Odd as it sounds, that was my first thought as well. Unfortunate that it came to that, but awesome the training stuck.

I do not understand, why, they would try to arrest a police officer when, they KNEW he had a weapon on him? Did they REALLY expect him to surrender to them? Or did they decide it would be more expedient to give him the chance to be killed, while "on duty"?

A police officer arresting another police officer in itself is very strange. Usually they just let it go or here is a warning "don't do it too many times more."

Sad all the way around. But him being armed was not a consideration I am sure. As an officer told me almost everyone he stops seems to be armed now days. I am not sure this could have been handled in a different way ?

you are right Dick, the situation usually is a Union protective alliance..this is a bizarre article, & i find it strange, however i'm relieved of, the bad guy gets his doom as the rest........

I agree with you blondness. Certainly a procedural review is in order here. Seems that the shoot to kill training certainly helped and the strategic training failed. Why did they do this while on duty.... Call him into the office under a pretext, take his gun, badge and arrest him while unarmed. Certainly suspicious this incident.

Dick and jeeesus, do you really have data that backs up the crap you're talking about or is that just something you just made up or saw in a movie? Did you read that they were investigating the officer already? Obviously that had surveillance on him, which is why they caught him.

It didn't specify whether he was "in uniform" only that he was "on duty." Besides, if he's going to shoot at another cop (who was probably "in uniform") after committing a crime, he got what he deserved.

Hmmm... This sounds like, "suicide by cop."

I wonder why they didn't just call the suspected officer into a conference with his supervisor after his shift was over, while making sure he disarmed himself before entering the boss's office? Bad as the suspected crime was, it didn't call for immediate arrest the minute the charges were known.

Interesting how with all the cops that must have been there, only one of them fired -- and then fired only ONE shot.

Wonder how many shots would have been fired if the suspect had been a "gang-banger", instead.

The article did not specify when the alleged violation occured. If it was immediately preceeding the attempted arrest and shooting then it may not have been possible to handle in a 'safer' maner. However, if the shooting happened after an investigation, then they should have waited to arrest this officer AFTER he had removed his gun, after his shift, or on some ruse when he was not armed. I suspect this could have been handled in a much more efficient way. However I am not sure.

most cops carry guns even off duty.

I'm with Toosano,

I knew a guy who became a sheriff's deputy in his forties. When his oldest daughter turned 18 and moved out she reported he had been... well that... for years. Four years on the job, his fellow deputies didn't hesitate to put him on the ground, draw down and cuff him. There will always be the occasional story of corrupt little groups, but that is NOT the norm.

Robert757A, it could be possible the dude got wind of what was going down and they sniffed that he might bolt so they had to do it. Could be.

It stated that the suspect officer was hit once. It did not say that only one shot was fired. As far as we know from this article, there could have been any number of shots fired. It's actually quite vague.

Interesting. Law enforcement's accelerated physically agressive policies are showing signs of spilling within and they're beginning to eat their own.

There is some wisdom in arresting him on duty. A: They have a better idea of what he is armed with and how easily he could access those weapons. B: They have a better chance of surrounding him and preventing a standoff. If he was off-duty, he would most likely be home and not only barricade himself in, he could have access to a lot more weapons. Lastly, taking on duty prevents any thought the police won't take one of their own. The public sees that the offending officer is equally culpable for his actions.

Yeah, unless this was at the scene, the the situaton demanded immediate attention; one could almost wonder why (if it was following an investigation) the chief wouldn't have pulled the person into his office either while comming into work, or after going home; with a "can I see you for a moment? We need to speak". Then confront the person with, "you're on suspension, pending trial...." or what have you.

In fact, if he was under investigation for sexual assault of a minor, why would he have been left in active duty/patrolling the streets where he could do it again? But then the article leaves a lot of details out. When someone who wasn't even one of my brother's regular partners (but was an assigned parner for a day, where his partner was on sick leave); and that temp partner lied on a police report; BOTH INDIVIDUALS were suspended from active duty until internal affairs could get to the bottom of it, and found the other guy lied on the report, without my brother's knowledge....

Why the officer was not on administrative leave during the inverstigation?

boy have you got this right. and rain always falls up to a cloudless sky

First of all try and do their job when they have people like you that assume every officer is a prick. Their job is a thankless one that if most of us tried to do it we would be, as the expression goes"eating our own gun." In the case of this officer the statements on the news and on-line states he was being investigated and when they try to arrest him, he drew his gun, they had no choice but to shoot him, better him than a civilian. Instead of seeing them as pricks why don't you see police officers as someones son, daugther, husband, wife, sister, brother, father, mother, etc., in other words as human beings. Maybe if you would treat them with respect then maybe you will be treated with respect back. I have never ever had a problem with a police officer, so maybe the problem is you.

Many cops are decent people who have a sense of duty and humanity. Many others seek the gun and the badge in order to lead a life of bullying and intimidation - a taste they develop early in life.

