Victim Disarmed and Cuffed for his "Safety"

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deolexrex

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Did y'all see this one?

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/47306.html



Cop Disarms Burglary Victim for his “Safety”
Posted by William Grigg on January 13, 2010 10:38 AM

Over the past three years, reported Vin Suprynowicz in the January 10 Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas contractor Charlie Mitchener has endured several burglaries. Following the most recent break-in on January 3, Mitchener suffered an additional violation at the hands of the police officer who arrived to “help” him.

Complying with a request from Officer J. Rogers (badge number 13525), Mitchener provided personal identification and a copy of his firearms permit.

Mitchener has concealed-carry permits from Nevada, Florida, and Utah; he has received extensive formal training and regularly visits the firing range. He is well-known to the Las Vegans Metropolitan Police force.

Despite — or perhaps because — of this, Officer Rogers ordered Mitchener to surrender his Glock 19 and submit to being handcuffed — in order to make sure “that we [are] all safe.” This happened before the female officer determined if the area was secure — which means that the burglar could still have been on-site.

As Mitchener pointed out to Suprynowicz, leaving him handcuffed and helpless may have made Officer Rogers feel safer, but it put his own life in jeopardy. If the burglar had still been around, the tax-feeder may have been able to fend for herself, but the productive citizen would have been a helpless target.

What would have happened if Mitchener had refused to submit to the officer’s demands?

The tragic possible outcomes in that case include the death of an overreaching state agent as a result of a legitimate act of self-defense by a scrupulously law-abiding citizen, or the arrest and prosecution of that same citizen on spurious charges intended to punish him for refusing to behave like a helot.

“Vin, I hope I did not see the future this morning,” Mitchener commented to Suprynowicz. Regrettably, what Mitchener experienced is representative of the present; the future promises to be much worse.

For the police, “officer safety” is always the first consideration. Mitchener’s experience is particularly significant in that it demonstrates how police are taught to regard armed citizens as potential enemies.

In the name of all that is holy, people — Dont. Call. The. Police.​
 
The number one concern on a Leo's mind is scene security and safety. By handcuffing the homeowner it made one less thing for the officer to worry about.

Looks like all worked out in the end. Maybe a different officer would have handled it differently, but the bottom line is she needed to get the scene under control. And she did, and all went to bed safely that night.
 
The number one concern on a Leo's mind is scene security and safety. By handcuffing the homeowner it made one less thing for the officer to worry about.

Looks like all worked out in the end. Maybe a different officer would have handled it differently, but the bottom line is she needed to get the scene under control. And she did, and all went to bed safely that night.
ummkay.
 
By handcuffing the homeowner it made one less thing for the officer to worry about.

Actually, by taking the homeowner into temporary custody (which is what handcuffing amounts to), the LEO assumed a legally actionable responsibility for safeguarding that homeowner. So it's really one MORE thing for the LEO to worry about.
 
Seems to be standard operating procedure when a gun is involved. However a responsible officer would have relocated him to a cruiser for safe-r keeping-
 
Small female officers can't rely on physical size and strength to control most men. Force of authority and disparity in firepower are all they have. She did what she needed to do to feel secure in the situation - her own safety is her major concern.
 
It would seem to me that handcuffing someone who has not broken the law would open up a legal can of worms. Seems like it would be very similar to the risk a citizen faces as a result of detaining a suspect.

-Matt
 
Actually, by taking the homeowner into temporary custody (which is what handcuffing amounts to), the LEO assumed a legally actionable responsibility for safeguarding that homeowner. So it's really one MORE thing for the LEO to worry about.

+1. It's been discussed here before.
 
Actually, by taking the homeowner into temporary custody (which is what handcuffing amounts to), the LEO assumed a legally actionable responsibility for safeguarding that homeowner. So it's really one MORE thing for the LEO to worry about.

Perhaps, but worrying about the public is thier job and they gladly do it. What if the BG was still there, a gun fight broke out... now she has 2 armed people to worry about, 2 people who could potentially shoot her and the potential of shooting an innocent home owner.
 
