Officer Indicted for Murder in South Carolina

[icanthearyou 4,462]

http://news.yahoo.com/ex-south-carolina-police-chief-indicted-murder-charge-160946468.html

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - A white former police chief in Eutawville, South Carolina, has been indicted on a murder charge in the 2011 shooting death of an unarmed black man he was trying to arrest, according to records released on Thursday.

The indictment of ex-chief Richard Combs came on Wednesday, the Orangeburg County Clerk of Court said, on the heels of decisions by grand juries in New York City and Missouri not to indict white police officers involved in deaths of unarmed black men this year.

Combs fatally shot Eutawville resident Bernard Bailey, 54, in the town hall parking lot in May 2011 after they argued and scuffled over a traffic ticket previously issued to Bailey's daughter.

Combs had already been indicted in August 2013 in connection with the shooting on a misconduct in office charge, with a grand jury finding that his use of deadly force was unjustified, according to court records.

The former chief has argued he shot Bailey in self defense, but a judge recently rejected his "Stand Your Ground" claim in the earlier case.

Wally Fayssoux, one of the lawyers representing Combs said Bailey put Combs in "an impossible situation," adding "he had no choice."

A trial is tentatively schedule for January, he said.

Solicitor David Pascoe, whose office is prosecuting the cases, declined to comment through a representative.

Carl Grant, the Bailey family's lawyer, said they attended Combs' court hearing on Thursday, where a judge ordered a $150,000 bail.

Grant said the prosecutor's office had indicated more than a year ago that it was considering a murder charge against Combs, which Bailey's family felt the case warranted.

"The family was simply looking for some sense of justice that represents what actually happened, in their mind," Grant said. "This indictment for murder is not something the solicitor decided to do at the last minute or in light of today's media."

The murder indictment against Combs was issued on the same day that a New York City grand jury opted not to bring charges against a white police officer in the chokehold death of an unarmed black man.

Last week, a grand jury in Missouri choose not to indict a white police officer in the killing of a black man there. The decision in that case sparked a rash of violence in Ferguson, Missouri, where 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot dead, with businesses burned down and looted.

[AUDub 11,136]

Guilty or not, at least there will be a trial.

[alexava 6,973]

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/09/cop-shoots-unarmed-black-man-dashcam-video.html

here is another case of shooting too quick. will literally make you sick.

[AUFAN78 3,892]

http://nymag.com/dai...hcam-video.html

here is another case of shooting too quick. will literally make you sick.

Wow! Unbelievable.

[Browning4AU 405]

I know....let's just do away with LE altogether. Clearly none of them can be trusted and the country would be a much safer place if we get all of LE off the street.

[AUTUmike 79]

I know....let's just do away with LE altogether. Clearly none of them can be trusted and the country would be a much safer place if we get all of LE off the street.

Right...so no one is advocated that. Rather, I think most people just want law enforcement to be held accountable when they abuse their power and authority to prey on the people they are paid to protect.

[Browning4AU 405]

The story above says the man was indicted. Ferguson and New York cases the cops weren't. There's no reason the general public can assume cops aren't being "held accountable when they abuse their power and authority to prey on the people they are paid to protect."

The MSM could do multiple stories a day on cops saving lives, doing what they're supposed to and going about it the right way, but why should they do that? People scream for unity but constantly look for something to divide themselves.

[alexava 6,973]

The story above says the man was indicted. Ferguson and New York cases the cops weren't. There's no reason the general public can assume cops aren't being "held accountable when they abuse their power and authority to prey on the people they are paid to protect."

The MSM could do multiple stories a day on cops saving lives, doing what they're supposed to and going about it the right way, but why should they do that? People scream for unity but constantly look for something to divide themselves.

Exactly. I have been accused of"thinking cops are never wrong" wich is s***. They are wrong but some always pile on when they are not.

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

I know....let's just do away with LE altogether. Clearly none of them can be trusted and the country would be a much safer place if we get all of LE off the street.

Unfortunately it has come to the point with shooting, brutality, forced confessions for crimes not committed, and straight up harassment in some major areas that people are taking more notice and latching onto all these incidents.

For instance go research the Chicago Police Department. There is a very good reason why even the all white six figure plus income neighborhoods in the west make the joke that CPD's motto is "shoot first, ask questions latter".

Plenty of bad to mess it up for the good.

[WarTim 3,456]

Ahhh Chicago.....The lib Mecca!

[Strychnine 1,802]

The story above says the man was indicted. Ferguson and New York cases the cops weren't. There's no reason the general public can assume cops aren't being "held accountable when they abuse their power and authority to prey on the people they are paid to protect."

The MSM could do multiple stories a day on cops saving lives, doing what they're supposed to and going about it the right way, but why should they do that? People scream for unity but constantly look for something to divide themselves.

Exactly. I have been accused of"thinking cops are never wrong" wich is s***. They are wrong but some always pile on when they are not.

autigeremt made the point in another thread that within a department that he had personally worked with, 95% of the cops were good law enforcement professionals, and 5% were not. I am personally inclined to agree with his assessment and apply it to most departments. In my opinion, the biggest problem is that enough of the 95% that are good either rarely do anything about the 5% that are not, or they look the other way. Even worse, sometimes the people closer to the top are part of that 5%. As more people have contact with that 5%, the resentment grows.