The decent ones deserve respect and honor and decency from the people they protect.

The bad ones deserve whatever horrible ending fate has in store for them.

MINAMEME: Law enforcement is not doing a "thankless" job, but just the opposite and is thanked very thanked very well. They're paid well, have great medical and early retirement benefits and so often enjoy the protections of the "Thin Blue Line" when they want to operate and break the law.

It's possible this unlucky guy was the black sheep of the "family".

MINAMEME, for starters I was talking about the child molesting cop that was shot, not the one who shot him (he goes into the 1%). Secondly, I know what I'm talking about when it comes to cops. Many years ago I had a job that required me to interface with them on a regular basis. In the small town where I live the number of law enforcement officers who have been caught using their authority for their own personal gain is staggering. The kind of crimes they have committed is sickening (like blackmailing young women, you know, some ones daughter, into sex or else their probation would be revoked). I have never been arrested or charged with a crime so I don't have a vendetta against cops because of my past.

People shouldn't comment on something they know nothing about. A cop that is off-duty is carrying his firearm 99% of the time, so waiting till he is off-duty means absolutely nothing, he will still be carrying his gun.

the other rick: Most posters are asking why he wasn't called in for a meeting so he wouldn't have time to draw his gun and no one would have been killed.

Purposely confronting another LEO, whether on duty or off, is complete stupidity and unnecessary.

Authorities said he was being investigated on an allegation of sexual misconduct against a minor.

this happens more often than we know. I do feel bad that he took the route that he did. With that type of action, he must have been thinking there is no way I'm going to jail for this and thought it was best this way, never making it to a courtroom to be proved innocent or guilty. He must know that in Jail they treat criminals guilty of sex crimes against a minor very harshly. where was his vest? He must have known it was coming.

I have never heard of a young man being involved with a 17 year old girl. I am shocked at the thought. Even an allegation of such behavior should result in death. sarcasm

wow, what a horrible situation.

Vince, the cops are one of the LAST things that stand between us and anarchy. You shouldn't have dropped out after 6th grade. Do you really think that if there were no cops that society would just collapse in on itself? Learn to read, pal.

whats with the guns anyway? couldn't wait to arrest him when he came in to the station? really? uh yeah lets go do this out in the street. where a civilian can get hurt .. yeah lets do it that way. Smart precinct, good commander.

Ida got him in the locker room when he took the gun off..right? little fishey . but hey if he did do something to a minor .. he gets what he deserves

Debi & photobiker;

Yes it is a thankless job very rarely are officers recognised for the things they do in their communities, my job has me interacting with police officers quite often and I have seen how people treat them thanks to shows on tv that portray them in a bad light. yes there is always going to be a couple jerks in the bunch. I believe in my officers in this city and county and always will, it just amazes how many people can condemn police officers in general, what a damn sad sight for this country.

MINAMEME, "thanks to shows on tv that portray them in a bad light". That would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic. I only have to watch the evening news, read the newspaper or news websites to see them portrayed in a bad light, for the scumbags they really are. Why don't you go sell crazy somewhere else - we're full up here.

photobiker;

You are the one who is crazy to assume every cop is a prick or a degenerate, you can have your opinion and I can have mine.There are still good cops out there regardless of what you think. We will never see eye to eye on this one so peace and I am out of here.

more of the story on santa maria times

just goes to show that they are human too. let see how many more are out there?????????????

kill a cop or should I say you trusted him/her. to bad he got dead. oh well there is always more to go around!

WHAT A BUNCH OF MISINFORMED MORONS ARGUEING WITH EACH OTHER..WHEN ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS GOOGLE FOR MORE INFO...HERES A LINK INFORMED THEN YOU CAN STATE YOUR OPINION ON THE MATTER...

People here that have a problem with the police are people that the police have had problems with, for obvious reasons.

"My argument against police is always that they should only be allowed to return fire."

You are kidding, right? What if the first round the bad guy fires is a head shot? Armored vests end at the navel when standing and leave the shoulders, arms, neck and head exposed. What if the first round servers a blood vessel in the pelvis or leg? You can lose consciousness from a severed femoral artery in 30 seconds. You'll be dead in two minutes at most. What if the first shot smashes the officer's shoulder joint on the gun side and he can't return fire?

So in your perfect world the cop waits for the bad guy to shoot, gets killed outright, then the bad guy kills a couple of innocent bystanders, either right away or at the next crime scene. Or the cop lives, but his spine was severed at the neck or pelvis and he is crippled for life. Fvck!ng brilliant.

Please find somebody to give you the pill that disconnects you from the matrix.

The name of the slain officer was not released. Authorities said he was being investigated on an allegation of sexual misconduct against a minor.

Once again the police looking out for the police. If it had been Joe Citizen his name would have been released at the scene.

As the motto of most police departments goes "There to protect and Serve - Our Own".

I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that he was only being investigated and that since he died on the job he will be buried with services and benefits due a "fallen officer." Surely suicide by cop had no role in this matter.

