I wish I could say the title was simply another cheesy, pseudo-porno filmed in Los Angeles. But it’s not. It is video and stories out of LA that show a serious lack of professionalism in that city’s police force.
“Our dedication to catch this killer remains steadfast. Our confidence remains unshaken,” Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said at a news conference alongside police chiefs and mayors from Irvine and Riverside. “We will not tolerate this reign of terror.”
Reign of terror? Maybe he needs to look inward a bit. Look at this piece as reported by the IBTimes. On Thursday morning, LAPD officers mistakenly opened fire on Emma Hernandez, 71, and her daughter, Margie Carranza, 47, as they were sitting inside their blue Toyota Tacoma. The truck was riddled with bullets, Hernandez was shot twice in the back, and Carranza was injured by broken glass. Seriously? Police opened fire on two women mistakenly thought to be Christopher Dorner? LAPD Chief Charlie Beck called the shooting accidental and “a tragic misinterpretation”. Again. Seriously?
And then there was this little case of mistaken identity. A Redondo Beach man was shot at by police after leaving his home and driving to the beach. David Perdue is a thin white man who looks nothing like Dorner. And he was questioned and released by officers just moments before another officer slammed a patrol car into his truck and fired shots at him. According to his lawyer, “These lunatics broadsided the side of his truck, spun him around and started shooting at him.” Furthermore, “Now they’re attempting to say they couldn’t tell if the guy they were shooting at was a white guy or a black guy because David’s airbag went off.”
But there’s something else that bothers me about this manhunt. Something else besides the obvious shoot-to-kill mentality and cops as judge-jury-executioners of Christopher Dorner. It’s the reward.
There were 204 murders recorded in LA County during 2012 and in 2013, so far, 12 are recorded according to lacountymurders.com. According to many vital statistics on crime, as many as 6000 killers get away with murder every year. Every year.
So why aren’t we offering million dollar rewards for information leading to their arrests? Are the victims of those killers worth less in the eyes of the police than, say, the lives of police officers? If rewards were offered for other victims would the families of those victims feel the sense of closure they currently lack? Not sure.
When asked about the distinction, Beck said the case is distinct from most that offer rewards for fleeing fugitives because police strongly believe Dorner would strike again. “This is not about catching a fugitive suspect, it’s about preventing a future crime, most likely a murder,” he said. “This is an act, make no mistake about it, of domestic terrorism.”
So these murders are acts of Domestic Terrorism. That’s convenient. Fire up the drones, boys!
Sorry. Back on target now.
Did you know that ancient Germanic society practiced a form of social justice called Weregild. Weregild was a form of social justice whereby a value was placed on every human being and every piece of property. If property was stolen, or someone was injured or killed, the guilty person would have to pay weregild as restitution to the victim’s family or to the owner of the property.
The size of the weregild was determined by the social rank of the victim. There was a basic fee for a “free man” that could be multiplied according to the social rank of the victim and the circumstances of the crime. At one point in the 9th century, a king was valued at 15,000 shillings and a common man – about 200 shillings. In 2013, a police officer $1 million. A common man – not so much.
Are we now assigning social rank to our citizens?
So where is this reward coming from? According to Beck, the source of the reward is both public and private sources. If public sources are being offered, shouldn’t public sources be offered for all active cases? Is the life of John Doe any less valuable than a police officer?
I agree Christopher Dorner should be caught and brought to justice. However, once the line between bench justice and gun-barrel justice is crossed, where does it end? Many believe that line has already been crossed. Read the comment section at the end of any story about Dorner. Notice where public sentiment lies. Yeah, people want this guy caught. But just as many hold LA County police – and police in general – in contempt. Instead of merely dismissing this prevalent feeling, wouldn’t it be wise for our public officials to look at how our police forces – greatly militarized – react to these types of situations?
Food for thought on this day.