Happy Birthday, D!

Me (in fat mode) and D at my friend Gerry's wedding.

Today is my former partner D's birthday. She is in her early thirties, but doesn't look a day over 25. (Although I am a big, dumb guy, I am not dumb enough to post her age here.)

She's the best partner I have ever had, and easily one of the best police officers I have ever known. I miss working with her, but she's too stubborn to heed my advice and take the detective's exam. She should know by now that "Wyatt is always right!"

Happy Birthday, D!

The MSM: Policing The Police

I wish more columnists understood what really goes on during a police shooting, but sadly, they don't seem to care. Columnist Dr. Thomas Sowell gets it. Here is an excerpt from his column today. It is entitled, "The Bullet Counters," and is well worth your time.

"Killing an Unarmed Man." That is how the front-page headline in the New York Times characterized an incident in which a man tried to run over a policeman with his car and was shot by three policemen on the scene, including his intended victim.

An automobile is a deadly weapon. If you are killed by an automobile, you are just as dead as if you had been shot through the heart.

A phrase like "an unarmed man" makes a talking point-- as if matters of life and death should be discussed in terms of how you can spin a talking point.

The biggest and most common talking point when the police fire at someone is counting how many bullets they fired. There are politicians, media people and-- above all-- community activists who can work themselves into a rage over how many bullets were fired.

If we stop and think-- which of course the demagogues hope we will never do-- it is hard to see any moral difference between killing someone with one bullet or with dozens of bullets.

People who have never fired a gun in their lives say that they cannot understand why the police fired so many bullets. If it is something that they have never experienced, there is of course no reason why they should be expected to understand.

But, even after confessing their ignorance, such people often proceed to spout off, just as if they knew what they were talking about. (H/T - Townhall.com)

Do yourself a favor and read the rest of the article by clicking the above link.

Respect My (Port) Authority!

Normally, I would, but if people knew how mismanaged and incompetent they were, their head would explode. Case in point:

Today, the Port Authority notifies us that they have one of our wanted persons in custody at the Newark, NJ airport. The person is wanted for robbery and related offenses. They send us a message over the teletype and ask if we will extradite the toad.

I wanted to write back, "No, we don't extradite people for robbery anymore. Idiots."

My conscience got the better of me, and I sent the confirmation back to the P.A. About a half an hour later, we get a call from some P.A. officer asking when we were going to send the confirmation. I said, "Are you kidding? I sent it back about 25 minutes ago." The P.A. officer asked me where I sent it, and I read off their IP address. The officer said, "Well, yeah, that's us, but it's another terminal in the building. Send it again."

Attitudes like these angry up the blood.

I calmly asked, "Officer, is the other terminal close by?"

He replied, "Yes, but I need this sent to my terminal. It's at the same address."

I wanted to say, "THEN GET UP OFF YOUR FAT ASS AND GET IT THEN!" but that would be rude of me, so I agreed to re-send the message.

A few minutes later, another P.A. officer called the division, asking - you guessed it - if we sent back the confirmation. I replied, "Don't you people talk to each other? I sent the confirmation back two times and talked to someone in your very office not five minutes ago."

His reply, "Well, I need the confirmation re-sent."

I told him to talk to the previous P.A. officer, because I was not going to send the confirmation a third time. The officer uttered a few "sentence enhancers" (that's swear words, to the uninitiated) and hung up.

Unreal. These are the people who are protecting New York City? We're doomed.

N.Y. Senator Wants Cameras On Cop's Guns

Oh yeah, this is a great idea. /Snark. Like police officers aren't second-guessed enough as it is?

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) ― In a flash, a police officer draws a handgun from its holster. Less than two seconds later, a red laser and bright light shine at whatever is in the gun barrel's path while a mini-camera records it all.

That's how mini-cams on police handguns would work under a proposal gaining support in New York, which would be the first state in the nation to require the technology. State police were briefed on the technology and are reviewing it for a possible pilot program, said Michael Balboni, the state's deputy secretary for public safety.

