The LEO thread

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[Mr.B]

I am a fan of this program and my heart goes out to the families and friends of these officers. AST officers, I believe are the hardiest of this nation's Law Enforcement Officers.

Alaska troopers are the most geographically extended peace officers aside from federal officers in the USA. They have little, if any local backup; within the entire State of Alaska, only about 1,300 full-time sworn law enforcement officers patrol a state 1/5th the size of the entire lower-48 and other than troopers and state park rangers, the local officers remain in their communities except in extreme emergencies. This includes the only metropolitan police agency in Alaska, the Anchorage police department with almost 500 officers. The remaining officers are the over 300 Alaska troopers and smaller municipal agencies which have around 50 in towns like the state capital Juneau or the second largest town in the state Fairbanks The remaining officers serve in small agencies with anywhere from one to ten officers on average.[/quote]

(CNN) -- They were TV stars, in a sense, having appeared on the National Geographic Channel's reality show, "Alaska State Troopers."
But more than that, Patrick "Scott" Johnson and Gabriel "Gabe" Rich were family men and men of the law.

Neither got the happy Hollywood ending they deserved, instead dying in a confrontation in a sparse, remote sliver of Alaska.

The troopers' bodies were recovered from Tanana, a village 130 miles west of Fairbanks, on Friday, a day after they were reported killed, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said.

Two men have been taken into custody since the incident near the Yukon River in the state's interior.

One of them --19-year-old Nathanial Lee Kangas of Tanana -- is under arrest in both deaths, the state public safety department said, adding that formal murder charges are being prepared. The other is Arvin Morse Kangas, 58, accused of fourth-degree assault and driving with a revoked license in a separate incident.

Alaska State Troopers said they are "reeling from the loss" of their slain colleagues, both of whom worked out of the agency's Fairbanks rural service unit.

Born in Fairbanks, Johnson worked three years for the North Slope Borough Police before becoming an Alaska State Trooper in 1993. Here, he held several roles including trooper, field training officer, canine officer, narcotics team supervisor and rural unit sergeant. It's in the latter job that the 45-year-old died, leaving behind a wife and three daughters, according to the Alaska State Troopers.

Rich moved to Fairbanks shortly after being born in Pennsylvania, then went on to work for the North Pole Police and, starting in 2011, with the Alaska State Troopers. The 26-year-old is survived by his fiancee and two sons.

Both gained a degree of widespread recognition thanks to their appearance on the National Geographic Channel's "Alaska State Troopers," a reality show that the network says follows "one of the toughest law enforcement agencies in the nation."

Rich appeared in six episodes of "Alaska State Troopers" in 2012 and 2013, according to IMDb.com. Johnson was in four episodes from 2011 to 2013, according to the site.

The troopers were not with a film crew when they died and are not slated for any future episodes, said National Geographic Channel spokesman Chris Albert said.
The channel has pulled repeats of episodes featuring the slain troopers, he said.

"We have a long and proud association with the troopers, and consider them a member of our extended channel family," Albert said in a statement. "We send our deepest condolences to their families and the entire Alaska State Trooper force."

CNN affiliate KTVF reported that the officers had headed to the village to follow up on a report from the previous night of someone brandishing a gun.

The Alaska Dispatch website reported that the troopers were shot after an unarmed village public safety officer called for backup after an altercation involving the botched sale of a $150 couch.

The news site said two people had been arrested, one after a lengthy standoff with heavily armed police.

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It was later reported that the teen shot the officers multiple times with a high-powered rifle, one officer receiving seven shots.

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Meanwhile, in Canadian law enforcement....

[Wneglia]

Finally, A good LEO

[Boatrocker]

Now we have cops teaching deadbeats bad lessons and reinforcing the tendency of lazy deadbeats to stay lazy and deadbeat.



(Is the /s really necessary?)

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CBS Miami: Police Shooting Frenzy Raises Concerns

23 police officers converged on a blue Volvo that had crashed in the backyard of a townhouse, and fired a total of at least 377 rounds on the car and two unarmed men inside.

Two officers hit by friendly fire. Bullets flying into surrounding homes as parents were getting their kids ready for school. A near-total breakdown of obeying radioed instructions. So much squad car clutter that the special unit actually supposed to deal with it couldn't get through.

Remember the end sequence of The Blue Brothers, where Jake and Elwood are chased by untold numbers of trigger happy cops? That used to be funny, because it was so completely absurd and unbelievable.

Used to be.

[Boatrocker]

Scared, but cool. Kid will go far.

[rstrong]

This ass should be fired and prosecuted.

That's what you get when intelligent people are barred by law from becoming police in many jurisdictions.

ABC News: Court OKs Barring High IQs for Cops

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Or as TechDirt put it: Appeals Court Reaffirms The Public Has The Right To Record The Police, Except For All The Times When It Doesn't

[O Really]

Not that law officers don't have a tough job, but they're not even in the top ten most dangerous but still spend more time telling others about how they "put their lives on the line every day" and still expect a parade for having a traffic accident in the city's car. No disrespect to the work they do, but they aren't the only ones who leave for work not knowing if they'll return.
http://money.msn.com/personal-finance/1 ... in-america

[O Really]

Well maybe not. But they haven't shot many old ladies. And I'm pretty sure it was the cops themselves who started the "finest" slogan.

[Wneglia]

Drunk Leo



I'm glad this didn't end with a gun pulled.

[billy.pilgrim]

donut eaters

[Mr.B]

"No one ever calls loggers and roofers "America's Finest"."

Uhhh......


Americas Finest Tree And Lawn Care
http://www.yellowpages.com/usa/americas ... nd-lawn...
148th Ave NE, Redmond,, - ... phone numbers and more for Americas Finest Tree Service And Lawn Care; Stump Removal & Grinding


Americas Finest, LLC - Home Repairs and Home Improvements and Remodeling
http://www.americasfinestllc.com
Americas Finest Property Solutions is a Full Service Handyman and Remodeling Company that Services all of Atlanta...

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Pittsburgh cop punches teen at gay pride march

The footage, posted to Facebook Sunday afternoon, shows the officer grabbing the girl by the hair, trying to pull her to the ground and delivering several blows to her head and body as she continued to resist.



Ariel Lawther, 19, was charged with resisting arrest and released on $5,000 bond. According to a criminal complaint, the reporting officer "got pushed and kicked" while trying to break up the dispute between Lawther and another person, and "pulled the woman out and grabbed her hair and punched her in the stomach a few times."

The officer, who was not named, is on desk duty pending the result of the city's investigation. According to The Gaily Grind, eyewitnesses report that the girl did not assault the officer before he grabbed her.

[billy.pilgrim]

all are pigs when they get the chance

[Boatrocker]

Johnny Burr

Look, the cops and the DA'a office already know he did this- they just go thru the motions of a trial because the law makes them.

[Mr.B]

"all are pigs when they get the chance"

....and the general public are all innocent angels.....(when they get the chance).

I researched that story and found holes all in it. It didn't say why the cop "viciously attacked" the girl.

I'm willing to bet her mouth and attitude had something to do with it.

[Mr.B]

"Look, the cops and the DA'a office already know he did this- they just go thru the motions of a trial because the law makes them."

Uhhhh....the doctors...?

[Boatrocker]

"all are pigs when they get the chance"

....and the general public are all innocent angels.....(when they get the chance).

I researched that story and found holes all in it. It didn't say why the cop "viciously attacked" the girl.

I'm willing to bet her mouth and attitude had something to do with it.

Neither of which is illegal. Do you feel her "mouth and attitude" warranted his actions?