Should attacking cops result in stiffer penalties ?

[Expat]

If we had the death penalty for everything, we wouldn't be having this debate.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

To attack is just that.....attacking. Period.

We used to respect LEO.
We used to respect the crossing guard.
We used to stop for school buses and funeral processions.
We "Used" to do a lot of things out of................wait for it................"RESPECT"
We did not need special laws in place as we respected things.

WTF has happened.

We have an entire generation that thinks they can block traffic on freeways, riot, and damage other's property, without penalty. This goes to the fall of the family and relying on the state to raise and [STRIKE]"educate"[/STRIKE] indoctrinate children. Everyone gets a participation award. I do find it ironic and sad that these children of the state are taught to hate the protectors of the state.....

 

[DragonGunner]

Lets step it up…see this all the time on FB…."lets make a law if you kill a cop you get the death penalty." I agree!!! But how about giving the death penalty to ALL who murder…..? The State should be looking after the people, not its ownself. Sniper kills a cop…he should die….sniper kills me….he should die.

 

[OutdoorDad]

I wish I had found this thread earlier.

It's advanced to the point I don't think I can participate without using the words "proletariat" or "Bourguasis"

and I don't want to be that guy.

 

[Clay Pigeon]

So you'd treat the battery of 25 year old man to that of a 12 year old girl?

Kut (tests how far this notion goes)

Why yes I would,
Now would you treat someone who shot and killed a on duty Policeman called to a bank that's being robbed the same as someone's grandma that was shot and killed standing in line at the bank waiting for a teller.

.

 

[Woobie]

Murder is murder. The approriate penalty is death.

Battery is battery, and should carry a long prison sentence.



I see no reason to delve into the realm of making any animal more equal than another.

 

[eric001]

I've got mixed thoughts about this whole thing of attacking police officers... To me it more comes down to kind of a case-by-case approach, as I don't feel one answer covers everything.

Firstly, for the case of someone targeting police at home, I see that as an attack on the person who wears the uniform and as an attack on "the state" at the same time--IF the attack is specifically targeting the officer and not just random. That to me is not just an attack, but also more of a terrorist kind of thing to do. As such, I am perfectly fine with additional punishment for someone malicious enough to do it.

Secondly, I have to think about the "attack a cop and suffer" idea put together with the scenario of something like a no-knock raid... Let's say this happened to me in my house--where the police have the wrong address and try to come busting inside in the middle of the night. I'm not going to be listening to anything shouted when I can't be sure it's not just "smart" criminals trying to confuse me--I'm going to defend myself and family with absolutely every bit of force at my disposal. Period. In this kind of situation, I just don't see extra punishment for attacking police as viable, as they would have invaded MY home and taken their consequences. In my eyes, that in no way equates to me going out of my way to track down and harm a police officer.

And then lastly, when someone DOES go out of their way to track down and attack officers with deadly intent, I see the only realistic response being to remove that person from society--permanently, and I'm not in any way talking prison. Ballistic termination of threat is the only thing that makes sense to me...unless a tall tree and short rope happen to be handy.

I'm not in any way claiming to be some kind of expert on lawful/unlawful behavior, or on morality, or anything else for that matter. Just my

 

[femurphy77]

No. crime is crime

 

[hoosierdoc]

May states have it an up charge if you assault a medical person while they are on duty. Indiana repealed that a few years ago. I think New York just added it

 

[BehindBlueI's]

When you attack a cop because they are a cop, you are attacking the enforcement of law that makes us a society that uses law instead of violence to resolve conflict instead of...Brazil. Ditto judges and the rest of the legal system appratus. So, in an official capacity, I say yes because you are attacking more than an individual. You are attacking what makes us a nation of law, not a nation of men where who's strongest wins. Outside of official capacity, no, same-same.

 

[femurphy77]

Perhaps stiffer penalties across the board then? I've become a bit jaded about a LOT of things lately. Maybe the terrorists are on to something, steal-lose a hand, eye for an eye and all. It's when people know the rules aren't going to be enforced that chaos ensues. Doesn't matter what the penalty is. If it's going to be pled down, ignored, early released etc then where is the disincentive to not follow the rules. Society has become a petulant child and the parents are afraid to discipline the child because of what someone might thing or say about them. **** 'em all.

