This happened. There was a suicidal black man. Someone called 9-1-1. Said “this guy owns a gun.” Canines, snipers, all showed up. Somehow a miscommunication happened over the radio, someone shot the suicidal guy in the head with a sniper. Portland Oregon in 2010. Aaron Campbell. No one remembers this shit.
Because it’s happened at least a dozen times since then.
The tactical equipment these guys use, they see it like kids see toys. They’re actively looking for any excuse to break it out and play with it.
The handful of cops I knew when I was younger and thought I wanted to be one all had the same attitude. If there’s any possibility that the toys could be useful, they get the toys out. They’re giddy about it.
So miscommunication? Maybe. Sounds more like they heard what they wanted to hear and anything else was just noise between them and getting to get the toys out and kill a man.
This happened. There was a suicidal black man. Someone called 9-1-1. Said “this guy owns a gun.” Canines, snipers, all showed up. Somehow a miscommunication happened over the radio, someone shot the suicidal guy in the head with a sniper. Portland Oregon in 2010. Aaron Campbell. No one remembers this shit.
Because it’s happened at least a dozen times since then.
The tactical equipment these guys use, they see it like kids see toys. They’re actively looking for any excuse to break it out and play with it.
The handful of cops I knew when I was younger and thought I wanted to be one all had the same attitude. If there’s any possibility that the toys could be useful, they get the toys out. They’re giddy about it.
So miscommunication? Maybe. Sounds more like they heard what they wanted to hear and anything else was just noise between them and getting to get the toys out and kill a man.
If they don’t get the toys out, then they don’t get to keep the toys: bureaucratic incentive amplifies risk.
https://www.portland.gov/police/open-data/aaron-campbell