Cop confrontation goes viral. What is your reaction to this video?

MCPO Roger Collins - I don't think all cops are bad guys. I'm very pro law enforcement. But I call out back police work when I see it.

Cpl Mark McMiller - Same here. A good example is the cop in SC. Totally wrong regardless of what led to shooting the guy in the back. But I will give the benefit of doubt to law enforcement until proven otherwise.

Cpl Mark McMiller If I walk up on you and you start screaming like a crazy person and jab your hand into your pocket you bet your ass I am going to draw. It is obvious that your total lack of respect for police officers is going to cause issues down the road if they have not already.

There are police officers that are not what they should be, just as there are bad doctors, politicians, and military personnel that we have all worked with. They are not the majority. You don't know me you have no clue as to my abilities as a police officer, just like I have no understanding to your abilities as a Marine. I could make assumptions based off your rant, yet they still would not effect how I thought about the Corps as a whole.

SGT William Howell See here's the problem. Let me see if I can break this down so that maybe you will understand it. The cop had no business approaching the guy at all in the first place because, as the cop admitted, the cop didn't suspect the guy of any wrongdoing. And since the cop had no business approaching the guy because he didn't suspect him of any wrongdoing, the cop had no reason to be in fear for his safety. And since the cop had no reason to be in fear for his safety because he didn't suspect the guy of any wrongdoing, he had no legitimate reason to draw his weapon on the guy. And that is why the guy responded in the, rightfully so, manner in which he did.

I have a lot of respect for LEO's in general; in fact, I'm very supportive of law enforcement; I work with them on a daily basis. But like most people, I don't have a lot of respect for LEO's who are clearly behaving wrong and those LEO's who go to ridiculous degrees to defend that behavior. In my mind, when a LEO defends the bad behavior of another LEO, the defending LEO is just as bad. And a LEO might be behaving badly because he needs more training or got some bad training somewhere during his career; but he's not going to learn from his mistake when other LEO's are defending the bad behavior. What LEO's should understand -- and I believe the good ones do -- is that we, as citizens, are not at the beck and call of law enforcement. We have the right to go about our lives unmolested by LEO's when we are clearly doing nothing unlawful.

One thing you are right about; we don't know each other. My opinion of you is based on what you say on this forum just as your opinion is of me. And ranks before names are deceiving; I got out of the Marines in 1984; since then I've had a long and successful life, a lot of it working for attorneys. You will never see me defending anyone when I think they are clearly wrong. If you watch long enough, I'm sure you will see me defend LEO's when I think they are right.

It is but to pull that kind of crap on a person without talking to him is just wrong. Officer could of asked questions if he felt there was a wrong. little man syndrome at it's best. Even possible corruption of this department. We need honest people not just some gun ho fucks. sorry for my language I would of done the same as the guy behind the camera.

I'm with you CSM Michael J. Uhlig --- it certainly seems like the officer was out of line to me.

I once drove up in my patrol car to a lady who seemed to be upset. No one called me out there, no one flagged my down, and I did not suspect a crime was committed. I asked her if everything was alright. She told me no and I asked if I could help. She was looking for her dog. I asked for a description of her dog, and I drove around a little a while but I never found her dog. I drove back to where she was and she had found him. The point I am trying to make is that police office could have pulled up to that civilian as started casual conversation. It's a form of community policing. It is basic communication 101. It is how the police forms relationships in the community by being sociable. The police officer was totally out of line. I wish I was his FTO. I would have shown him how to speak to people.

He seems from the video he did escalate the situation, but you are only getting one side of it. You can't see the guys hands or body language. They tell a lot on a FI. I had a old cop tell me one time, "Don't draw your gun unless you are willing to use it. If you are using it to intimidate somebody and they call you on it, you got nowhere to go."

Cpl Mark McMiller - I was saying when SPC George Rudenko confronted his situation I would of done the similar steps. I have not commented on original Thread CPL Mark McMiller.

SPC Americo Garcia I see that now. Sorry about that.

Did someone forget Waco was a group of criminals? Are we really that far right that a religous zealot group can stockpile hundreds of weapons and 10's of thousands of rounds? Wait, that just happened with the three zealots that wanted to attack Jade Helm. Your wiki quotes on Graham v Connor miss one big point, the reasonable view of the officer, You can look with a microscope and find something wrong with anything, and I think you will continue to do so. I find that in these threads, people tend to glance over and focus only on what they want to see. And I clearly see that here. What I don't see, and never see, is anyone willing to help, willing to assist, willing to put there reputation and actually try to make their community better. It is a society now that sees wrong in everything, and looks to find that wrong with vigerous intent. I notice also not one reporting of the officer(detective) jumped by three thugs and lefft for dead near a shopping mall while at least 3 people video'd on their phone. No mention of the officers assasinated in drive by, walk by shootings. So, are we really now att the point itts all about "me" and my videopphone and to hell with everyone else? I see that every day. And when we look at the increased violence in Ferguson and Baltimore, police will say they are doing what the public wants.... and there is no tort money in that answer.

SPC George Rudenko - What exactly were the Branch Davidians doing that was criminal? More specifically, what exactly were the Branch Davidian's children and infants doing that was criminal that warranted them being killed by the FBI and Delta Force? You really should get out more. It's not unusual for citizens to have hundreds of weapons and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition in my part of the country. And the Branch Davidians earned a living lawfully trading and selling those weapons at gun shows just as thousands of other citizens in our country do. If ATF really felt that that was so criminal, why did they lie on the request for the warrant, stating that the Branch Davidians were running a meth lab on the property and were abusing children, both of which they knew were false? When is it ATF's jurisdiction to investigate and make arrests regarding drugs or child abuse anyway?

Regarding, "reasonable view of the officer", the key word is "reasonable." The view that it's okay to draw your weapon, threatening someone with deadly force, when you are aware of no crime being committed and you do not feel threatened is not reasonable.

Get off your no one cares about cops rant. This is solely about a cop drawing a weapon and threatening a citizen with deadly force for no reason.

Sgt Richard Buckner - Thanks for the voice of reason. I was thinking the SAME thing.

Sgt Richard Buckner, it was the perp's provocative attitude and actions that started and escalated the situation. All he had to do was to be cooperative at any point for the situation to be resolved without incident. Cops are under the gun these days and are subject to being attacked and killed for no apparent reason by citizens with attitude like this fool.

He may easily have had a weapon in his pocket and the cop needed to check him out. If he had had a weapon and the cop let him go unexamined, as this one did, and the perp later committed a violent crime, the cop would have been found to be derelict in his duty.

These things don't happen in a vacuum, and this fool needlessly risked his life by persistently provoking the cop.

Next time he may not survive his obstinacy. And, given his attitude, there WILL be a next time.

PO2 Brian Rhodes, it is indeed a free country, and the cop had every right to get out of his car to check out the situation that he considered to be suspicious. And the cop couldn't have known whether the perp was the homeowner or a trespasser, or whether he was armed. All he saw was a hostile attitude towards the police - and he went to investigate as he should have done.

Sgt Richard Buckner, if you tell me the perp's name I will use that. Same with the cop's name.

Clearly we disagree on the quality of the judgment shown by the perp; since this is taking on a personal tone, we should just agree to disagree and let it go at that.

Sgt David G Duchesneau, especially when one is defiant and uncooperative with the police.

You got that right Capt! You get what you give and sometimes you get a whole lot more than what you really wanted. Justice sometimes means JUST US!