The device could create a critical visual and audio record of police shootings for use in court, said state Sen. Eric Adams, a Brooklyn Democrat and former police officer. He is drumming up support for testing the cameras with the state police SWAT squad.

Adams said recordings from the $695 cameras couldn't be altered by a police officer and would quell many questions after controversial police shootings, like the deaths in New York City of Amadou Diallo in 1999 and Sean Bell in 2006.

Yeah, and they could condemn an innocent police officer in a lot of shooting incidents, too.

Adams, who was never involved in a shooting, said the lights on the 5-ounce camera could be turned off if they would expose the officer to danger in a dark area. But the camera and optional audio recorder would remain operating for up to 60 minutes.

He said the images would also help identify suspects who get away. (H/T - WCBSTV)

In a perfect world, this would be a terrific idea. Unfortunately, the last time I checked, this world was far from perfect. I mean, Sarah Jessica Parker is a movie star, for cripes' sake!

My main problem with this initiative is that the gun camera would only record the actions and people that are in front to the gun sight. That's great if it is a shooting incident . . . with only one offender involved . . . who is directly in front of the gun sight.

Does that happen? Sure. Does it happen all the time? Absolutely not. The only time that always happens is at the pistol range.

In a real life situation, a steady, gun-mounted camera is not sufficient to capture everything that is going on during an intense, high-pressure shooting incident. There is no way to adequately represent everything that is going on at the time. A jury will not see the bystanders. A jury will not see the other threats around the officer. A jury will not see where the offender's shots are going.

Have any of you seen a police officer attacked during a car stop? How well do those dashboard-mounted cameras work? They're not digital quality, they do not capture the entire scene, and if the officer or suspect go off-screen, the camera is useless. Personally, I think a gun-mounted camera will have the same imperfections.

The only way a police shooting will be completely and adequately be captured on film is if the cities place video cameras on every street corner and from every light pole. And even then, there's no guarantee that Big Brother will get it right.

Hey, I'm all for capturing police shootings on film - even though most of the cop-hating public wouldn't believe the results, anyway - but before this device is mandatory, someone needs to work out some of the kinks.

Top Mexican Policeman Gunned Down

Thank God we have a huge, impenetrable border fence that will keep thugs like these out of America. /Snark.

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico - The No. 2 police officer in a Mexican border city across from Texas was shot dead Saturday, the latest high-ranking official killed in an onslaught of attacks blamed on gangs resisting a crackdown.

Gunman sprayed Juan Antonio Roman Garcia's car with bullets outside his home in Ciudad Juarez, officials said. The attack came months after his name appeared at the top of a hit list left at a monument for fallen police officers.

Mexico has been shaken by a wave of drug-related violence as gangs battle security forces and each other for control of trafficking routes north.

President Felipe Calderon said Friday that the attacks against police showed weakened gangs were trying to counter his fight against drug trafficking. Since taking office in 2006, Calderon has sent more than 25,000 soldiers into states throughout Mexico to combat drug gangs. (H/T - Yahoo!)

Calderon seems to be everything that the despicable Vicente Fox was not. And while the current president is not exactly supporting our attempts to keep illegals out, Calderon is trying to clean up his country.

It's a start.

Incident At The Liczbinski Memorial?

Editor's Note: This story is currently in the "alleged" stage. There are a few corroborating witnesses, but I have yet to talk to anyone from my old district face-to-face to see if it actually happened. Keep that in mind when reading.

A retired Philly police officer named Phil related this story, which he received in an e-mail yesterday at 12:00pm:

TWO FEMALE CIVIL AFFAIRS OFFICERS FROM THE PHILADELPHIA POLICE DEPARTMENT, ONE BLACK AND ONE HISPANIC, WHO WERE ASSIGNED AS CROWD CONTROL, ALMOST STARTED A RIOT AT THE MEMORIAL SITE OF THE SLAIN OFFICER [Sergeant Liczbinski]. THEY MADE COMMENTS ABOUT THE PORT RICHMOND NEIGHBORHOOD, THAT IT IS A WHITE RACIST NEIGHBORHOOD.

