Houston: Slippery fellow

[seamusTX]

In Houston Wednesday police arrested a 19-year-old black man on a felony warrant for burglary.

Long story short, he escaped from the back seat of a police cruiser while handcuffed. He is still at large.

He seems to frequent the Greenspoint area in north Houston.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas ... 355668.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

[Beiruty]

Next arrest blindfold that gangbanger and handcuff are to the back..

[seamusTX]

If you read the entire story, you'll notice that he managed to make himself into an asset for the cops.

I've lost count of how many stories I've read where arrested criminals produced weapons from some—er—body cavity, got out of handcuffs, got out of police cars while handcuffed, or got their hands on police weapons.

To be fair to the cops, these prisoners sometimes do things that no one thought was physically possible.

- Jim

[seamusTX]

I guess it's a trend.

A 40-year-old white man escaped from Montgomery County jail today and remains at large.

This fine citizen "was arrested January 7 by the Houston Police Department in connection to a bank robbery. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on warrants out of several counties, including Harris, Walker and Fort Bend. The charges filed against him include aggravated robbery, escape while arrested and burglary of a habitation.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?secti ... id=9030839" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm sure it's all a misunderstanding.

- Jim

[Lucky]

He should have worn a mask.

[Excaliber]

If you read the entire story, you'll notice that he managed to make himself into an asset for the cops.

I've lost count of how many stories I've read where arrested criminals produced weapons from some—er—body cavity, got out of handcuffs, got out of police cars while handcuffed, or got their hands on police weapons.

To be fair to the cops, these prisoners sometimes do things that no one thought was physically possible.


- Jim

I can't fault the officers here.

They've got a suspect who is cooperating in an important way and apparently providing accurate information that advances a homicide case. Under those circumstances it would be normal to handcuff the suspect in front to make him more comfortable and encourage his continued cooperation. It is unusual for a suspect in this role to use it to facilitate an escape. They're usually looking for a good word to the prosecutor which may significantly reduce the time they'll end up serving for whatever offense they've been arrested for.

Unfortunately, with a successful example like this one, we'll probably see more - and the end of handcuffing cooperative suspects in front. This may not make much difference because a well known simple maneuver lets a suspect handcuffed in back make himself handcuffed in front in a second or two when no one is looking directly at him.

[seamusTX]

Assuming the news story is accurate, the guy must have poor impulse control. The cops know who is, where he lives, what he looks like, and probably whom he hangs out with. They probably know his cell phone number. He'll be back in custody with a new felony charge.

- Jim

[texanjoker]

If you read the entire story, you'll notice that he managed to make himself into an asset for the cops.

I've lost count of how many stories I've read where arrested criminals produced weapons from some—er—body cavity, got out of handcuffs, got out of police cars while handcuffed, or got their hands on police weapons.

To be fair to the cops, these prisoners sometimes do things that no one thought was physically possible.

- Jim

The problem is the crooks whine about the cuffs being too tight and some gullable officer loosens the perfectly fitted handcuffs. Handcuffs are not comfortable and were not meant to be comfortable. They need to be in the back everytime as well. Crooks also do not like being searched. You need to do a good search on somebody you arrest as your life may depend on it. I once took FIVE knives off a parolee. Everytime I searched again I found another one. Again the crook whines when you are searching those private areas that they stash stuff, but I would hate to be the one that missed a weapon. A co worker many moons ago took a female into custody. An allied agency female leo did the pat down. While enroute the station she produced a gun and started shooting at him from the back seat. I would not want to be the female officer that did that search. I had to laugh one day when a co worker put a male prisoner in the back of my car after a pursuit. He forgot to roll up the windows. I was out doing a search and had no knowledge of this. Later he tells me there is a prisoner in my car - oh really? Where He never rolled up the windows.

[Excaliber]

If you read the entire story, you'll notice that he managed to make himself into an asset for the cops.

I've lost count of how many stories I've read where arrested criminals produced weapons from some—er—body cavity, got out of handcuffs, got out of police cars while handcuffed, or got their hands on police weapons.

