Shooting at a burglar can land you in the nut house

I woke up this morning and turn on the news, as usual, and there's a story where a man shot at a burglar to scare him away from his house. When the police arrived to question the man he told them someone had tried to break into his home and thats why he shot his gun. The police officer says there's no one around and took him to the local hospital for a mental eval. There you go folks. Just remember when you shoot at a burglar don't miss cause the police wont believe anyone was there in the first place, and everyone knows that if you scare a burglar away they hang out to wait for the police to show up. Rediculous

[Abracadaver]

What do you expect from jack-booted thugs who both lack any significant education nor are required to pursue continuing education, and chose their profession so they could take out their resentment for getting beat up for their lunch money as children?

[CrazeOKC]

That's insane, sorry the pun. Seriously, where was that at? I know I don't live in the most liberal state but in OK the police would probably give you some replacement ammo just in case the robber returned.

[Markankhamen]

As a cop I resent the jack-booted comments... Some cops are college grads and some continue our education just for the hell of it. I do. But even if I and my department are the exception most people become cops because they genuinely want to help people. Those that are in it for a power trip don't go far.

Regardless, I am willing to bet this guys behavior was out there. Off kilter enough that the cop thought it was warranted to have him evaluated. Even if he was acting oddly out of panic a eval would do him some good. It only sounds bad that this happened if you assume there was someone trying to break in. What if there really wasn't?

[Rachel]

Abracadaver wrote:

What do you expect from jack-booted thugs who both lack any significant education nor are required to pursue continuing education, and chose their profession so they could take out their resentment for getting beat up for their lunch money as children?

Wow - back off the judgement there cowboy. You don't know the whole story. Let's say this guy actually was a little off his rocker and the cops let him go. Then he hears a "burglar" again and accidentally hits someone with a bullet, you'd be pissed that the cops hadn't done something beforehand.
Anyway, all I'm saying is yes, the cops can be heavy handed sometimes but there are very few that are the 'thugs' you're painting them to be. There's always two sides to every story.

[Ralph]

What the heck is this topic doing on the Gay/Lesbian Forum??????????

[Wherethingsarebi gger]

Move to Texas. Best gun laws in the world!

[Indy Steve]

"Rediculous." ROFLOL

Steve's Redneck Dictionary definition:

"Rediculous: It was diculous before and it's diculous again. It's rediculous."

[Abracadaver]

I have three active police officers in my family. My grandfather was a constable and my great-grandfather a Justice of the Peace (now called a District Magistrate). I also come from a long line of military service personnel.

One thing I know about this group like I know the back of my own hand is that they believe that, because they're dedicated to the rule of law, it doesn't apply to them. I can't believe how many times I've seen my cousin's fellow officers escort him home so he could drive drunk. My grandfather used to show up at domestic violence scenes that his friends were involved in and advise the abuser to just "sleep it off," all but ignoring the battered woman standing there.

Most police won't think twice about making a mokery of the law in order to exercise their authority, especially if they think that the person they're harrassing is ignorant of their constitutional rights. Police officers are TRAINED to get you to voluntarily relinquish your rights, such as during a traffic stop, and I've never met one yet who responds pleasantly when you say, "I do not consent to any searches, officer" (i.e. do your job and get a warrant, I'll not do it for you nor give up my rights so you can do what you like).

And that's the profession as I see it, and always have; PERSONALLY, not from behind

Markankhamen wrote:

As a cop I resent the jack-booted comments... Some cops are college grads and some continue our education just for the hell of it. I do. But even if I and my department are the exception most people become cops because they genuinely want to help people. Those that are in it for a power trip don't go far.
Regardless, I am willing to bet this guys behavior was out there. Off kilter enough that the cop thought it was warranted to have him evaluated. Even if he was acting oddly out of panic a eval would do him some good. It only sounds bad that this happened if you assume there was someone trying to break in. What if there really wasn't?