THE REASON: BECAUSE TWO OLDER LADIES WERE SAYING HOW THIS NEIGHBORHOOD IS BEING RUINED BY GANGSTER, THUG DRUG DEALERS THAT ARE INFILTRATING THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THE MINORITY OFFICERS TOOK EXCEPTION TO THE COMMENTS AND A MELEE ENSUED.

THE 2 CIVIL AFFAIRS OFFICERS WERE IMMEDIATELY REMOVED FROM THE DETAIL BY A COMMANDER AND ARE FACING REPRIMAND. SEVERAL NEIGHBORS FILED COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE OFFICERS' CONDUCT WITH INTERNAL AFFAIRS. (H/T - Domelights)

If this is true, then I am truly ashamed of these officers. In my fourteen years on this job, I never considered my co-workers in terms of race, color, or creed. In my opinion, we are all blue, and there are more than enough people in this city that hate our guts [See also: FOX 29 News]. Why would we make trouble for ourselves?

That's a great thought - in theory - but, in reality, racial incidents are far too common in my department, and it comes from all sides. While I would like to believe that this story is either embellished or outright false, my experience tells me otherwise.

Quick story: In the PPD, it is common practice for every member of the department to give in a monetary donation when an officer is killed in the line of duty. (I believe it is $10 per member, but I may be wrong on that. I believe that is what we put up for Chuck Cassidy.) Anyway, when Officer Gary Skerski was assassinated in 2006, there were two detectives that did not submit the donation. And, while the donation is not mandatory, per se, what officer could look themselves in the mirror after refusing such a gesture?

Apparently, these two detectives could, and it still "angries up the blood."

Now, it is not my business to mention the race or gender of the detectives; it's not important. What is important is that after experiencing an incident that should bring the entire department together, there will always be members who want to separate themselves from the group.

If this incident is true, I hope they are dealt with in a timely fashion.

Couple Run From Police, Right Into Cactus

Meet Christopher Psomas and Ashley Strahan: SYLG's Dumbasses of the Week.

Two people in a suspected get-away car blew through red lights and roared off-road before bailing out of the disabled vehicle and running into the desert.

Then things got worse.

Police said Christopher Psomas, 38, and Ashley Strahan, 20, rolled through cholla cactus, covering themselves with needles.

"I am so stupid," Psomas said through tears as hospital workers plucked spines from his body. "This is what I get for trying to run from the police."

They were taken to Banner Desert Medical Center. (H/T - AZCentral)

Do you think that if a news helicopter filmed the incident, the cacti would be taken off the street and transferred for brutality?

Eric Floyd Has Been Captured

We got him!

PHILADELPHIA -- Police confirmed late Wednesday night that a man in custody is the third suspect wanted in connection with a weekend bank robbery and the shooting death of a police sergeant.

Police have been searching for 33-year-old Eric Floyd since Saturday's robbery in the Port Richmond section of the city and the subsequent fatal shooting of Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski.

Police reported Floyd's arrest occurred at a family member's house on the 5400 block of Windsor Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia.

Homicide unit investigators got a warrant for Floyd, and he surrendered without incident, police said.

Floyd is still inside the home. Police are bringing Liczbinski's handcuffs out to the scene. (H/T - NBC10)

FYI - This report came in an hour or so ago. Floyd is now sitting in a secured cell.

This is terrific news for a lot of reasons. First, it's good to see the last scumbag, cop-killing piece of shite off the streets. Second, it is especially good to know that he was taken away in Sergeant Liczbinski's handcuffs. And finally, it is great to see that the suspects have either been captured or killed before the funeral. Swift justice is always preferable.

Make yourself comfortable, you son of a bitch. Hopefully, a date with a needle is in your future.

UPDATE: If you would like to hear the police radio notification, you can listen to it HERE.

Also, if you would like to donate to the Liczbinski Family Memorial Trust Fund, the information can be found HERE. Thank you again.

