TexasCHLforum.com

I don't know, either. Most police agencies won't admit when they have a problem, and the wall of silence often goes up to the highest level of officials who are responsible (mayor, sheriff, etc.). Some DAs or federal attorneys will prosecute official misconduct vigorously. Some (mostly boondocks DAs) are in on the deal.

You also have to remember that most charges of police misconduct are brought by criminals who actually asked for it, or by their survivors. When a driver flees a traffic stop, then pulls something out of his pants when he is finally stopped, and gets shot, it's pretty well justified.

- Jim

TXlaw1 wrote:Thank you so much for this sad update. It confirms my decision from about a year ago that I will NEVER go to Las Vegas and probably never enter Nevada.

You certainly have the right to make that decision. However, there is no big city in Texas—probably nowhere in the U.S.—where this kind of thing couldn't happen. Houston had Pedro Oregón, within my memory. There have also been plenty of cases of police shooting unarmed people who had phones, flashlights, etc., in their hands.

- Jim

There is such a thing as criminal civil-rights prosecution, but the charges have to be brought by a prosecutor. See the New Orleans Danziger Bridge shooting.

An ordinary person can only ask for money or some kind or court order that compels or restrains another party.

- Jim

Erik Scott's family offers a $25,000 reward for video of the incident.

http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/25552837/detail.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

Do you really think this kind of incident couldn't happen somewhere else?

It happens in New York City about once a year. It happened early this morning when the police shot a correction officer who was allegedly walking around drunk with a pistol:

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/ ... -shooting/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

Erik Scott may or may not have violated the law by carrying an unregistered handgun, but the police had no way to know that when they shot him.

Furthermore, committing a crime that does not threaten the life or well-being of another person is not grounds for the use of deadly force.

- Jim

OldSchool wrote:But isn't this to be a civil suit? IIRC, the rules for civil suits vary from state to state, including what the judge can and cannot direct.

I don't know what the Scott family's legal strategy will be.

Usually when the results of the state investigation are unsatisfactory, they file a federal civil rights lawsuit.

I'm not even pretending to play a lawyer on TV in this case.

- Jim

OldSchool wrote:Except, as of now, I'm not sure I want to hear the outcome of the civil suit, since it will also be held in LV.

State court and federal court are as different as "Looney Tunes" and "Twelve Angry Men."

- Jim

Who sinned?

Unrelated whitewash of the shooting of a mentally ill man: http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/25216196/detail.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

Oh, and this story has finally broken out of the Las Vegas media ghetto into national news:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/costco ... _news_stmp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

puma guy wrote:Me thinks Costco doth protest too much!

Huge mistake.

When events have gone this far wrong, they need to either shut up (stonewall) or bare their chest and beg for forgiveness.

- Jim

Costco warns Erik Scott supporters not to picket or protest.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financia ... HRRV00.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I take back every cautionary statement I made about Costco. As far as I'm concerned, they can eat toxic waste and suffer the consequences.

- Jim

Whitewash. Reassignment to desk duty. Shut-up-and-go-away money. I've seen this movie before. It always ends the same way.

We feel sympathy for Erik Scott and his family. The average citizen does not and will not. They will just shrug and return to their regularly scheduled "reality" programs.

- Jim

puma guy wrote:Concealed means Conceaeld sure - but say you're printing just long enough for someone to tell. What consequences should you suffer?

Obviously not being shot to death, arrested, or prosecuted, in my book.

But Las Vegas is a place where a lot of bad stuff goes down. Probably they get what they pay for in terms of police salaries and hiring standards.

That's why "Hey, you!" means to check out and leave skid marks.

- Jim

Again, I don't want to seem confrontational, but no one person at Costco ordered the assassination of Erik Scott. The police officers pulled the triggers.

I'm sure Costco would rather not have the negative publicity and cleanup fees.

If I search hard enough, I can find messages on this forum about calling 911 on people who slipped concealment, and even "drawing down" on the plumber if his pants sagged.

- Jim

I don't want to come across as confrontational, but concealed means concealed. I said that on page 1 of this 678-response thread.

The minimum-wage employee would not have had anything to call the cops about, and the cops would not have had a reason to be there, except for that.

Nothing can bring back Erik Scott, R.I.P. No amount of money can make his family whole. But we can remember that lesson, if we accept it as such.

- Jim