I believe the term is "Police assisted suicide"

Yep, adidas90210, i gree with your term "Police assisted suicide." In that little town, there probably was no professional negotiator to send in to talk to the suspected cop into surrendering ... and there was probably no possibility that the suspected cop could have been arrested without death occurring when the cop got off duty that day.

I remember eeting a beef-and-been burrito at the only Taco Bell there in Santa Maria CA back this time of year in 2002... never would have thought (thot?) something like that could take place there.

I was wondering why Main street was shut down for so long. I hope I didn't know the cop who was killed, but honestly, our police department does the best they can for the work cut out for them, and they have a pretty high death rate... I think this is about the 5th cop dead in a year... although this one was obviously suicide by cop. He wasn't shot over his alleged crime, he was shot because he fired at officers arresting him. It could be for jaywalking, if you pull and fire at an officer, they will return the favor.

Sidebar Dancing Spiderman - you came to our town (80% Hispanic) and ate at Taco Bell... dear God why. We have some of the best tacos outside Mexico, and some of the best Papusas outside of El Salvador!

Anyone willing to do a little reading will find that there is more to the story than just a cop who was messin' with a 17 yr old. He had to be taken when he was because of information indicating he was planning to "remove" witnesses in his investigation as soon as he left his shift. He was already being investigated for witness intimidation.

Travis-1944, you are so correct ! I was not thinking, bud. I was just passing through, from my joyride back down from Santa Bubba thru Ojai (O.J.??) , Santa Maria, also stopped at a fruit stand to pick up a crate of jooce oranges and pistachios, and back down to Torrance where I was living at the time. I did not know what mom-and-pop taco stand to trust, which local food was not going to give me the runs, so to speak hahha.... I've had "issues" during that time eeting mom-and-pop mexican stand food, and I wasn't about to ruin a good Sunday afternoon joyride with... the runs.

....So.... it was Taco Bell. In a town of good Hispanic food places, yeah, prolly a bad choice. Now, if I was in Torrance, I would recommend El Burrito Jr. YUM. Or, if you're in Satan Fe New Mexico I'd recommend Tomasita's.

He was being arrested for sexual molestation of a minor. He was a bad cop, only 4 years in the service. His dad decided that he would not be buried in a uniform. Good thing too, he would of soiled the Santa Maria police dept. They are not going to give him a procession, as they usually do, if the officer was killed in the line of duty. There would be a huge uproar if there was one. He was a dirty cop!!!

B Murphy - Many of us in the public have a lot of confidence in the police because we understand that they, like all professions, have their bad apples but no more than any other business. I'm always amazed at those who target the police but don't clean up their own professions.

@Seeking Sanity

No, no police definetly have more "bad apples'. Cops who say "it's the bad 1% that make the rest of us look bad...." are full of it. If you witness abuses your fellow officers and say/do nothing to stop it, then you are just as dirty.

Seems to me that they were NOT overlooking the crimes of this officer. I was a cop, and I can tell you that, mostly, they are held to a MUCH higher standard than other people. You probably would not lose your job for a DUI, but a cop could. You probably would not lose your job for a domestic violence, but a cop would. etc. And a cop should be held to those standards, even though we are all human and make mistakes.

I heard a bunch of cops on a talk show once (the whole audience was made up of cops) justifying their being dirty. Their justification was and I quote "You cannot expect to send me out into that pile of dung on the streets and expect me to come out of it smelling like a rose.

I wonder if they said that while applying for the job. I doubt it.

I guarantee you they said something like "Mr. and Ms John Q Public, I will clean up my part of the street and stay clean myself. Now when they can no longer hold up their end of the deal its time to resign. Because they broke a covenant with the taxpayers.

to B. Murphy....I have the utmost respect for Police officers but tell me what profession doesn't have it's share of problem people...even in the ministry there are bad people...there are sorry people in every profession. I was a nurse for 29 years so watch out if you have to go to a hospital...alot of them are in it for the money and give sloppy care to their patients or not even go in their rooms...I worked at 2 hospitals over my career and saw the same thing in both!

@ Seeking Sanity & Mel: My apologies, I should have been a tad more specific in what I was trying to say. It's not necessarily that cops are bad, or that the majority of them are. The problem is the public perception, and perception quite often outweighs everything else, know what I mean? I myself, personally, have been in a car with an off-duty officer, who was openly drinking and driving. And there are countless examples of such misconduct of officers that we know about. To say nothing of the cases where they're simply let go.

Cops have a tremendously difficult job, and in some cases, I feel that they're kneecapped in their jobs. So, in that regard, I have respect for them. The problem is, the bad apples don't seem to care, or have no concern for the public perception of the Police force as they do their thing. And that's really damaging.

Again, sorry, I wasn't trying to imply that the bad apples outweigh the good. Not at all.