Please Donate To A Fallen Officer's Family

Many of you have asked about donations to Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski's family. Here is the information. He has a wife, two sons, and a daughter. Anything you can spare would be greatly appreciated in their time of need. Thank you.


Stephen Liczbinski Family Memorial Trust Fund
Philadelphia Police and Fire Federal Credit Union
901 Arch Street
Philadelphia, Pa. 19107

(If any of my fellow bloggers would link this post or post the information on their sites, I would also appreciate it.)

Arrest Made In Liczbinski Murder!

Fucking right! Kill one of our own, and we're going to get you, you pieces of shit! (Pardon my French.)

PHILADELPHIA - May 4, 2008 (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police announced just before 8 a.m. Sunday that one person was arrested for the killing of a Philadelphia officer during a robbery, and they have the warrant to arrest another person.

Police are trying to find 34-year-old Eric DeShawn Floyd. Investigators say he recently escaped from a halfway house in Reading, Pa.

Philadelphia police had been questioning one person in connection with the murder of Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski, 39, from the 24th District. That person is now under arrest. (H/T - 6ABC)

24 hours. That's all we needed to catch this murdering scum. If nothing else, it will hopefully give some comfort to Sergeant Liczbinski's family.

Note to Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham: This is a Death Penalty case. Please treat it as such.

Jevon Warner: Arrested

UPDATE: Eric Floyd - the last remaining gunman - was just seen on a train in North Jersey at noon on Monday, May 5th. His photo is in the upper left sidebar of the blog.

A Thank You To The People Of Port Richmond

Sergeant Liczbinski's body is taken to the hearse.

If this story is true, then I want to sincerely thank to residents of Almond and Schiller Streets.

KYW's Tony Hanson reports while many neighbors in Port Richmond tried in vain to assist the dying officer, they were overcome by what they saw and heard.

Witnesses say they heard several shots -- very loud shots. Police say Sgt. Liczbinski was shot with an assault rifle.

Thomas Carjewski was among many residents who rushed to aid the officer:

“One of the neighbors was screaming, “A police officer's been shot! They shot the cop!” I ran around the front of the officer's car and he was shot. All the neighbors came out and tried to put pressure on his chest. He was hit in the chest. He was hit in the abdomen. They put pressure on there. I ran in the house, grabbed a phone and called 911.”

Nancy Braun describes a scene of chaos. As people were screaming and crying, she tried to comfort the sergeant:

"I was holding his head and one other guy was standing there, he was holding his arm trying to stop the bleeding from that. Another officer was holding his stomach wound and, in like 20 seconds, he just said, 'Tell my wife I love her.'

One witness called it an execution. The sergeant’s gun was still in its holster. (H/T - KYW1060)

Philadelphia Police Sergeant Shot And Killed

(Photo of the scene courtesy of CBS3.)

Apparently, Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski was ambushed during a bank robbery in my old district.

According to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, at least two armed men robbed the Bank of America branch inside the Shop Rite located at 3547 Aramingo Avenue around 11:26 a.m. Ramsey says there may have been a third suspect involved in the hold up.

The suspects fled in a vehicle described as a black or blue Jeep.

An officer, identified as Sergeant Steve Liczbinski from the 24th District, encountered the vehicle in the 2500 block of E. Schiller Street. At least one of the suspects fired shots at Liczbinski, fatally wounding the officer.

Sgt. Liczbinski was shot three times, suffering wounds to the face and abdomen. He was rushed to Northeast Hospital then transferred to Temple University Hospital, where he later died.

One suspect was shot in the 500 block of E. Louden Street and later died at Einstein Medical Center.

The second suspect, and a possible third, are still at large. Police are conducting an extensive search for the suspects and interviewing possible witnesses.

The suspects are described as 3 black males with dreadlock wigs, one standing at 6'3" - 6'5" and the other two at 6'1". They were reportedly wearing female Muslim garb.

