Crime Shouldn't Pay

Police brutality & excessive force are very serious issues. Chosen to protect & serve, the thought - or reality - of the police being our enemies is a nightmare scenario. While all professions have some bad apples, it's particularly dangerous in some more than others; certainly druggie surgeons, corrupt cops or pedophile teachers are more of a concern than say, a stealing cashier or a mechanic who pads the bill.

But overall, the police put themselves in harm's way & make sacrifices that the rest of us can only imagine. That's why it disturbs me so much to see frivilous lawsuits against officers. While there are certainly occurrences of excessive force in some situations, it seems that many lawsuits - or at least the ones garnering juicy media coverage - ignore the fact that many "victims" are equally responsible for the outcome of these situations.

So often we read of civil suits brought by criminals or their families, who feel that the police overreact to their crimes. I'm sick & tired of Americans refusing to take responsibility for themselves & blaming everything on someone else.

Over & over again, we're bombarded with plaintiffs who feel that society is at fault for their crimes because of the class, race or ethnicity they belong to doesn't get a fair shake or because their neighborhood, public schools or community in some way has failed them.

There are so many excuses & none of them hold water. Lots of people grow up poor, sad, depressed, repressed, abused, denigrated, of every race, color & creed to be productive citizens who contribute to society, rather than taking away from it or harming others. So what's the difference between them & the criminals? The only difference is that criminals choose to do the wrong thing. Very few people are mentally disturbed to the extent that they do not know right from wrong. Everyone else should be 100% accountable for their actions at all times & for the actions of their minor children.

If your kid is an a-hole, junkie or scumbag, it's nobody's fault but yours, mom & dad. Period.

Case in point: Two PA State Troopers are defending a civil suit from the father of a kid they killed during a police chase. The facts of the case are disheartening: A 12 year old led the troopers on a chase while driving a stolen Bronco. He ditched & ran, they pursued. As one officer attempted to climb a fence in pursuit, his gun went off. Lagging behind, his partner heard the shot & believed the suspect had shot at his partner.

The partner fired at the suspect, hitting him in the back & killing him. Both of those men have to live with the fact that they killed an unarmed child. It's a horrible tragedy but it's also an unfortunate consequence of criminal acts.

The officers acted upon their training, nothing more or less. Such situations don't allow for an officer to stop & take stock of every detail, they require immediate action. Anything less would allow for a lot of unsolved crimes & dead police officers.

The facts of this case are that a young child was running around late at night, stealing cars & leading police on vehicle & foot chase. Michael Hickenbottom, father of Michael Ellerbee, wants money from these two men because he views this as an instance of excessive force & somehow, I suppose, getting lots of money from them will right this wrong.

Give me a break. If anyone has a debt to society to pay here, it's the "father" who didn't bother to raise his child. The only criminal here is the man who allowed his young son to run amok & pay the ultimate price.