If you read this article all the way through you'll find that the OK PTB are making it a felony for citizens to have doors they can't easily kick in. Imagine that. If you have a burgler-proof door, the act of a SWAT Team being hindered by it makes you a felon. Note that you are not a felon until it inconveniences the door-kickers. That means an act by the police creates the felony--not an act by you. Of course, the citizens of Oklahoma can put a swift end to this (and the touchie-feelie "felony battery", thing, too) simply by using the most appropriate of their three boxes. I really think they should get started on that. Right now. State Law Makes it a Felony to Touch a Police Officer Even Off-Duty and Out of Uniform
I suspect that the first time this ever gets into a Federal Court, it will be struck down as "Unconstitutionally Vague" if the Plaintive was dealing with an Plain Clothed State or local LEO, who did NOT properly Identify himself as such BEFORE the Physical Encounter. It smacks of Prior Restraint....
That article is very disturbing. I actually looked to make sure I wasn't reading an article from the Onion. The special status of being untouchable to the LEO is only going to boost egos and could lead to the corrupt officers abusing this status. We cannot start granting special status because it is a slippery slope.
Is anyone else of the mind that waiting for the other shoe to drop is insanely irritating? There is the reality of it that it won't be pretty, though waiting is like being under siege and their plan is to win a war of attrition. People of action get disgusted by the lull.
"... could lead to the corrupt officers abusing this status." Wow, Motomom34 THAT is the understatement of the Century! "Corrupt officers" in 99% of the cases is also redundant. Also conrats on the promotion to mod.
@Motomom34 Congrats on your promotion to the near-divine, but I think most of us though of you that way even before. I use the Four Box system, myself. Soapbox, ballot box, ammo box, and pine box. The pine box is what I'll be in before I shut up.
The whole special status is wrong. We complain about the special status that we see being given to sexual preference people and religions. Those people are starting to abuse and push the boundaries. Because people are in a feel good, let's protect mode we see our country changing. IMO this special status was given because Oklahoman's probably really appreciate their officers. In rural areas law enforcement is a solid part of the communities. Not in a bad way. IMO there is a distinct difference between rural and city law enforcement. We can't lump them all into one category- they deal with very different daily issues. I hope that makes sense. Let's not forget that OK is a thoroughfare for Illegal aliens and drugs/gangs.
Seems to me that officers that live in the communities that they serve are a different breed than those that don't. The mentality for the first is to serve and protect as opposed to enslave and subject.
Some jurisdictions require that officers live in their served areas. Not always honored, but often enough that one might draw a conclusion or two.
One difference in the Rural and City/Suburban Law Enforcement is that City/Suburban is usually done by Police. (Appointed Law Enforcement) where Rural is mostly done by Sheriffs. (Elected Law Enforcement) When the Chief LEO, is Elected by his constituents, and must suffer that, on a regular Basis, they tend to be a lot more understanding of their community, and who they serve. Where the Chief LEO is appointed, by the local Politico, and serves "At the Will" of that, or those, Politicos, they tend to be less involved with the Citizenry, and only really listen to the Politicos, that employ them. My opinion, YMMV.....
The "us vs them" and "we got a gun and badge which civilians don't" attitude really gets to me. Got news for you, if you are NOT in the MILITARY, you ARE a CIVILIAN! Yes, even if you got a gun and a badge. Yeah I have seen law enFORCEment from both side, know lots of cops and am NOT anti-cop, but I AM opposed to the "thug cop" mentality that so many (nearly all) of them seem to have. "Serve and protect? US? HAHAHAHA! I was a bully in high school and now I get paid to push people around! It doesn't get any better than this!" Not all of them, but far, far too many of them. Also I have actually only known ONE cop that actually knew the law and the Constitution (ask any cop about either and in 99.99% of the cases they got no idea of either, and what they think they know is wrong) that they swore to uphold. Most have no idea about the former and never hear of the latter. Too many groups of officialdom feel entitled to be better than the sheeple and masses, and looking at the various trolls found all over the net, it is hard to fault them for feeling superior to the run of the mill scum. The problem is when they start to passing that into law. Look at local city councils, you got 2 minutes and that's it, then a cop drags you off and might arrest you for talking too much. You are in more trouble for spitting on a politico than murdering a sheeple. Now the cop is some sort of elevated status above mere mortals and can (and lets face it, WILL) take advantage of that. Why do you think they fight so hard against personal body cameras? Gee, you would think that a FILM of what they said and what happened would be far better than "he said/I said" wouldn't you? Well not when one side has a gun and can kill at will and lie about it (google ERIC SHAW) and walk. Personal responsibility? Restraint? Not now! Look at the case (KY?) recently where the cop blew some little girl's leg off when he got excited and started waving his gun around and the cops will only release TWELVE SECONDS of what happened on the TWELVE MINUTES of body camera film. Sooner or later people will figure this out and respond in kind. I hope it doesn't come to that, but you push someone's back to the wall often enough and they will fight back. Watch "V FOR VENDETTA" ( a great movie). Ditch Witch, new shoes? I liked the old ones better, but these still look good!