Case in point, the former state of California, now the People's Democratic Republic of Kalifornia.
Los Angeles, operating with more than 650 fewer officers than before the pandemic, has "downsized its human trafficking, narcotics and gun details," closed its animal cruelty unit, and decreased its homelessness outreach teams by 80%, AP reported.
...Another provision in the goals summary seeks to "identify, discipline, and/or terminate officers associated with right-wing domestic extremist organizations" using data from the Justice Department. LAPD must report back with progress on this provision in August...
"We [LAPPL] think it ought to be right-wing, left-wing, foreign and domestic," Saggau said. "We think that there are more organizations that members of law enforcement should not be associated with, other than the narrow group that was listed in that document."
Bass also called for updated training measures to comply with the "heightened standard on use of deadly force required," the expansion of the Mental Evaluation Unit and the System-wide Mental Assessment Team, as well as the implementation of efforts to reduce the number ofofficer-involved shootings.
The department is looking at rehiring 200 recently retire officers, To call this a stopgap measure is giving it too much credit. It was only ten years ago LAPD had 10,000 officers. A recent academy class had all of 23 cadets in it. It now has 9, 200 officers, with the attrition hitting 600 a year. Good luck getting that up to 9, 200, or 10, 000.
Now you would think this was an issue where the city needs to look at recruiting and retaining high quality cops, insure they understate the city supports them, and will not throw them under the bus.
That is a very poor assumption. The new mayor of our second largest city sees the biggest issue in policing to be...right wing cops. Not to mention, police showing the Thin Blue Line flag. No, you can't make this up.
Bass is looking to remove "obstacles" for police recruits who fail to initially qualify for training as a means of further diversifying the LAPD, according to a summary of her public safety goals obtained by Fox News Digital – but police union leaders are questioning the move.
Bass' summary of goals for police reform includes a list of provisions as well as dates by which the department must report back regarding progress. One provision says a deputy mayor will work in conjunction with a "third party" to "evaluate the personnel process and identify obstacles to entry for recruits who fail to qualify for training."
OK. Ms. Bass, you have standards there for a reason. To see if your candidate can handle the basics of being a cop, mush less higher standards for speciality branches (e.g., SWAT).
"We think that particular provision or that goal or that idea is dangerous," Tom Saggau, Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) spokesperson, told Fox News Digital.
"If you have police officers that can't make minimum qualifications or attained minimum standards, for instance, there are recruits that have been in the academy that just can't score the minimum requirements for a physical fitness test," he added. "One hundred is the maximum score, 50 is acceptable. There are folks that are scoring under 10. That's just dangerous."
The provision states that recommendations to remove any obstacles will be taken into consideration, especially with those in relation to "ethnic groups disproportionately left out of new officer training."
Saggau said the provision calls for the lowering of standards within the police department as new hires who did not initially qualify during training are shown not to "possess the mental fitness or the physical fitness ability to be a police officer..."
Me thinks quotas are making their way back in. Guess what will happen when you lower the standards to bring more people into law enforcement. People get killed. See officers Arthur Carbonneau in Houston or Antonette Frank in New Orleans
First thing I would ask is what "right wing extremist" organization are you talking about. The Boy Scouts of America? The Catholic Church? The NRA or CSRA? You may want to see if any of the officers are supporters of domestic terrorist groups like Antifa or BLM.
You make cops think twice or thrice about using deadly force, people will get killed. Cops. Or the cops will simply not engage, and other civilians will get killed. This woman obviously rose to the mayors office on the back of the George Floyd riots, and she has no clue.
I recall speaking with a high school friend who was hired by the LA Sheriff's Office in 1990 (?). In the early 2000s I caught up with him on MySpace, and he told me how much he loved LA, got married, three kids, everything was great. Well, early 2010s I caught up with him again on Facebook, and his attitude had changed a bit. "Mike, got one more kid to get out of college, and I'm so the hell out of here..." And that was before George Floyd.
God helps those cops in LA, and the people of LA. It's already bad. It's about to get a lot worse.
