TexasCHLforum.com

gigag04 wrote:Sorry if you guys always feel like I'm always siding with the man. I'm a CHL'er at heart...promise

That's why your opinion's so useful, it gives us a different perspective. I might not always agree with you, but I really do appreciate the time you take to reply to our questions.

P.S. - When I tell the kids at Northgate that I'm from San Marcos, they buy me shots out of respect.
P.P.S. - I say that tongue-in-cheek, but it's happened twice now.

gigag04 wrote:BACK TO THIS POST. Generally TABC is not something to worry about unless you actually work for, or own a bar.

The DFW TABC may not have entirely clean hands. They raided (inspected) a bar in FW last summer severely injuring a patron. Three TABC agents were fired, two suspended, and a supervisor "retired". FW police were also out of line. This is not a blanket accusation of the agency or PD, but there could be some vestigal influence in that local. I have also seen PD/LEO agencies take on offensive mode when outed. PI has it's place but is very easliy abused.

gigag04 wrote:As far as always siding with LEOs - In this line of work everything you say or do is documented and can be proven or disproven. Any story I share I could back up with audio, video, and reports.

Like this?

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/418746_video.html?Dsfa" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

chabouk wrote:

gigag04 wrote:As far as always siding with LEOs - In this line of work everything you say or do is documented and can be proven or disproven. Any story I share I could back up with audio, video, and reports.

Like this?

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/418746_video.html?Dsfa" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Examples from the minority if you ask me. And I'm not that guy, nor is that my department.

Kind of CHL's expect people (correctly) to view them as "the good guys" because they are statistically a law abiding group. I've had bad runins with CHL holders...but I understand they are a very small minority.

Also testimony in court without video to back it up is HIGHLY contested - nobody takes a cop just at their word anymore. It's sorry that it's like that but I get it.
</off topic>

cubbyjg wrote:Well all in all, i definitely learned from his experience as well as everyones input on this thread. Pretty much, if they do not identify themselves as an LEO prior to asking for my ID, i will not show my ID.

That's a good policy.

gigag04 wrote:Also testimony in court without video to back it up is HIGHLY contested - nobody takes a cop just at their word anymore. It's sorry that it's like that but I get it.
</off topic>

I think it's a very good thing. No one's word should be valued more highly just because he wears a badge of office.

I know this is OT for this topic, but a growing segment of the population understands that police aren't always the Officer Friendly of our youth. I do not think all police are bad, nor even a majority, probably nothing more than a small minority. But when the majority of "not bad" police will put up with, tolerate, tacitly approve, or even publicly defend those who have quite obviously done wrong, the public is left guessing as to which officers can be trusted.

Speaking of video, did you see the latest about the University of Maryland case? The attorney for the student who was beaten subpoenaed recordings from all the school video cameras. The University PD turned over everything except footage from the one camera that was pointed at the incident, claiming it was lost. Then they "found" it, but it was inexplicably missing exactly the two minute segment in question. Oh, and the University PD lieutenant in charge of their video surveillance system just happens to be married to one of the officers named in the civil suit.

See, everyone understands that it's only a small minority of police engage in bad behavior (four in this case; three with batons and one on horseback, out of at least 25 I counted within view on the video). The problem with public mistrust of police isn't those who actually do bad, it's that everyone else seems to cover for them. None of the other 21+ officers on-scene did anything about the abuse. None of their supervisors did anything about it, until the first video was made public and the charges were dropped. And even after that, other officers from other departments tried to cover for them. How many "good cops" who didn't abuse anyone that night, enabled those who did?

This is why "nobody takes a cop just at their word anymore". And I agree with you: it's sorry that it's like that.

chabouk wrote:This is why "nobody takes a cop just at their word anymore". And I agree with you: it's sorry that it's like that.

Yeah - I know exactly why it is the way it is. It just stinks for the significant majority that are LEOs and are honest, upright, and operate with integrity inside and outside of work.

gigag04 wrote:

chabouk wrote:This is why "nobody takes a cop just at their word anymore". And I agree with you: it's sorry that it's like that.

Yeah - I know exactly why it is the way it is. It just stinks for the significant majority that are LEOs and are honest, upright, and operate with integrity inside and outside of work.

Well, think of it this way: it is a time-honored American value, a tradition dating to our very foundation as a nation, to be distrusting of government authority. This is even embodied in the requirement that evidence be presented "beyond a reasonable doubt" before finding of guilt.

So, chin up, keep the high moral (and legal) road, and take pride in being tested and found truthful. Embrace the "thin blue line" as a symbol of fraternalism, but reject it when it's used to excuse or cover up bad actions.

chabouk wrote:

gigag04 wrote:

chabouk wrote:This is why "nobody takes a cop just at their word anymore". And I agree with you: it's sorry that it's like that.

Yeah - I know exactly why it is the way it is. It just stinks for the significant majority that are LEOs and are honest, upright, and operate with integrity inside and outside of work.

Well, think of it this way: it is a time-honored American value, a tradition dating to our very foundation as a nation, to be distrusting of government authority. This is even embodied in the requirement that evidence be presented "beyond a reasonable doubt" before finding of guilt.

So, chin up, keep the high moral (and legal) road, and take pride in being tested and found truthful. Embrace the "thin blue line" as a symbol of fraternalism, but reject it when it's used to excuse or cover up bad actions.

I'm not really depressed about it - just commenting about a few bad apples ruining the credibility of LE as a whole.

Very interesting!

Bottom line:

It doesn’t have to make sense (Common Sense is Dead!).

It’s just the Law.

TABC CONDUCTS STING OPERATION AT FIESTA.

While it isn’t really all that relevant to the original thread, it is about TABC and I found it interesting. See this article.

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/TA ... spx?rss=68" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It appears to be a legitimate Sting, since the Teen wasn’t given a fake ID.
I’m not making any judgment here, but one in seven seems to be a much better record than when I was a teen.

Now, check out this news outlet’s spin on the same story.

http://www.kens5.com/news/local/teens-92252849.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

One is real news and the other appears to be a crusade.

Ol Zeke wrote:http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/TA ... spx?rss=68

http://www.kens5.com/news/local/teens-92252849.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

One is real news and the other appears to be a crusade.