Local PD

I was recently watching some footage of a police officer striking a young man—and since I’m not currently in the States, I don't have all the granular details. The kid falls, hits his head on the concrete, and dies, leaving everyone pointing fingers at the officer for overstepping his bounds. Now, I’m not looking to assign blame here; I’m just curious about the narrative being spun. Is it just me, or is nobody mentioning that the kid was intoxicated? Or that he was reportedly speeding down an icy road at 100 mph? No one seems to bring up the fact that he was being verbally abusive, aggressive, and actually initiated the physical confrontation. It makes sense that the officer defended himself. My guess is he went for the jaw—that's where you typically strike to neutralize a threat quickly. He wasn't going to play games; he had to incapacitate him. And let's be honest: the cause of death was the impact with the pavement, not the strike itself.
Look at what happens during those massive protests in cities like Chicago or New York, where special units might get aggressive with protesters. You see kids getting hit with batons or knees to the ribs, yet the headlines immediately scream "police brutality" and "excess of power." If one of those kids ends up on the ground after a pursuit, suddenly the fault lies entirely with the officers for failing to stop them sooner. It seems to be a pattern. At the end of the day, I respect our law enforcement and believe they are doing their jobs under incredibly difficult circumstances.

Look, this one incident just makes the whole mess with American law enforcement look even worse. It’s not just a staffing issue, either—it’s an authority problem. Sure, there are plenty of capable officers out there, but there are way too many hacks running around who have no business being on the force. They’re doing nothing but tanking the department's reputation.

On top of that, our local police departments are pretty soft compared to some of the agencies I've worked with or run into while traveling abroad.

Every story has two sides. Personally, I’m all for a tougher, more serious police force—meaning they actually enforce the law—but that has to come with total professionalism. Unfortunately, our guys just don't have that level of discipline.

Personally, after I finished my time at the seminary, I spent some time out in the Netherlands and ended up filing a report with their local police. They don't mess around. People there are actually intimidated by the cops. I honestly don't get why that officer would go through all that trouble if he hasn't actually done anything wrong.

He messed up, no doubt about it. But look, you can't expect three drunk college kids to hold their own against a trained officer who actually knows his business and is in peak shape. This just goes to show that our local cops aren't even remotely qualified to handle a threat like that.

I’m not following your logic here. He acted strictly within the bounds of the law. After being attacked, he used only the minimum amount of force necessary to protect himself. It was self-defense, plain and simple. Once you land a strike to the jaw, a person typically goes down and hits their head. We see plenty of officers who struggle with proper procedure, but in this case, I believe he did exactly what he was supposed to do. Is it tragic that a young man lost his life? Of course. But did he act legally? Absolutely.

Looks like the kid's dead.

Look, there are plenty of ways an officer can de-escalate without throwing punches, but apparently, American cops haven't mastered that yet. Sure, the cop should’ve read the room better and handled it differently, but clearly, he screwed up big time if this is the mess we're stuck with now.

Quincy:

I think the kid is dead. Look, there are plenty of ways an officer can defend themselves without resorting to physical strikes, but it seems like some American officers just don't have those de-escalation tactics down. That officer should have read the room and assessed the situation differently, but clearly, his judgment was flawed, and we're all seeing the tragic result of that mistake right now.

The kid died. He made the right call in how he assessed the scene. What was he supposed to do, just stand there and take a beating? He didn't have any other options; he evaluated the threat. The rule is to use the minimum amount of force necessary, but you can't exactly defend yourself more easily by refusing to use your own strength. He can't use a baton, and he can't reach for handcuffs if he's actively being attacked... Honestly, at this rate, it feels like they'd rather just shoot him so everyone can stop worrying. I think you've got it wrong.

I don't think so. I come from similar business circles where we know there are plenty of ways to handle things without anyone getting hurt. Besides, let’s be real: some guy who's 5'9" and maybe 150 lbs, stumbling around drunk, isn't exactly a threat to my girlfriend—let alone to a 6'3", 220 lb SWAT officer in full gear.
I think that's just total nonsense.