I never got to see Queen live, but I've listened to their music countless times and watched their music videos (back when MTV was actually about music and not another reality TV s^&*hole). And can anyone forget their performance at Live Aid. Reportedly Elton John told them after they got off the stage, "You guys just stole the show!" Coming from someone like him, that is high praise.
Freddy Mercury, anther great one taken too soon. F#$% AIDS.
I never knew this had an "official" video, but here it is. Queen, "The Show Must Go On!"
Gotta say I’m a bit torn on this. But it couldn’t have happened to a better sperm donor. I would really, and this is f&*(ed up thinking, wish one of the thugs these Democrats release back on the street would attack them, or someone close to them. Crude, yes. But Houston had an issue with crime in the late 80s/early 90s, and nothing was being done about it while Mr. and Mrs. Public are held up, raped, assaulted or robbed. It took a local VIP getting murdered for the Democrats who control the city to actually do something about crime. As long as it was “them” getting murdered, it was not an issue. One of “us” is killed, “We must do something about this immediately!”
The issue here is a thug was let off about charged with a violent crime. And he murdered two cops afterward. I’m a cop and I’m held accountable for my actions and mistakes. Perhaps you should be Mr. Gascón.
Widow of slain El Monte officer files $25M claim against L.A. district attorney
According to the claim, probation officials got a call about Justin Flores' violent behavior weeks before he shot Officers Michael Paredes and Joseph Santana
LOS ANGELES — The family of an El Monte police officer who was slain this year has filed a notice of claim seeking millions in damages against Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón and the L.A. County Probation Department.
Janine Paredes — whose husband, Michael, was one of two officers gunned down during a confrontation at a motel in June — filed the notice of claim Wednesday, blaming both Gascón's criminal justice reform policies and lax supervision by the probation department for putting the suspected gunman, Justin Flores, in the officers' path on the day of the deadly clash…
…The claim alleges Flores "should have been in custody at the time of the murders but for the deliberate indifference" of Gascón and the probation department, which allowed "Flores to freely roam and prey on those unsuspecting people who work and live in the City of El Monte in the County of Los Angeles."
A documented gang member, Flores had multiple convictions for burglary and drug possession and was on probation when Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana confronted him at the Siesta Inn in June.
The officers were responding to a domestic violence call when Flores emerged from a bathroom and shot them both in the head, authorities have said. Flores then allegedly raced into the parking lot with one of the fallen officers' weapons, where authorities say he engaged in a firefight with other officers and was killed.
In the days after the shooting, many in law enforcement turned their ire toward Gascón, claiming Flores would have been in prison if not for the district attorney's controversial refusal to file sentencing enhancements against defendants.
Flores, who was awaiting charges on drug and gun possession in early 2021, was sentenced to two years' probation under the terms of a plea deal. Some have argued he should have faced additional prison time for a prior "strike offense," a 2011 burglary conviction, that might have resulted in Flores being incarcerated at the time of the killings.
So the thug committed the murder, not the gun? Shocking, I know. LA Times, perhaps you can remember that next time a Democrat goes on a mass shooting.
Gascón said the plea deal was consistent with those offered by prior administrations and noted the prior burglary crime was nonviolent. But The Times reviewed documents this year that showed the prosecutor on the case specifically cited Gascón's policy when filing a report rescinding the use of an enhancement against Flores. The policy was later deemed illegal by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge.
"Our hearts go out to the family of Sgt. Paredes. His tragic murder is a devastating loss to both his family, friends and the community he bravely served. We have nothing but empathy for those who are suffering," the district attorney's office said in a statement Tuesday…
…A Times investigation also raised serious questions about the probation department's supervision of Flores. In the days before the killings, the probation department received reports that Flores had beaten a woman and was in possession of a gun, both incidents that could have resulted in his probation being revoked.
Mr. Gascón, spare us your thoughts and prayers. They are not enough.
You have a job, and it’s a tough one. Like the police on the street, you need to handle society’s trash, separate them from the law-abiding public. You take them out of society and into prison where they cannot commit crimes against the public. If you cannot do that, if you don’t understand your mission in life is to protect the public, not the criminal class, then get a new career. You’re the prosecution, not the defense.
