Has anyone seen "Half Cocked"?

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appraiser

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He has gone AWOL from the forum.

Does anyone know him in real life that can verify he is alive and well?
 
"you never learn anything from someone you agree with"

I'm sure he and I would not be hanging out together, but that doesn't mean we can't show some concern when someone who is a long time and frequent contributor stops adding to the discussion
 
I thought he brought a sense of reality to the LEO conversations. And being that he is a LEO, that's like trying to make pleasant conversation while under heavy fire.
 
Most FT LEOs that were on this site have left. It's just like Derek said, they generally have very thin skin wrt being tarred and feathered (as a class of people) over the bad actions of those that do get caught/plastered in the news (I'll contend that there are bad people in every walk of life).
 
You guys challenge my positions every day. And sometimes I think "Oh shit, here we go again". All I ever ask is that the the example is reflective of the premise one is trying to prove and that the premise, whether it be a double standard of law enforcment or misconduct, is being fairly critiqued with any bias put aside for the time being. It takes quite a bit to look at a situation objectively; I hope if I'm putting forth that effort, those engaging on the other side of the debate can be so kind as to meet me halfway.

I only time get truly annoyed is when a great discussion on something completely unrelated evolves into a bashing thread. Because I know that there's no way I can credibly attempt shift the thread back on target without looking like I'm simply trying to cease the anti-cop carnage.

With that said, I have a co-worker who used to moderate here on a daily basis. I hear he still lurks on occasion but his loss was definately a hit to the collective knowlege of the NES community. I don't know if it was the anti-police stuff that made him leave, but if it was, it's a shame either way.
 
Most FT LEOs that were on this site have left. It's just like Derek said, they generally have very thin skin wrt being tarred and feathered (as a class of people) over the bad actions of those that do get caught/plastered in the news
Perhaps they should do more to rid their profession of those bad apples. That way we have fewer reasons to tar and feather.
 
Perhaps they should do more to rid their profession of those bad apples. That way we have fewer reasons to tar and feather.

If you knew how little clout individual officers have or even their local unions, you would be shocked.

I don't disagree about weeding out the bad apples, just that individual officers don't have that ability, only the brass do and from what I've experienced, they seem to just look the other way until something explodes. And then I've seen Civil Service reverse the decisions to reprimand those that got caught . . . so even the brass have their hands tied.
 
If you knew how little clout individual officers have or even their local unions, you would be shocked.

I don't disagree about weeding out the bad apples, just that individual officers don't have that ability, only the brass do and from what I've experienced, they seem to just look the other way until something explodes. And then I've seen Civil Service reverse the decisions to reprimand those that got caught . . . so even the brass have their hands tied.

If it was important to them, they would find a way.
 
If it was important to them, they would find a way.


The only way I ever found was to refuse to work with the troublemaker. Even then, I almost got into trouble for refusing an order of a Lieutenant. I avoided that trouble by threatening to go home sick and calling the press in. The bosses relented because they knew that they could not defend forcing me to work with a drunk, especially since he was senior and would be driving. They found someone else dumb enough to "follow orders" and ride with the drunk.
 
I'm glad that Obie is here. Though I didn't always agree with the way HC went with posting, it almost ALWAYS made me continue reading the thread.

The insights that I get from the LEO's on here is very valuable. Though NES member LEO's probably don't reflect the LE community as a whole, it's still very important that I hear what they have to say.
 
I'm glad that Obie is here. Though I didn't always agree with the way HC went with posting, it almost ALWAYS made me continue reading the thread.

The insights that I get from the LEO's on here is very valuable. Though NES member LEO's probably don't reflect the LE community as a whole, it's still very important that I hear what they have to say.

It's too bad that some attack the person because of their job instead of trying to understand a different perspective which might solidify the reader's thinking or in some cases modify it.

Chasing people away that you disagree with makes us insular and never gives us the benefit of why/what others perceive to be issues.

Agree that those that post here probably think more like we do than one might think.
 
If it was important to them, they would find a way.

Are you saying that the ends justify the means and you want the police superior officers to do something illegal? That doesn't seem too consistent to me.

I miss Half-Cocked posts as well. He is a good guy. I didn't agree with everything he said, but I think he was spot-on many times.