Edward Gonzalez said:Quincy:

I think the kid is dead. Look, there are plenty of ways an officer can defend themselves without resorting to physical strikes, but it seems like some American officers just don't have those de-escalation tactics down. That officer should have read the room and assessed the situation differently, but clearly, his judgment was flawed, and we're all seeing the tragic result of that mistake right now.

The kid died. He made the right call in how he assessed the scene. What was he supposed to do, just stand there and take a beating? He didn't have any other options; he evaluated the threat. The rule is to use the minimum amount of force necessary, but you can't exactly defend yourself more easily by refusing to use your own strength. He can't use a baton, and he can't reach for handcuffs if he's actively being attacked... Honestly, at this rate, it feels like they'd rather just shoot him so everyone can stop worrying. I think you've got it wrong.

Look, I'm just going to say it: you are being completely irrational here.👎

Look, there’s a whole different way to handle this mess. If you decide to take a swing at a federal agent or a cop, those officials are going to shut you down—and they won't even need to lay a hand on you to do it—but you'll end up facing $16667 massive fines and legal trouble.
Or, honestly? Maybe we just need to let our local police departments tighten up the rules so that if someone decides to act out, they actually face some consequences from the officers on the scene. I mean, if someone can't behave themselves like a civilized human being, isn't that ultimately a failure of how they were raised?
Now, don't get me wrong, I know there are plenty of cops out there who are arrogant, rude, and frankly incompetent, but...
a public official performing their duties shouldn't be obstructed by some hothead.
If we really want to stop this kind of chaos, there's only one way: either hit them with astronomical fines and jail time, or they need to get a taste of their own medicine.

ruggedhawk55 said:I don't think so. I come from similar business circles where we know there are plenty of ways to handle things without anyone getting hurt. Besides, let’s be real: some guy who's 5'9" and maybe 150 lbs, stumbling around drunk, isn't exactly a threat to my girlfriend—let alone to a 6'3", 220 lb SWAT officer in full gear.
I think that's just total nonsense.

How would you even react if someone just blindsided you with a punch? You can't exactly control that surge of pure rage. It doesn't matter if they were actually a threat or not; you just can't have people attacking or disrespecting a police officer.
Look, I'm not taking sides here.
I'm just firmly on the side of heavy fines.

Of course I’d defend myself, but I’m definitely not out here swinging my hands or elbows at anyone. There are plenty of other ways to handle things. Plus, since I’ve got about 70 pounds on him and he’s a good 8 inches shorter than me, it wouldn't take much effort to shut him down the right way.

Quincy:

Of course I’d defend her, but it’s not like I’d be swinging my fists or elbows wildly. There are much more effective ways to handle things. Besides, given that I outweigh him by about 60 pounds and have a good four inches on these "attackers," it wouldn't take much effort to de-escalate the situation properly.

The strike always goes for the chin because that’s what immediately incapacitates someone. You learn that during your very first self-defense training session in the police academy. Having worked with the LAPD, I know how it works.

Quincy:

Look, man, I’m just going to say it: you are being an absolute idiot.

Care to explain exactly how you reached that conclusion?

Quincy:

I don't think I am, actually. I come from similar professional circles where we understand there are various ways to resolve a conflict without anyone getting hurt. And honestly, I find it hard to believe that some guy who's 5'9" and maybe 150 pounds—especially while intoxicated—could pose any real threat to my girlfriend, let alone a trained officer standing 6'3" and weighing over 220 pounds.

Based on what I know and what’s been reported, he’s a highway patrol officer. He pulled over a vehicle that was doing 100 mph on a slick road, and the driver was drunk... it's a textbook scenario.

Edward Gonzalez said:Quincy:

Of course I’d defend her, but it’s not like I’d be swinging my fists or elbows wildly. There are much more effective ways to handle things. Besides, given that I outweigh him by about 60 pounds and have a good four inches on these "attackers," it wouldn't take much effort to de-escalate the situation properly.

The strike always goes for the chin because that’s what immediately incapacitates someone. You learn that during your very first self-defense training session in the police academy. Having worked with the LAPD, I know how it works.