Btw, it's not entirely true that you can't be fired from your job for certain crimes. You very well can, it simply depends on how much publicity it gets, and what your job is. Someone who drives for a living, may certainly get fired for a vehicular incident. Domestic abuse can certainly get you fired, if you work in a high publicity job. It's really up to the employer at that point. I would say that there are far more crimes you can commit, that'll get you fired as a police officer, than most other jobs, however, that I do agree with.

It only takes one bad apple to spoil the reputation of all of their peers. Watch your nightly news; if there is a crooked cop/lawyer/doctor/priest/school teacher/politician/truck driver/ditch digger, whatever, that will be the lead story and may stay in the news for days. The good stories, about people doing the right thing, usually come at the end of the news and then, only if they don't have enough bad news to fill the time.

Even if there is just a suspicion of wrongdoing, that may be a big headline but if further investigations prove no wrongdoing, that will be buried somewhere. No one wants to hear about good, honest, hardworking people who always do the right thing. It just isn't news.

One bad cop will ruin the reputation for an entire force. TV shows haven't done a lot to help their reputations either, with TV cops regularly violating the law and getting away with it because they catch the bad guy in the end. People need to realize that while that sort of thing does happen occasionally, more often than not, crooked or criminal cops, more often than not, are investigated and arrested. Even a strong suspicion of problems can get a cop fired. More often than not, cops are held to a far higher standard than the general public, and that's as it should be.

Michael, provide a reference.

How come we didnt see all the posts about "buddies" overlooking the other crimes during all the Penn St stories. Every week the media puts out more stories of schoolteachers, professors or school employees either having sex with or texting or whatever with younger children. Maybe there ought to be a revolution in that regard.

For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds;
Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds.

Wm Shakespeare

Mel, et at;

I'm sorry but I have to call BS on your posts that say police officers are professional or that departments only have a few bad apples.

Out a dozen or so interactions I've had with the police (be it for a traffic stop or other minor stuff, never really done anything criminal), I can only count two that were positive. Your average cop (or at least the ones I've dealt with) all seem to have an air of superiority/entitlement. They tend to treat the average citizen pretty dismissively. Mind you these are the people that pay your salaries a$$holes.

Do you get the sense that I dislike the average cop? Just to level-set, I'm nearly 50, have an advanced degree in mathematics and computer science, speak two languages, have a private pilot license, own my own home, drive a decent looking car, and make just north of $120K/year. Not bragging, just want to paint the picture that I'm not a thug looking for trouble out there. If you are distrusted by a person in my position, how do you think someone in a lower socio-economic bracket who tends to be harrasses by the cops more often feels?

The minimum requirement to enter a police academy is a high school diploma (or at best two years of JC). It is my theory that this tends to attract a certain personality to the profession: picture your average high school jock and you are seeing a police "spawn". So, what do we really expect once we hand them a handgun, a sense of entitlement, and authority over us?

Anyway, just my theory

you got problems.

JM,

You sound like because of all your aforementioned accolades and position in life that you are offended that they do not thank you and bow their heads to the ground before you since they owe their jobs to you and are not as highly educated, well off and well endowed with worldly goods and achievements.

I'll tell you how to figure it out. Sign up for ride-alongs. Yes, ride along with them. Go for more than one. Walk a mile in a man's shoes before criticizing how he walks. Go see what they put up with, for REAL, not that fake crap on TV reality shows. Listen to the thousands of endless excuses, stories, drug induced fantasies, entitled raging lunatic fringes, haughty idiots who think cops should "go catch a robber" instead of busting them for running a stop sign at an intersection with the highest accident/mortality rate in the city... you get my drift. YOU probably come off as just another arrogant, "why you messing with me, instead of the hooker on the other side of town" a-wipe to them, you do to me just reading your post. They get very thick skin and don't really have time to play cutesy. They're doing a job. If you do yours then they don't have to involve themselves in 'policing' you. You have no idea what happened on their last shift, or that they may be working their third shift in a row to help out a fellow officer and cover an emergency, etc. Once again, they are not Walmart greeters, they enforce the law when you break the law - they don't have to be warm and cuddly for you. Get over yourself.

They've heard it all, been called it all, have put up with more in a month than you probably will experience in a lifetime. They hear and see the non-stop negative portrayals and reports in the news about their fellow officers and profession. They are well aware of what most people think and can read your body language way better than you think you can read theirs - their trained to. I've had very businesslike, 'non-friendly' officers deal with me and I have no problem with that. They are not here to be my 'buddy' or give me warm fuzzies. They enforce the law.

There are many very good officers, and I worked with several. However, the job of police officer attracts a disproportionate number of people who like the idea of power and enjoy the sense of entitlement that the badge and gun give them. It is my experience that the incidence of "bad" officers is higher than the rate of, say, "bad" bank tellers or "bad" chiropractors.

I have to wonder if his family will be entitled to the benefits that would normally go to a family of a deceased officer. He evidently had not been found guilty of any crime- even if he was suspected. After all, we have Innocent until proven guilty. I do find it odd they would have gone to arrest him while he was on duty and armed with his duty weapon.

