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Arkansas prosecutor stated that the shooting of Mr. Morneau was justified. According to the prosecutor, Mr. Morneau pointed a weapon at officers who had identified themselves.

http://www.ktbs.com/news/27590463/detail.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

The medical examiner in the investigation into the death of north Caddo Parish attorney John Morneau, who was shot and killed by a Miller County, Ark., sheriff's deputy two weeks ago, has made an about-face when it comes to saying where Morneau was shot.

Morneau's first death certificate said he was shot in the back. Miller County Coroner Eddie Hawkins Jr. has now issued a new one that indicates Morneau, 71, was shot in the chest.

OK.

You don't want to get crosswise with the law in that part of the country.

- Jim

gigag04 wrote:But from a technological aspect, a tactical aspect, and a capability aspect, absolutely - do you not?

Before 1935, criminals could and did buy machine guns at hardware stores. Short shotguns and rifles were also legal until used in the commission of a crime.

I don't think the criminal gangs of the Prohibition era were less intelligent or well organized than the drug gangs of today. Some of the bootleggers were the equivalent of a $1 billion enterprise in modern terms (as drugs are now).

If there is any kind of technical or tactical "race," the regular police are at least even in terms of communications, weapons, and body armor.

BTW, I am not fundamentally opposed to police SWAT teams and have not expressed such a sentiment. SWAT teams have their role to play.

What bothers me is the same thing that Charles Cotton has mentioned: that some police officers feel that they are a rank above the general public, whom they incorrectly call "civilians," and in particular that "collateral damage" of innocent parties is just one of those things that happens.

Getting back to the subject of this thread, the guy was obviously an old coot. He may have needed someone in authority to set him down and tell him to back off and follow the civil legal process, which he should have understood. Maybe he was getting senile. Now he's conveniently dead and out of everyone's hair.

- Jim

gigag04 wrote:The operating environment has definitely changed - I'm not sure what time frame you were sworn, but 40 years ago, crack cocaine was not a rampant problem. The public generally supported the officer, ...

Do you think human beings in general or criminals have changed since the days of the James Gang, Bonnie and Clyde, and Al Capone?

Criminals were plenty violent and without conscience 40 years ago, 90 years ago, and further back. If it wasn't crack, it was heroin, meth, and booze during Prohibition.

I was a teenager 40 years ago. While the public generally supported the way that police dealt with presumed criminals, it was widely acknowledged that many police officers were corrupt and brutal. Bull Connor, anyone?

http://www.gangresearch.net/GangResearc ... contxt.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

The last time I checked, death was about as serious an issue as there is.

- Jim

"How dare you sleep under the blanket of protection that I provide and then question the manner in which I provide it."
—Col. Nathan R. Jessep, played by Jack Nicholson, A Few Good Men



- Jim

Thanks for the background, Longtooth. Those rural areas have a reputation for long-simmering feuds.

The lack of witnesses other than the police is convenient.

- Jim

In southern Arkansas, near the town of Ida, Louisiana (middle of nowhere), deputies attempted to serve a warrant on a 71-year-old lawyer who was in the habit of wearing two revolvers and "cowboy" clothing. The police fatally shot him when he allegedly pointed his handguns at police officers.

http://www.ktbs.com/news/25354636/detail.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The comments on web sites are usually garbage, but these are worth reading, IMHO.

- Jim