To be fair to the cops, these prisoners sometimes do things that no one thought was physically possible.

- Jim

The problem is the crooks whine about the cuffs being too tight and some gullable officer loosens the perfectly fitted handcuffs. Handcuffs are not comfortable and were not meant to be comfortable. They need to be in the back everytime as well. Crooks also do not like being searched. You need to do a good search on somebody you arrest as your life may depend on it. I once took FIVE knives off a parolee. Everytime I searched again I found another one. Again the crook whines when you are searching those private areas that they stash stuff, but I would hate to be the one that missed a weapon. A co worker many moons ago took a female into custody. An allied agency female leo did the pat down. While enroute the station she produced a gun and started shooting at him from the back seat. I would not want to be the female officer that did that search. I had to laugh one day when a co worker put a male prisoner in the back of my car after a pursuit. He forgot to roll up the windows. I was out doing a search and had no knowledge of this. Later he tells me there is a prisoner in my car - oh really? Where He never rolled up the windows.

It's the little things that'll getcha.......

[Excaliber]

Assuming the news story is accurate, the guy must have poor impulse control. The cops know who is, where he lives, what he looks like, and probably whom he hangs out with. They probably know his cell phone number. He'll be back in custody with a new felony charge.

- Jim

While everything you've said is true, it would not have factored into the suspect's decision making because the inevitability of his rearrest and the fact that he'll face additional charges and consequences were outside his time horizon (the furthest point in the future that he can think about and plan for). If he is like most, that goes only as far as the next meal or fix.

When this is understood, his actions make perfect sense.

[seamusTX]

While everything you've said is true, it would not have factored into the suspect's decision making because the inevitability of his rearrest and the fact that he'll face additional charges and consequences were outside his time horizon (the furthest point in the future that he can think about and plan for). If he is like most, that goes only as far as the next meal or fix.

That may well be the entire explanation.

I don't pretend to be a psychologist or even play one on the internets, but it seems some people value "getting away with something" so highly, they ignore the consequences. We see this in a big way with prominent people who have affairs, patronize prostitutes, take bribes, engage in insider trading, and other foibles of that sort. Whatever gratification they get could not compensate for destroying their families, careers, and reputations, and going to prison.

- Jim

[Excaliber]

While everything you've said is true, it would not have factored into the suspect's decision making because the inevitability of his rearrest and the fact that he'll face additional charges and consequences were outside his time horizon (the furthest point in the future that he can think about and plan for). If he is like most, that goes only as far as the next meal or fix.

That may well be the entire explanation.

I don't pretend to be a psychologist or even play one on the internets, but it seems some people value "getting away with something" so highly, they ignore the consequences. We see this in a big way with prominent people who have affairs, patronize prostitutes, take bribes, engage in insider trading, and other foibles of that sort. Whatever gratification they get could not compensate for destroying their families, careers, and reputations, and going to prison.

- Jim

Actually they aren't ignoring the consequences, which they know about and understand. They are just so convinced that they can commit the crimes and not get caught because are so much smarter than everyone else and therefore the consequences don't mean anything because they won't be applied to them.

It makes no sense at all to us mere mortals, but to them in their exalted positions it's perfectly reasonable.

You have to interview people with this mindset to understand just how firmly they believe it.

[seamusTX]

In Houston Wednesday police arrested a 19-year-old black man on a felony warrant for burglary.
Long story short, he escaped from the back seat of a police cruiser while handcuffed. He is still at large.

He was apprehended yesterday..

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas ... 383137.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

[Excaliber]

In Houston Wednesday police arrested a 19-year-old black man on a felony warrant for burglary.
Long story short, he escaped from the back seat of a police cruiser while handcuffed. He is still at large.

He was apprehended yesterday..

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas ... 383137.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

The previously unseen events on the far side of his time horizon just came into view.

[seamusTX]

The previously unseen events on the far side of his time horizon just came into view.

Unless he gets killed in prison, he'll be back. Maybe he will find religion while contemplating his sad, wasted life.

- Jim