JM1992894 you seem to think that your education, possessions and wealth make you superior to a police officer and that they should defer you. You are precisely the type of A-hole police officers have to put up with on a daily basis. The "air of superiority/entitlement" are tools used to control situations before they escalate to violence. Try walking outside to the back of your home at 3AM when you know there are several people there that don't belong. That's what a police officer would do for you.

Most people who say all cops are evil are either:

1. Clueless to how completely our society would fall apart without police on duty 24-7, or

2. They want society to fall apart because they are the one who is evil, not the cops

All you have to do is check out what happens in any place where police can't do their jobs for whatever reason. Mayhem. I for one am grateful for police, and as far as those who are a disgrace to their uniform, fortunately in America we have the rule of law to deal with that. It's not perfect but it's a lot better than mayhem.

For those who have been abused by police that is tragic. There is no excuse for that. But clearly that does not mean all police are evil.

@American Father: I could so hear your entire post narrated in Jack Webb's voice.

I can see how I come off an an a$$wipe in my previous post. Trust me that was not my intent. Like I said, I just wanted to level set where I was coming from. But I guess I have to grant you that point.

I will however stick by my high school jock theory. One more thing: anyone who thinks cops are there to "serve and protect" you are delusional. Their primary goal is to protect the state.

Don't think so: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNbsEAJy1ok

American Father, I think you're my new best friend. ;) You said everything so perfectly, there is no way I could have presented anything about what being in law enforcement entails anywhere near as well as you. But I was nodding my head from beginning to end while reading your post. So, I won't embellish on the points that you made as you stated them perfectly. I will simply add some other aspects of the law enforcement world. It's sad that the public views police officers in such a negative way, regardless of what IS on the news or in the newspaper - there are bad people everywhere, in every profession. However, EVERYONE in law enforcement is hated unjustly by so many from all walks of life, when the majority of policemen have given so much of themselves to simply do their jobs. In other words, it is a thankless job in which the protection and safety of the public that hates them could very well get them killed yet they are willing to make that sacrifice; it's a job in which they know how much they are hated simply for being what they are, a job in which enforcing the laws to keep us out of a state of chaos and anarchy means that anger/violence is constantly projected onto them... I find it somewhat amusing the way that anyone who has ever been arrested or received a ticket for BREAKING THE LAW finds a way to blame the issuing officer, when, had they not broken the law in the first place, there would have been no ticket or arrest made, and the only one to blame is the person who was caught. I find those who speak their ignorance by stating how corrupt those in the police world are just by witnessing the conduct of a VERY select few officers equally amusing. How critical one can be when he or she is clueless. So many out there have NO idea what police officers go through on a daily basis; the scope of the law enforcement world is truly amazing.

JM, you are one disturbing individual. You have no idea what "to serve and protect" means, that much is clear, or you would not have just made that ridiculous statement. See above for clarification, and then go read American Father's post (#2.12).

Hold on ! This cop was shot by another cop during the commission of a felony? Not to rain on the law and order group on the Vine but.....
First of all how did they know where he was and what he was doing?
Why did this cop fire his weapon at his fellow officers? Cops routinely help cops get out of legal problems....DUI, assault ,murder?
There is only one story now. the other side of the story is dead.. Just one story.....I don't think this cop was shot for some despicable crime like being a prervert. I think it is for other reasons.... We the public will never know.
The police are the criminals....they perpetrate crimes against citzens with the publics blessing.....they get a huge retirement for these crimes against us..nice deal huh?

When I was a young teenager the chief of the county police was a friend of mine (I cut his grass & we lived in the same block). He told me one day that being a policeman "you were a son of a bitch for doing your job and a son of a bitch for not doing your job." I think he meant it's a thankless job, you can't win. He was one of the nicest people you could meet.

Honest, thoughtful citizens have nothing to fear from the police. Period. They will be there to assist when things are out of hand and do things most of us would wouldn't have the stomach for - or courage to do. They are skilled at human nature and at least where I hail from, are serving and protecting the good portion of society. It's a thankless job but one I'm thankful certain people do - and most do well.

Don't F-up and you have nothing to worry about.

Oldport,

I respectfully disagree. People are at the wrong place at the wrong time. If a person fits a "profile" then that person may end up get raked over the coals whereas you state a person profiled has "nothing to fear" from the police.

Oldport when you take a left at an intersection, do you stay in the left lane or do you veer into the right lane? Do you always SIGNAL for 100 FEET before a lane change?

Both of these two scenarios are what minorities or "non-thoughtful" looking people endure often. Usually the person stopped will be let go after verifying their identity, insurance, registration. However, not unsually, the situation turns bad.

As ridiculous as that sounds (and I think it rather unlikely) - I kinda' hope so for the sake of the guy's family. He is a chump who deserves what he got, but if he left a wife and kids (article doesn't say) I would want them taken care of.

why? they didnt work for the pension...