Sergeant Steve Liczbinski, a 12-year veteran of the department, was recently promoted to the rank of sergeant. Liczbinski is survived by his wife Michele, sons Matt and Stephen, and daughter Amber. (H/T - 6ABC)

The doers need to be found and killed. End of message.

Please pray for the sergeant's family.

NYPD Detectives Acquitted In Killing

And, somewhere, the Reverend Al Sharpton is crying in his beer.

NEW YORK - Three detectives were acquitted of all charges Friday in the 50-shot killing of an unarmed groom-to-be on his wedding day, a case that put the NYPD at the center of another dispute involving allegations of excessive firepower.

Justice Arthur Cooperman delivered the verdict in a Queens courtroom packed with spectators, including victim Sean Bell's fiancee and parents, and at least 200 people gathered outside the building.

Outside the courthouse, which was surrounded by scores of police officers, many in the crowd began weeping as news of the verdict said. Others were enraged, swearing and screaming "Murderers! Murderers!" or "KKK!"

Nice try with the "KKK" comment, especially since two of the detectives are black. Idiots.

Officers Michael Oliver, 36, and Gescard Isnora, 29, stood trial for manslaughter while Officer Marc Cooper, 40, was charged only with reckless endangerment. Two other shooters weren't charged. Oliver squeezed off 31 shots; Isnora fired 11 rounds; and Cooper shot four times.

The mood surrounding this case has been muted by comparison, although Bell's fiancee, parents and their supporters, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, have held rallies demanding that the officers — two of whom are black — be held accountable.

And there it is. If all three of the detectives were white, Sharpton would have people burning down the city. Al probably punched a hole in his wall when he heard that two of the detectives were black.

As the club closed around 4 a.m., Sanchez and Isnora claimed they overheard Bell and his friends first flirt with women, then taunt a stranger who responded by putting his right hand in his pocket as if he had a gun. Guzman, they testified, said, "Yo, go get my gun" — something Bell's friends denied.

Of course, his boys denied that. I guarantee that Bell said it, though.

Isnora said he decided to arm himself, call for backup — "It's getting hot," he told his supervisor — and tail Bell, Guzman and Benefield as they went around the corner and got into Bell's car. He claimed that after warning the men to halt, Bell pulled away, bumped him and rammed an unmarked police van that converged on the scene with Oliver at the wheel.

The detective also alleged that Guzman made a sudden move as if he were reaching for a gun. (H/T - AP via Yahoo!)

Unlike most people in the media, I can't give an honest opinion of what happened that night. I wasn't there. But, if I learned nothing else in 14 years as a police officer, I learned this: I do not play Monday Morning Quarterback with a police shooting.

The judge listened to the facts at hand, and believed that the detectives' version of events was more believable than the victims' version. End of story.

More New Jersey Court Shenanigans

Is New Jersey trying to become the California of the east? After judicial decisions like these, one has to wonder.

NEWARK, N.J. - A state appeals court yesterday threw out a Camden County man's drug conviction because police did not wait long enough after knocking before forcing their way into his apartment for a search.

The Camden County Prosecutor's Office had a knock-and-announce warrant when it went to the apartment of James Robinson in Hi-Nella in 2004. But by waiting only 20 to 30 seconds, the court ruled, police turned it into a no-knock warrant, which is issued only when officers certify that a suspect may be dangerous.

Officers found cocaine, and Robinson was sentenced to a 15-year prison term for drug possession. The ruling excludes that evidence. (H/T - The Philadelphia Inquirer)

The officers waited approximately 20 to 30 seconds after knocking and announcing they had a warrant. Count that off in your head. Do you think that's enough time? If not, what amount of time would be appropriate? While you're mulling that over, consider this:

During knock-and-announce, the knock and the identification - usually something like, "Police! We have a warrant!" - must be loud enough for the occupants to hear. Once the announcement is made, the toads inside have 20 to 30 seconds to do one of two things:

1. Destroy any evidence inside.
2. Arm themselves to shoot at the officers.
   

Did you count off that 20 to 30 seconds yet? That's a lot of time. Now, the New Jersey appeals court is stating that officers should wait even longer after knock-and-announce, or their cases will be thrown out. Of course, they did not seem fit to suggest a "reasonable" amount of time to wait before entering, instead, leaving the amount of time arbitrary. Go figure.

