Twinsburg Police Officer Shot and Killed

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I'm not anti police. I just don't trust anyone who walks around with a gun on their hip unless I know them personally. I mean, I want to make it home to my family every night. Know what I mean?

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LOL my version:

I'm not anti police. I just don't trust anyone who walks around with special powers and status unless I know them personally. I mean, I want to make it home to my family every night. Know what I mean?

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I don't know what happened in this incident anymore than anyone else here does. All you have is what little the authorities have released, which is of course one sided, and what the defense lawyer said, which is also one sided.

It is always fair to be suspicious of government power, and like it or not, cops are the primary way government exercises its power.

It does seem fair topoint out thatthe dash cam being off is at least unusual, if not suspicious. One would think if it wasnot functionalthey would just have said so.

It does seem more likely that the police version of what happened is what did happen. It is hard to think up anyreasonable SD claim that could be raised in a normal, legitimate police encounter. In fact in most states, you cannot legally resist even a false arrest, and even if it is determined to be a false arrest by a court, it is not a defense, short of a jury figuring out they have the power.

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I should not say most, because it would give off the wrong perception of the point I am trying to get across. I am not an advocate for anyone and really don't want to continue into this as a debate over the way people each interpret different events. My point is only to say that to assume anything is foolish, including assuming that the police are covering this thing up. I just feel bad for the family of the officer. I feel that everyone is entitled to their opinion, mine is that regardless of what the officer may have done wrong or right, the man should not have blasted an officer in the face 4 times. To tell me that the man had anything to fear, to the point of killing the LEO, of a uniformed man with his dog in the car and a holstered weapon seems ridiculous.
That all said, I do not wish to offend anyone in saying that all or any of you are anti LEO or paranoid. The general vibe of some of the people posting is just untrusting of the people that are sworn to protect us, or maybe that’s just how I perceive their posts.

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I'm not anti police. I just don't trust anyone who walks around with a gun on their hip unless I know them personally. I mean, I want to make it home to my family every night. Know what I mean?

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So you don't trust other OC guys ? It sounds almost anti gun, you want the public to be ok with YOU carrying a gun, but you aren't OK with someone else carrying? You have to trust people to an extent.

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Tomahawk wrote:

LOL my version:

I'm not anti police. I just don't trust anyone who walks around with special powers and status unless I know them personally. I mean, I want to make it home to my family every night. Know what I mean?

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I can see this point of view a lot better.

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SWhetsel wrote:

That all said, I do not wish to offend anyone in saying that all or any of you are anti LEO or paranoid.

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You're not paranoid if there really is something to fear. Countless news stories, as well as accounts posted by people here and people on photography forums, seem to indicate that there is.

When the phrase, "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance" was first uttered, it was not about paying taxes and letting the government be vigilant for threats, it was about us being vigilant against government power.

Including, and especially, those who wield that power and with whom we are going to first come in contact with.

So, call me paranoid, I guess.

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SWhetsel wrote:

I'm not anti police. I just don't trust anyone who walks around with a gun on their hip unless I know them personally. I mean, I want to make it home to my family every night. Know what I mean?

Click to expand...

So you don't trust other OC guys ? It sounds almost anti gun, you want the public to be ok with YOU carrying a gun, but you aren't OK with someone else carrying?  You have to trust people to an extent.

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Ok...OC guys/gals I trust. If I see a regular citizen with a holstered gun I know I have nothing to worry about. I get into this argument with my wife about trusting LEO's. And I tell her when I see a police officer I don't know if they are good cops or bad cops. I approach them the same way they approach me...as someone they don't know. Sorry if I offend anyone but like I said I wanna get home at night. Just because they are officers of the law, doesn't mean they are looking out for my best interest. Hope others that read my first post was able to read between the lines.

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rds801 wrote:

SWhetsel wrote:

I'm not anti police. I just don't trust anyone who walks around with a gun on their hip unless I know them personally. I mean, I want to make it home to my family every night. Know what I mean?

Click to expand...

So you don't trust other OC guys ? It sounds almost anti gun, you want the public to be ok with YOU carrying a gun, but you aren't OK with someone else carrying? You have to trust people to an extent.

Click to expand...

Ok...OC guys/gals I trust. If I see a regular citizen with a holstered gun I know I have nothing to worry about. I get into this argument with my wife about trusting LEO's. And I tell her when I see a police officer I don't know if they are good cops or bad cops. I approach them the same way they approach me...as someone they don't know. Sorry if I offend anyone but like I said I wanna get home at night. Just because they are officers of the law, doesn't mean they are looking out for my best interest. Hope others that read my first post was able to read between the lines.