That's up to the Union..

his name is albert. he is married to my sister. when my baby niece asks where daddy albert is at im scared of how she will react. she is almost 4. We are sure this is a cover up. we have aloot of dirty cops in my city and our PD has been sued many times for cover ups like this .. ALBERT IS INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY

It may depend on the outcome of the investigation. He was only a suspect and had not been charged with anything. If the investigation concludes that he was innocent or not guilty, maybe .... but since he fired the first shot it really looks bad on his behalf.

Yovanna, I am sorry for your loss.

Mike, it wouldn't surprise me if he indeed does go down as being killed in the line of duty. He'll probably be considered a hero too since any cop killed on the job seems to be some kind of hero. Cops get boners over that kind of thing.

I also agree that his family shouldn't get any part of his pension. I don't get my dad's if he dies on the job, why should they?

And Yovanna, you have a lot of dirty cops in your city? That's probably true. Now you have one less. Plus since he is dead now he can't be formally charged with a crime. He was only a suspect according to the article. We don't have to worry about him being innocent OR guilty... just dead. Hopefully there won't be any further taxpayer dollars wasted on him. We already have to replace a bullet as it is. I'm pretty sure that if he were innocent that he wouldn't have fired upon the arresting officers first. They are lucky that one of them wasn't hurt or killed.

Seems to me that this was a win win situation all around.

Yes, not the brightest of moves, is it? Maybe they thought he'd be less likely to make a fuss if he was in public in uniform.

A lot of officers are required by their departments to be armed even when off-duty. In any case, he almost certainly has a weapon at home - if he sees officers (whom he would recognize) coming to his house, you risk a hostage situation or a murder-suicide. Or if he gets wind of the investigation and escapes, you'd have the problem of explaining why you didn't arrest him right away. There's no good time to arrest a guy who carries a gun.

Even when off duty most cops are armed. In most cases they are required to be armed at all times.

Im sure nobody thought thought this was going to happen, hindsight is always 20/20. And you don't wait to arrest someone. "Yeah um I let the guy finish his shift at McDonalds before I took him in"

So the fellow officers should have let the perp continue harming a victim & waited until after the perp was done to arrest him because it would be easier & safer for the criminal.

DJK, that is the liberal way. He had rights don't ya know. No victims do, but all the perps certainly have a boatload.

Incredibly stupid of those who make comments knowing no more that what the story tells. There are sooooo many details that are unknown but some here seem to think they are privy to all the details and innermost thoughts of those involved in the purported crime and the arrestng officer(s).

The vast majority of police officers choose their profession with the hope of bettering their community while being adequately paid and recognized for the danger they face. Based on the posts of many ignorant people on here I'm glad that they (the posters) are not charged with protecting anyone but themselves.

Lets not drag common sense into this!

Important things are missing from the brief article. It makes little sense to me that the cop being arrested would fire on his fellow officers no matter what the crime was.

cops carry their guns off duty 99% of the time....wouldn't make a difference

How about if the chief called him in at the end of his shift an informed him that he will have to be put on administrative leave pending an investigation? Then the chief confiscates his weapon pending the results of the investigation at which time he will be given his weapon back if everything turns out ok. The chief explains that everything will be kept quiet for reasons of privacy, security, or whatever the hell the chief wants to make up. Then as soon as he walks unarmed out of the chiefs office... they arrest him within the confines of the police station. Yeah, silly plan, I know.

I'm from Santa Maria and i think that what chachito said above would of been the correct way to handle the situation,but no they did it there way and now someone lost a son, a brother a friend...

A lot of officers are required by their departments to be armed even when off-duty.

True. Every officer in my family and those I'm friends with are required to be armed even when off-duty - except in certain circumstances. My little brother is always armed.

If someone draws and fires at the police that is the ticket to getting your right to life revoked.

My argument against police is always that they should only be allowed to return fire. In this case that standard has been met. In regards to many other shootings where they "thought they saw a gun" or "he made a sudden move" those would not be justified IMO.

@Letusreason

First let me clarify. I only dislike dirty rogue cops and I hope you feel the same.

I do find it quite interesting the cop was only shot ONCE after he fired on other officers. When a civilian is involved, the cops try to empty their clips, reload and unload again. Some guy just got killed by cops (shot 10 times) 5 while standing and 5 while on the ground fatally wounded because he was armed with a metal pole.

Yeah Ken you sound like a real upstanding guy yourself, threatening someone for free speech. Obviously you yourself are well indoctrinated in American police fascism.

That makes total sense. Only return fire after you've been shot in the face. Your a genius!!

Thanks for defending my rights Daniel. Obviously "being on the job" Kennyboy is used to taking away the rights of our citizens. Kennyboy..anytime you want to look me up..i'm here...

Ken-442680

Dear Urban Cowpie,

No, the only sad thing is that you weren't caught in the crossfire.

