Call The Stewardess. I Need A Bag!

The Man posted a story today that made me rush for the duct tape. Seems that idiotic State Senator David Petersen (D - Harlem) wants to criminally charge police officers who use deadly force that was later deemed "unnecessary." Of course, since this toad is on the New York gubernatorial ticket, he quickly flip-flopped after a meeting with the Association of the State Chiefs of Police. (Deep breath.) Look, I am all for locking up bad cops. Anyone who reads SYLG knows this. Here is my problem with policies such as the one Petersen is advocating: who is going to deem that the force was "unnecessary?" My guess would be a "citizen panel," which is usually comprised of ultra-liberal cop haters; like the one we had in Philadelphia. Lemme bore you with a quick story. The incident happened a few years ago, so if I am a little rusty on the details, I apologize. Officer Chris DiPasquale worked in the 25th District; arguably the busiest and most dangerous district in the city. One night, he received a radio call to investigate an auto on a darkened street with a male passed out behind the wheel. The location was in the middle of a high drug area, and Chris went to the location with backup. When he arrived on the scene, the driver, Donta Dawson, was behind the wheel. In the course of the investigation, Dawson refused to respond to any of DiPasquale's commands. More officers arrived on the scene, and after attempting to get Dawson to respond to police commands again, DiPasquale moved to the driver's side door. His backup was on the other side of the vehicle, and immediately stated that Dawson had a gun. DiPasquale ordered Dawson to show him his hands, but Dawson still refused. Suddenly, Dawson quickly raised a hand. DiPasquale quickly fired, killing Dawson. After a search of the scene, no gun was found. DiPasquale is white. Dawson was black. Naturally, the media ran with the story of a racist cop killing a model citizen - who had a prior arrest record and narcotics in his system at the time of the incident. District Attorney Lynne Abraham - in my opinion, a scumbag - brought DiPasquale up on manslaughter charges. These charges were dismissed at a preliminary hearing. Not satisfied, Abraham brought the charges again, and again they were dismissed. The city's "Police Advisory Commission" demanded swift justice, and the second-guessing had become the biggest sport in town. The ultimate bottom line is that, yes, Dawson was shot and killed. Yes, there was no gun. But, DiPasquale had every reason to believe Dawson was armed, since his backup claimed he saw a gun. In my opinion, DiPasquale did what any other officer would have done when Dawson raised his hand. There was no malice involved; despite what you will hear from the other side. DiPasquale, though cleared criminally, has not gotten his job back. He now ekes out a living as best he can. Then-Police Commissioner John Timoney - another scumbag - is now the Chief of Police in Miami (and we all know what a terrific job he is doing here - sarcasm alert!) Dawson is dead, and that is a shame, but had he followed police commands, he would still be alive. Policies like the one Petersen suggests only makes officers hesitate when quick decisions are necessary. If cops worry about what will happen to them if they use deadly force, they may not use it when they need to do so. And you'll see more police funerals on television.