Pool Party Mayhem in McKinney

[mloamiller]

Where are the mamas and paps? I would never let my daughter be in such party.

That is the real problem. Solve that one, and most of the other nonsense goes away.

[baldeagle]

I watched the video but did not read the article. My impression of the video:
I saw an officer working the crowd calmly explaining what they needed everyone to do. Then this hothead comes running up yelling at everyone and pushing people around. The other officers are working to maintain calm and order while this guy is yelling profanities and barking orders.
Throughout my professional careers I have been taught to deesculate situations. That is exactly what the officers were doing before the hothead got everybody riled up. I don't believe anything the hothead did rose to the level of brutality, but I do believe this video should be used as training tool showing officers what not to do when trying to manage a crowd.
IMHO this officer was liability in this situation. Anyone who believes otherwise please explain to me why none of the other officers were behaving in the same manner.

[TVGuy]

It is a hard video to watch. Mostly for the children's sake. I wonder how any of their parents ever thought that this was a good idea. As for the officer, I don't much go for his style of crowd control, but I did not see anything within the video that would rise to the level of an investigation. Again, it's the children here. For many it may be their first interaction with police officers. The civic leaders and police in Mesquite and as well as the parents have all failed.

These are not children. Some may be 14-18 years old, but there are plenty of thugs in that demographic that assault people, rob, vandalize, loot. A good portion of the people we saw in Ferguson and Baltimore looting and burning cop cars were under 18.

[mojo84]

Interesting how teenagers are considered adults when it comes to, driving a car, voting, working or buying a rifle but they are kids or children when they commit crimes, want to purchase a handgun or drink a beer.


Regardless of age, act like an unruly thug, get treated like a thug regardless whether you are an adult, teenager or biker.

[mloamiller]

The civic leaders and police in Mesquite and as well as the parents have all failed.

I don't see how this can be laid at the feet of the civic leaders and/or police. Primarily, it's the parents that have failed for not raising young adults that respect others around them and their property, especially those in authority. Instead, they have allowed their "children" to become rude, disrespectful, violent thugs (or at least wannabe thugs) who care nothing about anyone or anything other than what they want. They showed a complete lack of respect for the families living in that neighborhood, many of them "real" children, and the police that were called into a difficult and dangerous situation. Honestly, those (I can't say "children" and they certainly aren't adults; not sure what to call them) got off very lucky, as that situation could have gone much worse for them.

[RoyGBiv]

I don't see where drawing his gun was inappropriate, given that he was being approached by two young men who failed to heed lawful commands to stay away and were fumbling with their clothing. The gun went back in the holster as soon as the potential threat dissipated.

The kids are to blame for the entire incident. Could that Corporal have handled things better? Honestly, in these times where LEOs seem to be wearing targets, there's no way I'm going to MMQB that call. Given how quickly the gun was reholstered leads me to believe there was no malice and no overzealousness involved in drawing the weapon.

[mloamiller]

I don't see where drawing his gun was inappropriate, given that he was being approached by two young men who failed to heed lawful commands to stay away and were fumbling with their clothing. The gun went back in the holster as soon as the potential threat dissipated.

The kids are to blame for the entire incident. Could that Corporal have handled things better? Honestly, in these times where LEOs seem to be wearing targets, there's no way I'm going to MMQB that call. Given how quickly the gun was reholstered leads me to believe there was no malice and no overzealousness involved in drawing the weapon.

Well said.

[Robert*PPS]

With the current lynch mob rule mentality, I have a genuine fear that being a police officer will become too much of a liability for individuals, and we will face a massive shortage. If that comes to fruition, it will not be pretty.

With that being said, it's hard for me sympathize with anyone resisting an officer, although I do find foul language to be unbecoming.

[KD5NRH]

The kids are to blame for the entire incident. Could that Corporal have handled things better?

IMO, if anyone could have handled that better, it was the local LE administration; assuming this wasn't called in as just an argument between two people, there should have been a lot more cops on the way to it in the initial dispatch, and as soon as the first officer saw the numbers involved, policy should be to stage and wait for backup unless there's an immediate threat that he is confident he can handle effectively. In this case, he did handle it effectively, but to a large extent that was pure luck in that the approaching thugs were obvious and apparently not actually armed.

[SewTexas]

Interesting how teenagers are considered adults when it comes to, driving a car, voting, working or buying a rifle but they are kids or children when they commit crimes, want to purchase a handgun or drink a beer.


Regardless of age, act like an unruly thug, get treated like a thug regardless whether you are an adult, teenager or biker.

exactly!

she's a "young woman" if she wants an abortion, but she's a "child" when she's on the ground with a cop over her.

[Rrash]

Been an interesting day. There is a protest scheduled to end at the pool, which is closed on Mondays for cleaning and routine maintenance. I'm not sure how that is going to go over when 1400 already confirmed protesters find out that nobody is swimming today and the pool is locked up. Lots of posts suggest that people will be armed and ready to "promote justice." Then, of course you have the conservative groups, such as the "DFW Patriots" vowing to come "locked and loaded for a counter-protest," keeping McKinney safe from "lawless teens, race-baters, and cop haters."

I've been moving potted plants, tiki torches, lights, pretty much everything that isn't nailed down, into the garage. I have 2 trauma kits ready to go, and the wife & kids are spending the night at my mother in law's. I will be joining them if things start to get violent and I think I can get out safely.

What a surreal day in the suburbs.

[TVGuy]

Been an interesting day. There is a protest scheduled to end at the pool, which is closed on Mondays for cleaning and routine maintenance. I'm not sure how that is going to go over when 1400 already confirmed protesters find out that nobody is swimming today and the pool is locked up. Lots of posts suggest that people will be armed and ready to "promote justice." Then, of course you have the conservative groups, such as the "DFW Patriots" vowing to come "locked and loaded for a counter-protest," keeping McKinney safe from "lawless teens, race-baters, and cop haters."

I've been moving potted plants, tiki torches, lights, pretty much everything that isn't nailed down, into the garage. I have 2 trauma kits ready to go, and the wife & kids are spending the night at my mother in law's. I will be joining them if things start to get violent and I think I can get out safely.

What a surreal day in the suburbs.

Wow, nuts. Sorry to hear you're dealing with that!

[aaangel]

it can happen to anyone of us here! so sorry for what's happening in your neighborhood Rrash. keep safe!

[AlaskanInTexas]

Been an interesting day. There is a protest scheduled to end at the pool, which is closed on Mondays for cleaning and routine maintenance. I'm not sure how that is going to go over when 1400 already confirmed protesters find out that nobody is swimming today and the pool is locked up. Lots of posts suggest that people will be armed and ready to "promote justice." Then, of course you have the conservative groups, such as the "DFW Patriots" vowing to come "locked and loaded for a counter-protest," keeping McKinney safe from "lawless teens, race-baters, and cop haters."

I've been moving potted plants, tiki torches, lights, pretty much everything that isn't nailed down, into the garage. I have 2 trauma kits ready to go, and the wife & kids are spending the night at my mother in law's. I will be joining them if things start to get violent and I think I can get out safely.

What a surreal day in the suburbs.

I would be surprised if anything at all becomes of this.

[RPBrown]

I just heard an interview on the radio with what was supposed to be the girls father. He is already playing the race card. Also complaining that there were no female officers as first responders sent.