Death wishing is a violation of Newsvines Code of Honor. I suspect you will be getting a reply from Sally the Moderator shortly.

I use to be on the job and I'm here to say that 99.9% of all LE officers are upstanding citizens.

Bwahahahaha!!!!!! Wait, that was a joke right?

I'd be willing to bet that you have a rap sheet.

Wha??? Off topic.

BTW: Do you think that this comment board is totally anonymous?

Threats and intimidation are also a violation of Newsvines Code of Honor. Not to mention illegal. You being a self-proclaimed former LEO you should know this. If not, the FBI will let you know as I am reporting you.

Cheers

letusreason, yup

@meanest one - If you're going to jump all over Ken-442680 for "death wishing," shouldn't you be directing that attitude to Urban Cowboy for the exact same thing? Or in your opinion, is it more acceptable to wish harm to police officers?

"Urban Cowboy

no real need..but the only sad thing is that the other cop didnt get shot too."

In 2010, police officer deaths were up 37% over 2009, with about 160 killed while on duty. Officers must believe their life or the life of others is being threatened before they can use deadly force. The must be able to prove that threat to one or more boards of review. Most large police departments have their own review boards but, even if they do, all shootings are reviewed by an outside agency, often including civilians.

Meanest and Urban, since you both seem to believe many or most cops are crooked fascists, who do you call when you come home and find someone has broken into your house or, when you get up in the morning to find your car has been stolen? Who do you call when a drunk runs you off the road? Who do you call when the house next door has been turned into a crack house? Who do you call when your neighbor has a party going full blast at 3 AM and you have to work?

I have known nearly a dozen municipal officers and sheriff's deputies, most through marriage. Every one of them was a criminal at many levels!!! Confiscating drugs and firearms in lieu of a free pass (trade off). Countless bragging about how many good looking women and girls they have "Niailed" in lieu of receiving a traffic citation (Often, no citation was warranted). Looting the scenes of countless break-ins. Carrying untraceable weapons to drop on victims who may be unarmed when killed. I can go on and on!!! People need to wake up to two simple facts; There is something called the Big-Blue-Wall that shields the criminal element within those forces, and an absolute mind-set that there are only two types of people---Law Enforcement Officers---and all of us Scum, who are not!!!

re: tiredofhypocrites

When seconds count, the cops are always just minutes away, if not an hour! When I need response to virtually any situation, I handle it myself! Most cops are nothing more than the school-yard bullies we had to contend with in our youth. Most are, indeed, twisted, sadistic, tyranical, and have a real I.Q. well short of my shoe size! Most of them are cops because they couldn't remember, "You want fries with that?" These are the guys that arrested my wife for pointing a shotgun at four guys who were burgling our barn, and detaining them until they arrived. Found out later these guys always got a free pass because they were confidential informants for the cops!!!!!!

tiredofhypocrites...in response..i have NEVER called the cops..any issues i had i have taken care of myself or thru friends. yes i have been robbed but also solved it on my own and dispensed justice on my own. the drunk driver that nearly killed me? got a 90 day license suspension and a small fine from "the law". he was punished properly by friends of mine.

Urban Cowboy, I got your back!!!

Ken in a retard voice, "BTW: Do you think that this comment board is totally anonymous?". Please. Gimme a break, you freak called Ken-442680.

All this discussion about good cops and bad cops. Strong opinions indeed, and here's mine, from living in a small northern mi. town with four police agencies, city, county, state, and DNR. My father retired from the state police (motor carrier div.) in the eighties and was a cool cop, by the book. He reffered to the new guys coming up as cowboys. I and many people I know, have been harrassed, intimidated, pulled over and searched for bull**** reasons. In my case, because of the way I looked, long hair, ripped jeans, carrying a guitar out of a coffee shop after a gig, they spotted me, followed me, pulled me over and searched for drugs. Idiots. My father warned me. And this might be trivial to some, but over seventy percent of the drivers (my calculations) don't use turn signals, and this includes the cops, who should be setting an example. Being 'above the law' starts with the smallest infractions.

So sad...Name calling, threats...taking the law into your own hands? Wow...

Now...do I think there are bad cops...of course, but considering the amount of bad guys out there, we need something to control this mess. I mean really? Do we want folks like the ones posting above babysitting our communites? Ummm, probably not.

@Robbie the robot - I googled your story about former Providence, RI police officer Marcus Huffman and found that you are telling the truth - everything, right down to the charge (that was later dropped) that, when Huffman was a teenager, he had sex with a 10 year old girl. And, unbelievably, after he raped the 19 year old girl - who was an "out" lesbian, killing his feeble claim that it was "consensual sex" - she goes home, the family calls 911 to file that rape claim, and who shows up at the door to take her initial claim? Huffman himself! He got 60 years in prison, with the condition that at least 40 years be served. The woman's family filed a lawsuit against the city even before Huffman's case went to trial. I hope she gets millions. Having said that, I know lots of cops and I agree with another reader's post here - 99.9% of them are decent, law-abiding individuals. It's the paper-slim percentage like Huffman that unfortunately give Law Enforcement a black eye.

