Police arrest student for taking pics of cows loose on campus

[Coogie]

Originally Posted by Jeff_Green

So, let me get this right. We pay the police officers salary. The police officer makes a bad decision (I do not believe that is the case here) and then the poor victim should be compensated with free tuition. But wait, that is paid for by us too. So the end result is that because of the mistake made by an officer, it is us who is taught the lesson instead of who you claim needs it?

Pretty much. That's why we should expect more out of public officials.

[CallMeAl]

Originally Posted by Coogie

however, there are police who abuse their authority and while i don't know that number it's greater than one - hence my point that "they've likely broken the law before and will do it again".

The problem with this is that you can apply the same logic to the student photographer. "He's likely to have broken the law before and will do it again" - therefore 10 minutes was probably not enough.

Sentences, fines and other punishments are not set by the police. Although judges and juries have some leeway when assessing punishments, there are guidelines set by the state that they go by.

[CallMeAl]

Originally Posted by Coogie

First , when the kid stands up for his rights, that's not "giving the cop a hard time". It's the cop giving a citizen a hard time - a cop who is paid to SERVE the public BY the public giving the citizen a hard time. See the difference?

I hope you don't believe that every time an officer enforces the law that he's just "giving a citizen ahard time." I'm sure we have our differences of opinions on this issue, but people often confuse serving the public with enforcing the laws that you want enforced on everyone but you. That's not the same thing. As for standing up for his rights. Everyone has the right to do that, but that doesn't mean that everyone knows what their rights are by law. Many people claim as "rights" things they want to be not what actually is. There's plenty of instances of this in the current headlines.

[offcamber]

The cops are responsible for the safety of the public. If I'm them, I'm not worried by the stationary guy who is standing off to the side away from the cattle. I am worried about the guy that is running around jeopardizing his own safety trying to get "the shot" with his camera. If I'm going to be firing even tranquilizer rounds, I don't want the wildcard of that photographer moving around unpredictably.

People seem to have a problem with the fact that he went into a building and was cuffed there? He's been told by campus folks to get away. He goes to one building, finds that the cops have that area blocked off and an officer there. So what does he do? He sneaks in a side door and goes out the back door to get around the officer who has closed off the area. If the campus personel have told the officers that the photographer is not allowed to be there and it's not public property (sounds like it was college property to me), the police have to arrest him for criminal tresspass. It doesn't sound at all like the pictures were the issue. No one took his camera from him or tried to delete the pictures. There is no mention at all of the photography aspect except by the campus folks who probably have a right to tell you not to photograph on school property.

[TxLerman]

Originally Posted by Coogie

First , when the kid stands up for his rights, that's not "giving the cop a hard time". It's the cop giving a citizen a hard time - a cop who is paid to SERVE the public BY the public giving the citizen a hard time. See the difference?

Second, the whole point of my post was to say that it's not just 10 minutes - if that was the case any time you did something wrong for ANYTHING (i used the parking ticket as a simple example) you'd just pay back the exact same thing: Run a tollway- just pay 50 cents penalty, but that's now how it works. Your penalty is always greater than the actual offense. There is a formula that's used to calculate what a reasonable fine is and that formula uses the likelyhood that the for every person who is caught how many others have gotten away with that offense and how many people would likely to get away with it if not caught.

So in this case,to figure out the penalty of the police department it's 10 minutes plus however many times the cops have gotten away with abusing people's rights so NEXT time if a cop is thinking of abusing his powers he can see whether it's worth risking the fine that they got last time. I don't need to know the exact number of times or even the specifics of this case because that's a variable (you know as in not an exact number) and unless YOU can prove that police have never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever overused their powers, then you are the one who is assuming too much.

Thanks for playing.

PS. Google Gary Becker's writings on calculating the probability of getting caught and potential punishment. He won a Noble Prize in economics.

You are missing the point entirely. First of all, there is BIG difference between standing up for rights and cooperating with an officer. It is possible to stand up for your rights and cooperate with the officer at the same time. A citizen does can do both. These are not mutually exclusive.

Second, the issues of fines in your example makes no sense. The fines are set by the lawmakers when they create the legislation. Fines are not set by a magic formula. That does not mean that some professor doing research didn't evaluate the economic impact of fines, but just be realistic, lawmakers create the fines, not a formula.

Third, I never said that all cops are perfect, but you paint them with one large broad brush which is completely unfair to the many people who serve us and do a good job everyday. I'm sure there bad apples in every bunch, but don't say they are all bad.

[TxLerman]

Originally Posted by Jeff_Green

So, let me get this right. We pay the police officers salary. The police officer makes a bad decision (I do not believe that is the case here) and then the poor victim should be compensated with free tuition. But wait, that is paid for by us too. So the end result is that because of the mistake made by an officer, it is us who is taught the lesson instead of who you claim needs it?

Coogie - What are you smoking?? I think you are living in a dream world. First, I would not give a kid free tuition for a 10 minute inconvenience. If that were true, we would have every student playing the "hassle the cop lotto". It is my tax dollars at stake, not the cops. Keep your paws out of my wallet! However, feel free to pay the kids tuition. Do you want the address to account payables people at OSU?

Second, Public officials are people too, just like you and me. Why not hold everyone to the same high standard? Why should we hold public officials to a higher standard if you are not willing to meet that same standard in your everyday life? If you don't do it, why should they? Are you saying that you are special? Like Paris Hilton? Rules don't apply to you?

[ka5txl]

Originally Posted by Coogie

I don't need to know the exact number of times or even the specifics of this case because that's a variable (you know as in not an exact number) and unless YOU can prove that police have never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever overused their powers, then you are the one who is assuming too much.

Thanks for playing.

PS. Google Gary Becker's writings on calculating the probability of getting caught and potential punishment. He won a Noble Prize in economics.

So if you don't need to know the specifics it's ok for you to assume or make stuff up. Wow

[KD5NRH]

Originally Posted by offcamber

If I'm going to be firing even tranquilizer rounds, I don't want the wildcard of that photographer moving around unpredictably.

If you're going to be firing a dose of tranquilizers hot enough to subdue a half ton of beef, you'd better be good enough to hit the cow while it's doing backflips through a crowded hallway.

This is one circumstance where the pistol would be a better choice; a random hit on a bystander with a handgun bullet is a lot less likely to be fatal than injecting 3-5 times the knockout dose of depressants for their body weight.