What is so interesting is that there really are a lot of LEO bashers on the forum who paint all law enforcement with the same broad brush. There are lots of reasons to be dissatisfied with many of the issues regarding police departments, and I have some major issues with some of the perks and salary that some police departments enjoy. I also find the nepotism very odious and the police as an institution are not a meritocracy. The truth of the matter is that civil service laws, union contracts make identifying and removing police officers from their positions difficult. I think it is important too, that many offenses committed by police officers are not offenses that result in termination. There are other penalties which can include suspension without pay, giving up paid vacation days or reassignment to less prestigious duty. Cops get thrown under the bus sometimes too because they run afoul of department politics.

I deplore the continued militarization of the police with regard to weaponry and tactical type uniforms and the continued use of the term "civilians" in defining the non-sworn citizenry. Most of all I despise the idea that somehow paid details and overtime are a right, and the real reason for being a member of a police department. In Massachusetts, the Quinn Bill has been a massive failure. You don't need an MS in Criminal Justice Studies to be a good police officer. Still, just because someone is a police officer is not in and of itself a reason to slam somebody. Actions speak a whole lot louder than words.

There are plenty of cops who don't particularly like private citizens, but there are many private citizens who fundamentally don't like cops and want to go for the jugular every time. Maybe both groups deserve each other. I don't know.
 
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Just as the news reports mostly the bad things that happen in the world, we notice and talk about the bad things too.

It isn't that we don't CARE about the officer that runs into a burning building to save a child or the fireman that gives CPR until the medical team can get there, its that we either never hear about it or sometimes we just aren't surprised and don't make as big a deal about it as the bad things.

I despise people that use their authority to abuse others. Whether you are a cop, TSA, a priest or a school teacher. (I do give a pass to hot female teachers dating mid-late teen boys) I feel so oppressed in this state maybe I'm too quick to jump to the side of the victims of our system.

HC was a little arrogant and stubborn, but despite a tendency to take the side of the LEO in these "discussions" on NES, was usually fair and always knowledgeable. And in fairness, us non-LE members probably tend just as much if not more so, to the civilian side no more or less evidence supporting us than he had.
 
What is so interesting is that there really are a lot of LEO bashers on the forum who paint all law enforcement with the same broad brush.

I'll take a moment to discuss this a bit...

I think there are also a lot of people around here who confuse NESers bitching about a bad incidents involving a LEO with "cop bashing" in a generic sense- so when a LEO does something worthy of criticism, and people here talk about it, it often gets frothed into accusations of "painting law enforcement with a broad brush". So we've often had this strange middle ground of LEO polishers who complain at the slightest provocation.

Generally speaking I treat those in law enforcement as individuals and I give them the benefit of the doubt, unless they are acting like douchebags. Problem is these days there is so much malum prohibitum garbage on the books, it is getting more and more difficult for a LEO to do the right thing. A lot of the laws themselves basically feed into abuse of the citizen. The "political system" inside most LE orgs, is also generally atrocious and acrimonious... no real getting around that. The bigger the agency gets the worse it gets too..... just look at what has happened to the "good" ATF agents that have tried to do the right thing with regards to F&F.... it is a national investigation and the agency probably has the whistle-blowers working in tinbuck 4 by now on some garbage job, or they've figured out how to railroad them out of their jobs.

WRT HC, I didn't agree with him a lot of the time but I also learned a lot from the guy, too. I also at least have to commend him for having a thicker skin than most.

-Mike
 
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If you knew how little clout individual officers have or even their local unions, you would be shocked.

I don't disagree about weeding out the bad apples, just that individual officers don't have that ability, only the brass do and from what I've experienced, they seem to just look the other way until something explodes. And then I've seen Civil Service reverse the decisions to reprimand those that got caught . . . so even the brass have their hands tied.

I don't know Len, but when you read things like in the link below, it does make one wonder.....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/31/drug-search-trekies-stopped-searched-illinois_n_1364087.html?ref=mostpopular
 
EC1, sorry I don't read Huffington . . . she's such a douchebag that I don't want to boost her ratings! I also give her info less credibility than the MSM.

So feel free to summarize if you wish.

Although only as a part-timer, having worked inside a small muni PD and a large college PD, I've seen enough of how they operate to be convinced that most officers and unions don't have the ability to "make change happen". I've bucked that system a few times, when I felt it warranted it and I've spoken up a few times. It wasn't a career for me, so I was more emboldened than those that relied on a check every week. Even in major industry, when a manager made a bone-headed policy change (that violated corporate policy) my fellow employees wouldn't speak up to him, instead a couple of them came to me to complain and ask me to intercede, which I did and got the policy reversed. They didn't have the guts to speak up in a company where there was no chance that they would ever get fired for complaining. I guess some of it is just human nature.
 
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