One has to wonder what the state appeals court will think if an officer is killed while waiting a full minute after knock-and-announce?

Dr. Phil Show Bails Out Teen Felon

It's good to see that Dr. Phil helps all kinds of people; especially those videotaped violently kidnapping and beating another teenager.

BARTOW, Fla. (AP) — Employees of the Dr. Phil television show posted bail for a central Florida teenager jailed for taking part in a videotaped beating of another teen, a spokeswoman for the show's host confirmed Saturday.

Staff members of the talk show helped Mercades Nichols — one of eight teens facing charges in the case — post bond this weekend, "Dr. Phil" McGraw's spokeswoman Terri Corigliano said in an e-mail.

"We have helped guests and potential guests in the past when they need financial assistance to come on the show — assisting with clothing allowance, lost wages, accommodations, travel and necessities," Corigliano wrote. "In this case, certain staff members went beyond our guidelines (re the bail being paid)."

Oh, isn't that just the cat's pajamas? If you have seen the video - it's despicable - then this story should outrage you. Apparently, it outraged the court, because the teens will be tried as adults.

The teens, whose ages range from 14 to 18, face kidnapping and misdemeanor battery charges. Three also face a felony charge of witness tampering. The state attorney's office says all will be tried as adults.

They are accused of participating in a violent beating of another teenager, which was videotaped and has now been viewed widely on national television and the Internet. (H/T - USA TODAY via Other Kev)

And that piece of garbage McGraw thinks bailing out this criminal piece of filth is a good idea? Nichols is not a troubled teen with a heart of gold; she's a conniving thug scumbag, that planned and participated in kidnapping and assault.

Justice would be better served if this filthy animal was locked in a cell until her trial date.

Off-Duty Officer Stabbed Following Crash

If I may make a suggestion to all of my brothers and sisters in blue: please carry your service weapon with you at all times! A lot of people hate us out there, and judging by this despicable story, we need to be prepared for anything!

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― State Police are searching for a suspect in the stabbing of an off-duty officer following an early morning crash in Cumberland County Monday.

Officials said off-duty Bridgeton City Police Officer 33-year-old Jahaira Roman was involved in a crash on Old Cohansey Road in Hopewell Township just before 2 a.m.

An unknown red SUV apparently struck the officer's vehicle, causing Roman to go off the side of the road. Following the crash, the female police officer exited her car and began to call police when she was attacked from behind, according to State Police.

Roman was airlifted to Cooper University Hospital with stab wounds to her head, neck and chest. Her injuries are said to be non-life threatening. (H/T - CBS3)

Frakkin' unbelievable. Attacking a woman from behind and stabbing her in the head, neck, and chest. Frakkin' coward. Please let this scumbag meet a slow, painful, bullet-riddled death.

Goode Relatives Protest Cop-Shooting Death

You didn't need to be Carnac to see this nonsense coming.

In a city where thousands of homicides go unsolved, Pamela Goode seethes with quiet fury.

Seventy-five days have passed since her son was gunned down on a Germantown street. Although police immediately identified the man who blasted two shots into Timothy "Tee" Goode's back, the shooter remains free.

That's because he's a Philadelphia police officer who says he acted in self-defense when Goode, grand-nephew of former Mayor W. Wilson Goode Sr., pointed a gun his way after participating in a drug deal.

Cops say they found a 9 mm pistol and bag of crack vials near Goode's body. Goode's relatives say they don't believe that the gun or drugs belonged to him.

Yesterday morning, Goode's relatives rallied on Wayne Avenue near Logan Street, where the 24-year-old aspiring rapper and soon-to-be father collapsed Jan. 11 after an undercover officer shot him. They demonstrated again yesterday afternoon in front of Police Headquarters at 8th and Race streets.