Maybe people in the state assembly should modify this idea from an idiot in the Texas legislature:
AUSTIN, Texas — A proposed Texas law to address police killings and misconduct would require police officers to have liability insurance.
It’s a move the bill’s sponsor, Houston State Rep. Jolanda Jones, said will make cops think twice before unnecessary action against the public. The bill was inspired in part by the beating of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police, which resulted in his death.
“For far too long law enforcement officers use their jobs to justify taking extreme, unjustified actions that kill our neighbors, friends and family,” Jones said.
The relatively new lawmaker filedHB 1808, which would require peace officers across Texas to carry personal liability insurance as a condition of their employment.
“You can’t waffle taxpayers to pay for rouge officers,” Jones said.
Jones is a defense attorney as well as a state legislator and said the bill would shift the burden of paying out settlements of misconduct from taxpayers to the officer…
Or require it of judges who release felons on personal recognizance or low bond. Actually, the solution is to vote out these Democrats from any powerful office and let adults handle things like law and order. Now the idiot in the Texas legislature has proposed this for cheap publicity (she knows it’s going nowhere), the fact is the voters in California will keep voting these morons in. Until they have a come to Jesus moment (see Rudy Giuliani in New York), it will only get worse and people will run from the former Golden State in droves.
A great quote from Tennessee Williams, "American has one three unique cities, New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Everything else is Cleveland."
Well, New Orleans Police are having challenges recruiting new officers, like many departments. And they put up this video on their social media pages. Personally, I like how it goes out the box. Unfortunately, it got some complaints and was pulled after one hour!
Come on guys, one hour and some Karens complain, so you pull it back. I'll lay money the people who complained are not the people you want as police.
Take a look and judge for yourself.
New Orleans is still still a unique city. Hopefully it survives the current administration.
Can't believe it's been two years since he passed. As too many have said, no one can replace Rush Limbaugh. They can only succeed him.
The man was in credible in many ways, but the biggest contribution was just showing anyone, including a man from small town Missouri can use his talent and hard work to achieve greatness in their chosen form of endeavor.
I remember his final show in 2020. The final show before he took two weeks off for the holidays were generally an annual thank you to his listeners and staff, but this was different. The previous year he took a lot of time off for cancer treatment, and you could tell it was taking a toll on him. But on his final show, the way he said, "Some day I won't be able to do this show" was telling. He was saying good bye. Maybe he has a premonition, maybe he just was too tired, one can only guess. But it was a great loss to America when he finally passed
As a good friend said, "No one gets out of here alive." And someone else said, "It's not the years in your life, but the life in your years." And few men put as much life into 70 years as Rush.
For him, his opening song, The Pretenders, "My City Was Gone."
RIP Rush. You are missed. I laugh every time I think of the fun you would have with Ballongate.
Supervisory Officer Jacqueline Montanaro
United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations, U.S. Government
End of Watch Saturday, January 14, 2023
Supervisory Officer Jackie Montanaro died from injuries she sustained while trying to rescue her daughter from a fire in Hazlet, New Jersey.
When a fire broke out around midnight, Officer Montanaro evacuated from her burning home with her husband and eight-year-old daughter. She re-entered the home in an attempt to rescue their six-year-old daughter who was still inside. Officer Montanaro was found unconscious, trapped inside with trauma to her arms and hands. She was transported to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries at 1:40 am. Her six-year-old daughter did not survive the fire.
Officer Montanaro had served with the United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Office of Field Operations for 16 years and was assigned to the Newark Liberty International Airport. She is survived by her husband, daughter, parents, grandmother, sister, and two brothers.
A few years back I read an article on Israel and the UAE. Quickly after they announced diplomatic relations for the first time, they disclosed they would cooperate on space projects (satellite launches, etc). I remember texting a Jewish friend of mine and saying, "I got this mind worm stuck in my head!"
Her answer, "OMG, I saw the article this morning and this has been in my head all day!"
Now the BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) movement of the last decade or so has targeted the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel. For some reason they have not wanted to target very oppressive regimes like China or Iran, just the Jewish homeland. Dare I saw, anti-semitism.