Quincy:

Look, man, I’m just going to say it: you are being an absolute idiot.

Care to explain exactly how you reached that conclusion?

Quincy:

I don't think I am, actually. I come from similar professional circles where we understand there are various ways to resolve a conflict without anyone getting hurt. And honestly, I find it hard to believe that some guy who's 5'9" and maybe 150 pounds—especially while intoxicated—could pose any real threat to my girlfriend, let alone a trained officer standing 6'3" and weighing over 220 pounds.

Based on what I know and what’s been reported, he’s a highway patrol officer. He pulled over a vehicle that was doing 100 mph on a slick road, and the driver was drunk... it's a textbook scenario.

Well, you nailed it. I've seen the "self-defense" tactics used by local cops, and honestly, those guys are lucky they haven't run into anything tougher than some drunk teenagers yet.

Big props to them for teaching you to hit the chin—totally effective... lol!

Kudos to them for teaching you how to throw a punch to the chin—that’ll definitely make you useful... ha ha ha!

But seriously... why are you flailing around like you're in a K1 fight or at Pride? You should always be aiming low, under the chin. It's the same story with the police in the Netherlands... and trust me, I'm not just some clueless teenager talking nonsense.

Being a cop isn't about some ego trip or being a tough guy. Most of them are just insecure because they get their asses handed to them by actual fighters in a ring, so they take it out on the streets against some drunk, "dangerous" teenagers.

I’m telling you, your idea of self-defense is a joke.

I gotta wonder—that "perfect" punch to the jaw they taught you in your first hour of self-defense training? Does it even work if you aren't facing a drunk kid who's 70 pounds lighter than you? If you try that on an experienced boxer of the same height, he'd probably just laugh at you or shave your damn chin off.🙂.

drunk, "dangerous" teenagers!

Are you actually suggesting he wasn't intoxicated?
Do you even have children?

If that kid had struck him first...
Would you be making excuses for this kind of behavior then? Or would you be out there attacking the police for failing to react properly?

I mean, look at Naples, Italy—they have peaceful protests where people see God in those teenagers, yet they don't deal with armed robberies like we do here. I read about "long guns" being pulled on the streets in Washington, D.C. every single day...
If your police force didn't resort to such heavy-handed tactics, maybe these problems wouldn't exist. Otherwise, things are just going to keep getting worse and worse...

Honestly, America needs military-style police units like they have in Kenya, Uganda, Burkina Faso, or Pakistan!

Look, I never said the guy wasn't drunk. But if you're actually a trained cop, you should know that some drunk dude is a way smaller threat than a fully geared, highly trained SWAT officer, right?

The Mafia still runs things in Italy... do I really need to go on? Comparing American police to what they deal with in Italy is just pointless.

Just so we're clear on my stance:
1. I'm justifying why a cop would defend himself and take a drunk kid into custody.
2. I am NOT justifying the way that officer went about his "self-defense."
3. And I'm definitely NOT justifying the fact that the kid died from being hit in the jaw!

I think you're missing the bigger picture here;
Look—what happened fits all the hallmarks of involuntary manslaughter, and that’s how it should be labeled if we're talking about a conflict between two civilians. It would have been

Instead, they've framed it as "excess of authority" without even mentioning manslaughter. That allows the officer to walk away way, way better off than if he faced both charges combined. If he were hit with both, he'd lose his job and go straight to prison. If it were just manslaughter, he'd definitely go to prison. But since it's just excess of authority? He might just lose his job, or even get lucky with a long suspension and a desk job elsewhere.👎

So, I had this one encounter back in the States where a cop actually slapped me—just straight up swung at me—all because I talked some trash back after he started being incredibly rude and insulting me right in front of his partner. Like, seriously? What would have happened if I’d actually fought back? Just imagine who’d be writing the official report and what kind of nonsense they’d put in there!

Look, try insulting a cop over in Germany instead. They’ll probably just give you this polite little smile while they jot down every single word you said, but let me tell you, once that massive fine hits your mailbox, you aren't gonna find it funny anymore. And god forbid you even try to lay a finger on them... suddenly, it's all your fault.