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I see your point. Some officers may have a God complex and then you may not make it home that night. I think you are right to approach them with as much caution as I would expect them to approach you. ( reminds me of my Platoon SGT who was an MI state trooper, he "knew" all the laws if you asked him. )

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The problem with the situation is there is a perception, and it is at least partially true, that thereare little or no consequences for police when they engage in misconduct. Its not completely true, but it is indeed a big problem, especially in certain jurisdictions.

Cops like to claim this is not a problem because they police each others actions. That is true in a lot of agencies, and those agencies tend to have very good records.

It is also undeniably true that a fair number of agencies are well known for the sheer quantity of problems they have in this area, and there seems to be little or nothing they can or will do about it.

I don't know anything about this cop, or his agency, but being as it is a smaller town, odds are it is a pretty decent agency and he was a decent guy.

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Though it hasn't been stated by the media, people in their comments are saying the killer was a nurse? Hard to believe.

One of the charges against him read here is carrying of a concealed weapon, don't see how that could be a charge if he had a legit CCW, if he did indeed have one, it must have been revoked prior to this as someone here stated,but I haven't seen it stated why.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/07/man_indicted_in_shooting_of_tw.html



Regardless, what a horrible, senseless and tragic loss. My heart goes out to his family, this is just so sad.

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About the camera situation...I read somewhere that the officer forgot to get a tape for it at the beginning of the shift. I'll see if I can dig up the source.

ETA: I'm not buying the SD argument at the moment. If you look into the alleged perp's background, you'll see a very checkered past.

ETA again: Source about the dash cam

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It happens that I grew up near Twinsburg and worked at a variety of Sohio gas stations in the area when I was in high school. The station that I spent the most time at was at Exit 13 for the Ohio Turnpike. It was station policy to keep a pot of coffee going for any officer who needed a bit of java. Since I mainly worked the 3 to 11 shift, I spent a lot of time getting to know the local State Patrol officers and the officers on the Boston Heights Police force.

One night I was robbed at gunpoint about 15 minutes before closing. The response was amazing. Five State Patrol cars, 3 Boston Heights Patrol cars plus the Chief, 4 Twinsburg Patrol cars, and3 units from the Hudson Police department. Because an alert local homeowner spotted the getaway parked down the road, a pink Cadillac with no muffler, the Twinsburg Police had the perpetrators in custody about 25 minutes after the call went out. They had only managed to spend 7 dollars of the 48 dollars that took from me in the robbery. Ever since then I have had a bit of a fondness for the Twinsburg Police and have no doubt at all that this wasNOT a self defense scenerio, it was cold blooded murder.

I would also like to point out that I have yet to encounter a police officer who didn't treat me with respect. Of course, Imake it a habitto treat any police officer that I encounter with respect and courtesy. I alsomake it a habit to comply with every one of their requests. Over the 30 plus years that I have been driving doing this hasn't cost me one red cent and it's probably yielded me at least 1000 dollars in savings when I was given a warning instead of a citation, because I havebeen caught overthe speed limit on occasion. For those who think that cops are overbearing with a God complex, I would suggest that you look at your own behavior as a cause for this. Cops are people first and, if you treat them poorly, they will respond in a similar manner.

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Scooter123 wrote:

SNIPI alsomake it a habit to comply with every one of their requests.

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Welcome to the forum!!

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Self Defense?????

4 shots to the head?

Think about it.

The first shot to the head is mostlikely to send some one headed for the ground immediately. How long does it take for some one to wilt from a standing position to horizontal? Maybe about 2 seconds at most. That means that the shooter would have had to squeeze off at least 4 shots (maybe more) in that 2 seconds while following the target down. Nobody is that good a shot, even at close range. My guess, the shooter must have took 2 or 3 shots into the officers head after he was on the ground.

Or the shooter had knocked the officer to the ground and shot him where he laid.

Right now, I'm not buying self defense.

To bad that dash cam was inoperable that night.

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I am for sure praying for this LEOS Family Its hard enough to have a loved one being in danger on a day to day basis.
If any of you know the officers family please let them know that if they need anything they can come to Kent Vineyard Community church and we will gladly do what we can. I volunteer for KCC so just send me a PM and I can set something up,weather its doing yard work or if the officer has kids if its possible to help it will get done.