Small female officers can't rely on physical size and strength to control most men. Force of authority and disparity in firepower are all they have. She did what she needed to do to feel secure in the situation - her own safety is her major concern.

Except she wasn't cuffing the suspect. She was cuffing the victim.
Feelings... again with the feelings. What about thinking?
If she's scared, she needs a new line of work.

What if the BG was still there, a gun fight broke out... now she has 2 armed people to worry about, 2 people who could potentially shoot her and the potential of shooting an innocent home owner.

She should cuff any other officers present then too, right? Also, removing the weapon from the homeowners hands does remove the possibility of getting shot by him, but she may still shoot him all the same.
 
I think it is just another infringement on a person's rights by a cop with good intentions but little knowledge.
 
Unbelieveable!

A court would rule on that one if it was me she had handcuffed under those circumstances.

Talk about violated. :cuss:
 
Dont. Call. The. Police.

Unless you need body detail, I have to agree here. The police rarely seem to offer real "help". When I was robbed at the age of 19, the cops gave up every detail of my personal information to the perp's family. I had his brothers and buddies showing up on my door step attempting to "persuade" me to drop the charges.

Needless to say, I have never felt so violated by the cops in my life. I decided that I would never involve the cops in my life again unless someone is dead, leaving me little choice.
 
Yeah I can't think of any imaginable situation where I am safer restrained and disarmed. Unless there's a Predator around.
 
Well, if you have ever been in piblic safety you would know it is the first thing you do is make the scene safe for you then you can make it safe for others. But, I have been here long enough to see when an argument is going no where good.

Enjoy
 
Uh, I AM in public safety. If you need to clear the scene you wait for another officer to help, you don't hog tie the victim and search by yourself just *hoping* that the bad guy is gone.
 
As a law enforcement officer myself, unless I know the person/homeowner/business owner, I am going to handcuff them too. Depending on the circumstances. I cant count how many calls I have been on where the home owner and/or reporting party has been 100% compliant and within a matter of minutes (again depending on the situation) has gone from "Joe/Jane Citizen" to A-hole in a split second.

I may inconvenience someone for a few minutes, and for that I will take an ass chewing. But I'm going home at the end of my shift.
 
I don't think anyone here truly disputes the need for officer safety. I think what is being called into issue is the manner in which this officer acted. In case anyone is paying attention, her actions were also called into dispute by her chain of command.

Securing the home owner under the guise of, "officer safety", was not what she did wrong. It was the way she went about it.

It was just a matter of poor judgment on the officers part. Furthermore, to put the cuffs on the homeowner, she had to get close enough for grabbing distance. Seems if I was truly concerned about being safe from someone, I'd keep distance, not close it, but then decisions are made at the moment, and it's easy to second guess. I do however it would have been better if she had at least put the man in the cruiser, at least until backup arrived. That way he is still secured, yet not completely exposed in case the perps are still there.
 
The officer should follow through and put the cuffed homeowner in the squad car. Leaving a cuffed suspect dangling in the wind while you try to do a one-person house clearing is deeply idiotic.
 
i will chime in from the military side of the house. no matter if i am doing hostage rescue operations, rescuing a downed piliot, or picking up a isolated personell, or saving a iraqi family from thieves form his home. everyone is gonna get zip cuffed and searched, and secured, until everything is secure, and figured out. you can imagine for example the mindset someone might be in if they were captured, and under enemy control for long periods of time. there is no telling what they are capable of, or what is going through there mind. even if you are wearing the smae uniform and you are on the same "team".

if i go into a house with possible good and bad folks, everyone is gonna be secured, cleared and searched prior to us figuring out who is who and what is what.
 
Just keep in mind their should be a strong differnce between military and LE operations.
 
everyone is gonna get zip cuffed and searched, and secured, until everything is secure, and figured out.

Thank goodness military SOP has NOTHING to do with this.

I'm sure we both understand the difference, and thank you for your service.
 
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