 

[Woobie]

When you attack a cop because they are a cop, you are attacking the enforcement of law that makes us a society that uses law instead of violence to resolve conflict instead of...Brazil. Ditto judges and the rest of the legal system appratus. So, in an official capacity, I say yes because you are attacking more than an individual. You are attacking what makes us a nation of law, not a nation of men where who's strongest wins. Outside of official capacity, no, same-same.

It isn't that I disagree with your philosophy, but I do disagree that we should have reduced penalties for attacking someone who is not a cop.

 

[ATM]

When you attack a cop because they are a cop, you are attacking the enforcement of law that makes us a society that uses law instead of violence to resolve conflict instead of...Brazil. Ditto judges and the rest of the legal system appratus. So, in an official capacity, I say yes because you are attacking more than an individual. You are attacking what makes us a nation of law, not a nation of men where who's strongest wins. Outside of official capacity, no, same-same.

The State is not law, though it generates and enforces a great many. It is force.

Do not murder needs no positional qualifier.

 

[Alpo]

When you attack a cop because they are a cop, you are attacking the enforcement of law that makes us a society that uses law instead of violence to resolve conflict instead of...Brazil. Ditto judges and the rest of the legal system appratus. So, in an official capacity, I say yes because you are attacking more than an individual. You are attacking what makes us a nation of law, not a nation of men where who's strongest wins. Outside of official capacity, no, same-same.

So, conversely, we should have citizen review boards to review the actions of law enforcement? Who watches the enforcers?

 

[gregr]

We all have the same rights, no one is entitled to have more or less than anyone else. It's absurd that a criminal would serve more time for assaulting a LEO than the housewife at the mall.

 

[Old Dog]

Murder is murder. The approriate penalty is death.

Battery is battery, and should carry a long prison sentence.

I see no reason to delve into the realm of making any animal more equal than another.

Woobie makes my point well.

 

[Libertarian01]

To attack is just that.....attacking. Period.

We used to respect LEO.
We used to respect the crossing guard.
We used to stop for school buses and funeral processions.
We "Used" to do a lot of things out of................wait for it................"RESPECT"
We did not need special laws in place as we respected things.

WTF has happened.

Here is my little take on it.

Peelian Principle #2) "The ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval of police existence, actions, behavior and the ability of the police to secure and maintain public respect."

I believe the police are slowly losing public approval through both self-inflicted systemic issues and by the external forces of political whims.

The internal systemic issues are, in my opinion, the militarization aspect that has been creeping into LE for the last 50 years. As an example, when first invented SWAT was a great idea to deal with truly extreme circumstances like heavily armed bank robbers with hostages. Today, SWAT to bust down a drug dealers door who is selling some marijuana out of his house. Really? However, this is partially in response to the politicians forcing LE to inflict, to an ever increasing degree, the nanny state upon all of us.

When the police show up at a parents house because they have to due to some whinny citizen reporting abuse due to a 12 year olde actually playing alone in the park this is diminishing the public's respect. Stopping and catching bad guys? We are cool with that! Telling us how to live our lives and raise our children? We are not so cool with that.

Peel recognized the need of public approval of police actions, and in turn that this would "...secure and maintain public respect." It would seem that our overall approval has diminished a tad, thus respect is down.

The very word you used, RESPECT, was recognized almost 200 years ago by the father of modern policing. What is that saying, "Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it."

Regards,

Doug

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

So basically what you are saying is the police are to blame.

 

[Ballistix]

There are a lot of penalties that should be increased, but an assault on an officer isn't one of them. Their well being is no more important than anyone else's.
An officer goes into the job knowing the hazards of that job and they have the means to defend themselves. What about the elderly couple that are attacked without the means to defend themselves?
Neither situation is acceptable, but should have the same punishment. No one person is more important than another.
If our system would have harsh punishments that were actually carried out, we wouldn't need to use them. Everyone in this country knows they can get off easy, so they have no respect for others...officer or not. Authority is a joke in this country.

Take a look at Singapore.

 

[Trigger Time]

Well yeah it should result in stiffer penalties. You cannot have people attacking the police. Make the penalties very severe.