I'm not about to call the Israeli's saints. If you want a good reason why, read something like Rise and Kill First by Ronen Bergman. But understandable seeing it was founded by people just out of the Holocaust, with two words driving the founding: Never Again!
Well, the Israeli's have been going after their enemies from 1948. First, the NAZIs who carried out the mass murder of millions for Hitler. Then, after the terrorist who carried out attacks like the 1972 Olympic massacre. More recently, they are targeting the biggest threat to peace in the Middle East, and a major threat to peace period, Iran. They are assassinating the scientists working on their nuclear program. They kill one scientist, and the next day his co-workers get a picture of his mutilated body on their email. The message is simple, "You're next." Talk about a downer.
Israeli, thank you for doing the dirty work that's needed.
Foreign Policy magazine has an interesting article on ho the BDS movement had failed. The magazine may not like the fact it's failed, but it's not catching traction.
Where it counts—in the halls of government and boardrooms—the effort to boycott Israel doesn’t even register.
...The BDS movement is an agglomeration of activists, professors, artists, academic associations, and affinity groups who say they seek to end Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the blockade of Gaza by bringing the kind of global political and economic pressure on Israel that was brought to bear on apartheid South Africa.
The Israeli government, pro-Israel groups, and many American Jews have raised the alarm over BDS. They charge that it is antisemitic and a strategy aimed at delegitimizing Israel by identifying it as a “settler colonial state” and denying any legitimate Jewish connection to the land. They point to statements such as that by one BDS co-founder, the Tel Aviv University educated Omar Barghouti, that: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine.”
I find the claim of "Palestinians" to the Israeli capital rather curious. If that city was founded/possessed by Muslims, why did they name it "Jerusalem?" Some of the same American professors who claim the "West Bank" of the Jordan River has the historical homeland of the "Palestinians," claim Israel stole the land. No, they won it in the 1967 Arab Israel War. To the victors go the spoils. Not to mention Jews lived in the modern Middle East for over 2,500 years. Islam was founded in the 7th Century AD.
BDS supporters counter that those who accuse them of antisemitism are purposefully conflating their anti-Zionism—that is, their opposition to the state of Israel—with hatred of Jews in order to intimidate them and delegitimize their movement. That some Jews are involved in BDS would seem to give this argument some cover.
BDS has succeeded in creating significant furor, including within U.S. politics and academia. Yet the reality is that those who seek to bring Israel to its knees by rendering it an international pariah have already failed.
If one only paid attention to what is being reported from U.S. college campuses, one might believe BDS is thriving. In late April, the editorial board of the Harvard Crimson, Harvard University’s student newspaper, published an editorial titled “In Support of Boycott, Divest, Sanctions and a Free Palestine”—a ringing and (self-)righteous paean to oversimplification. The editorial specifically rejected the complexity of a centurieslong struggle between competing nationalisms, identities, and historical memories interwoven with the highly sensitive issue of religion and instead declared a “categorical imperative [for the editorial board] to side with and empower the vulnerable and oppressed”—i.e., Palestinians.
That editorial was met with an equally self-righteous and indignant rejoinder by an associate news editor at the Crimson that neatly followed the standard argument of various and sundry pro-Israel and establishment American Jewish organizations. One former Crimson journalist relays that the paper, which is self-supporting, is now under financial strain, as some university alumni have decided to boycott the publication over the editorial. Irony is dead.
Well children, remember the adults who support you get annoyed at your blatant anti-semitism cloaked as self rightest outrage (actually leftist propaganda). Ironic, American Jews have supported this college for ages, even knowing how anti semitic it is. In another discussion I had with my Jewish friend I mentioned earlier, I asked her how is it American Jews vote 70% for the Democrats when that party is the worst enemy Israeli has? Her answer was very enlightening. "Mike, American Jews are progressives first, Jews second. And Israeli means a lot less to them than you think."
Well, hopefully this anti-sematic movement leads to another BDS movement. The supporters of these universities need to stop sending money to their alma maters. These children need a serious experience of Reality Therapy.