99.9% is of cops are decent and law-abiding are out of line, let's just say the majority. Beside Huffman being convicted of rape, the Providence PD also had 1 officers convicted of murdering his neighbor, 3 for selling illegal drugs, 5 for fraud and 1 for assault with a deadly weapon in the last 3 or 4 years. The assault conviction was overturned over a technicality and another rape case was dropped after 2 hung jury where 11 to convict and 1 holdout both times. This is all from a force of about 700 officers.

aye aye sarge

Methinks you do not have the facts of that case .. .only supposition .... do you know FOR A FACT that the officer was not working undercover ... do you know FOR A FACT that his paperwork went in asserting that he WAs on duty? ... I suspect that you do NOT know this for a fact ... I also suspect a likely scenario that this officer was killed while performing the duties of a police officer which can and do happen whether one is on or off duty .. in truth, a police officer is NEVER off duty.

it was a DUI checkpoint.....

New to the post here. Seems to me that the people who take up the law (police) profession are not unlike those in the military, legal, banking, or any other profession in this country...a reflection of our society. Honor may have a different meaning today than it did years past. Integrity as well. All one has to do is observe our society to get the answers. "It flows down hill" is true. We have become a nation of laws at the cost of justice and the common sense that bred justice. As a note to all here, any and all law enforcement will tell you that their job is to enforce law. Hence the term Law Enforcemnet Officer. They are not the citizens personal "protection". That is your individual responsibility and right under our Constitution.

agree with you 100% especially when the system fails when sentencing anyone for a sex crime, especially pedophiles, a first time drug offender gets 15 years, a serial child molester gets 5 years, with parole so maybe 2 years the most,

its disgusting

no such thing as a "peace" officer. only "law ENFORCEMENT" and "INCOME GENERATORS".

You got that right, they use to be just concerned to keep the peace and stop violence, but now they use every law they think of to put ordinary people behind bars and plea bargain the violent ones, our country has more people bars than any other country in the world. And even the newspapers commented in my state about large increase in speeding tickets and how it helped the state,and how photo radar was just for money collection

a pedo and a cop with one shot. that guy gets a medal. you can find me real easy Kenny=boy. i'm on every list 1967 onward you little blue sissy.

Great way to handle armed robberys, armed felons fleeing, drug dealers, gangbangers, hostage situations... You're a genius herring.

Like most right wing dufuses, jon jones bridles at the thought of a public as well armed or even better armed than the police. His kind need nanny-state security-blankets. The rest of us are willing to man up and handle our own lives, instead of crying for more cops with more fascist tendencies to tell us, "Get in line." Closet case repub types are always hot for leather and harsh orders.

considering the trash they deal with and i don`t have to do it,they are public servants.

British Bobbies seem capable of dealing with criminals without carrying guns. Here they won't even talk to a guy, without putting a hand on the gunbutt in a threatening manner. As to that bad 1% making the rest look bad. I had to call them three times last year. The first two pairs were more interested in harassing and bullying me, the complainant, even subjecting me to an illegal search, before the third set finally did their job. It's more like 66% than 1%.

And the dumbasses name is cannonpointer. Guess what dumbass, I made no mention of not being in favor of gun ownership, in fact it is our right. What I do know is they have just as much right to be armed and protect themselves as you do. What a leftwingnut fuggin idjut.

2001h1

what should be done to the police dept and officers should an investigation prove

his innocents.

first] fire all superior officers for not taking proper procedures to disarm the person.

since it was out doors innocent by standers could have been hit.

second] since you don't seem to believe in innocent until proven guility

maybe you should be executed to balance the scale

The treatment of this officer is the same treatment all non-Law Enforcement citizens recieve at the hands of the cops. Notice no names, we are living in a police state!

Dumbazz, names are not released until relatives are notified just wait, you'll get your damned important names you ghoul you. Police state. Geezus christ, where do think we live, in the Bush-Cheney days?

The guy did not see his day in court. Until proven guilty, he is innocent. Please do not call him child molester yet. Your mentality opens the way to kill innocent people and snap a crime, a shameful crime to defame them so nobody would question what happened and people would say "bad guy got killed". But how do we really know who the bad guy was. What if the real child molester was the killer? What if? What if? What if? So many what ifs and no proofs yet. So do not accuse people when you have no clue.

he fired at the officers. attempted murder of a police officer but you don.t see anyway he would molest someone? this ain't court, it's an opinion blog. get over yourself.

1% of cops making the rest look bad?? maybe

99% of the people commenting on this story making Americans look bad?? absolutely.

Go do something productive people. I can't believe I just wasted 5 minutes looking at this board.

BTW some guy said he makes 120k a year and that makes him an expert on commenting on message boards...cool dude. but chances are, you are lying.