They accused the Police Department of a cover-up and insisted that Goode, who had no criminal record and was valedictorian of his high school class, had been the victim of mistaken identity. (H/T - The Philadelphia Daily News)

Blah, blah, blah . . . Can't these people think of a different argument. It's always, "My son was a good boy. He was a model citizen. The cops are racist." That line of thinking gets really old, really fast.

Look, this thug ("aspiring rapper" should be your first clue) was shot and killed because he pointed a gun at a police officer. A 9mm handgun and crack cocaine was found on the scene next to Goode's body! Of all of the police shootings in history, this one is probably the least likely to be questioned. But this is Philadelphia, where the cops are crooked and the evidence is planted. /snark.

Personally, I think it is ironic for the family of the mayor who ordered an explosive device dropped on the MOVE compound - then decided to let the fire burn, killing six African-Americans and destroying 50-60 homes - to protest a killing.

But that's just me.

Cop-Killing Guns Flooding Into Mexico

Nah, we don't need a border fence.

JUAREZ, Mexico (CNN) -- A deadly trade is occurring along the U.S. border with Mexico, federal officials say -- a flood of guns, heading south, used by drug thugs to kill Mexican cops.

In Mexico, guns are difficult to purchase legally. So, officials say, weapons easily purchased in the United States are turning up there.

"The same routes that are being used to traffic drugs north -- and the same organizations that have control over those routes -- are the same organizations that bring the money and the cash proceeds south as well as the guns and the ammunition," says Bill Newell, a special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Police in Mexican border towns fear for their lives, and with good reason. Five high-ranking Mexican police officials have been killed this year in what Mexican officials say is an escalating war between police and drug cartels.

ATF special agent Tom Mangan says the .50-caliber rifle has become one of the "guns of choice" for the drug cartels. The weapon fires palm-sized .50-caliber rounds that can cut through just about anything. (H/T - CNN)

The story goes on to say that many of these gun purchases are made illegally here, which illustrates my point about banning all firearms; an idiotic idea shared by my current police commissioner. You can ban them all you want; the thugs will still find ways to procure them. You see, part of being a criminal is doing things that are illegal - a fact that is lost on my commish. In a city with an average of 400 homicides a year, you could count the killings with legal, registered handguns on one hand.

You would think stories like these would be incentive for Mexico to back our border fence idea. Yeah, right. Apparently, police officers in Mexico are held with the same regard as they are in the States - very little.

Fleeing Shoplifter Forgets Son

Yeah, I think this case will be pretty easy to crack. It appears that someone has been spending too much time in the hash bar.

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A shoplifter looking to make a quick getaway from a Dutch supermarket after stealing a packet of meat left police a crucial piece of evidence -- his 12-year-old son.

In his haste the 45-year-old thief made a solo dash to his car, batting away a supermarket worker who had flung himself on the vehicles' bonnet in a bid to stop the escape.

Police in the southern Dutch town of Kerkrade said they managed to contact the thief via the boy, but he had refused to return and collect his son. The man told officers to get hold of the youngster's mother instead. (H/T - Reuters)

What a scumbag. The next time my kids say I'm a terrible father - and trust me, it won't be long - I am going to show them this article and say, "Well, at least I'm not this guy!"

Camden Police Officer Shot

Jesus. What the hell is happening to this country?

A suspect is dead and a police officer seriously injured following a police involved shooting in Camden Monday morning.

Authorities said gunfire broke out after police responded to a domestic disturbance near 10th and Morton Streets just after 8 a.m.

Witnesses report a nude 19-year-old male armed with a knife stabbed a pedestrian near the scene for some unknown reason.

Police said a female officer confronted the suspect and a struggle ensued.

A second officer arriving at the scene opened fire on the suspect, fatally wounding him according to authorities. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.

The female officer suffered undisclosed injuries in the incident and was rushed to Cooper Trauma in serious condition. Initial reports from sources said she suffered a graze wound to the head. (H/T - CBS3)

Please pray for the officer, the pedestrian, and their families.