[Browning4AU 405]

The story above says the man was indicted. Ferguson and New York cases the cops weren't. There's no reason the general public can assume cops aren't being "held accountable when they abuse their power and authority to prey on the people they are paid to protect."

The MSM could do multiple stories a day on cops saving lives, doing what they're supposed to and going about it the right way, but why should they do that? People scream for unity but constantly look for something to divide themselves.

Exactly. I have been accused of"thinking cops are never wrong" wich is s***. They are wrong but some always pile on when they are not.

autigeremt made the point in another thread that within a department that he had personally worked with, 95% of the cops were good law enforcement professionals, and 5% were not. I am personally inclined to agree with his assessment and apply it to most departments. In my opinion, the biggest problem is that enough of the 95% that are good either rarely do anything about the 5% that are not, or they look the other way. Even worse, sometimes the people closer to the top are part of that 5%. As more people have contact with that 5%, the resentment grows.

Based on your experience being in LE?

[AURaptor 1,122]

OK then. Everyone can stop protesting.

[alexava 6,973]

The story above says the man was indicted. Ferguson and New York cases the cops weren't. There's no reason the general public can assume cops aren't being "held accountable when they abuse their power and authority to prey on the people they are paid to protect."

The MSM could do multiple stories a day on cops saving lives, doing what they're supposed to and going about it the right way, but why should they do that? People scream for unity but constantly look for something to divide themselves.

Exactly. I have been accused of"thinking cops are never wrong" wich is s***. They are wrong but some always pile on when they are not.

autigeremt made the point in another thread that within a department that he had personally worked with, 95% of the cops were good law enforcement professionals, and 5% were not. I am personally inclined to agree with his assessment and apply it to most departments. In my opinion, the biggest problem is that enough of the 95% that are good either rarely do anything about the 5% that are not, or they look the other way. Even worse, sometimes the people closer to the top are part of that 5%. As more people have contact with that 5%, the resentment grows.

i have had my own rounds with that 5%. It exists. No matter how bad they are resisting will not improve your situation. Promoting this anti-cop rhetoric in the media gives minorities a false sense of reality.

[Strychnine 1,802]

The story above says the man was indicted. Ferguson and New York cases the cops weren't. There's no reason the general public can assume cops aren't being "held accountable when they abuse their power and authority to prey on the people they are paid to protect."

The MSM could do multiple stories a day on cops saving lives, doing what they're supposed to and going about it the right way, but why should they do that? People scream for unity but constantly look for something to divide themselves.

Exactly. I have been accused of"thinking cops are never wrong" wich is s***. They are wrong but some always pile on when they are not.

autigeremt made the point in another thread that within a department that he had personally worked with, 95% of the cops were good law enforcement professionals, and 5% were not. I am personally inclined to agree with his assessment and apply it to most departments. In my opinion, the biggest problem is that enough of the 95% that are good either rarely do anything about the 5% that are not, or they look the other way. Even worse, sometimes the people closer to the top are part of that 5%. As more people have contact with that 5%, the resentment grows.

i have had my own rounds with that 5%. It exists. No matter how bad they are resisting will not improve your situation. Promoting this anti-cop rhetoric in the media gives minorities a false sense of reality.

You will never find me defending the media's spin machine. The media will always focus on what gets and maintains viewers, and the unfortunate reality is that bad news sells. Bad news in law enforcement sells particularly well, especially right now. My point was that perception is reality to most people. In the case of the 5%, when more people encounter the 5%, the perception ceases to be that it is the 5%, and they become the 95%. It does not make that perception correct, but it is a very real perception that must be addressed if progress is to be made.

[alexava 6,973]

The story above says the man was indicted. Ferguson and New York cases the cops weren't. There's no reason the general public can assume cops aren't being "held accountable when they abuse their power and authority to prey on the people they are paid to protect."

The MSM could do multiple stories a day on cops saving lives, doing what they're supposed to and going about it the right way, but why should they do that? People scream for unity but constantly look for something to divide themselves.

Exactly. I have been accused of"thinking cops are never wrong" wich is s***. They are wrong but some always pile on when they are not.

autigeremt made the point in another thread that within a department that he had personally worked with, 95% of the cops were good law enforcement professionals, and 5% were not. I am personally inclined to agree with his assessment and apply it to most departments. In my opinion, the biggest problem is that enough of the 95% that are good either rarely do anything about the 5% that are not, or they look the other way. Even worse, sometimes the people closer to the top are part of that 5%. As more people have contact with that 5%, the resentment grows.

i have had my own rounds with that 5%. It exists. No matter how bad they are resisting will not improve your situation. Promoting this anti-cop rhetoric in the media gives minorities a false sense of reality.

You will never find me defending the media's spin machine. The media will always focus on what gets and maintains viewers, and the unfortunate reality is that bad news sells. Bad news in law enforcement sells particularly well, especially right now. My point was that perception is reality to most people. In the case of the 5%, when more people encounter the 5%, the perception ceases to be that it is the 5%, and they become the 95%. It does not make that perception correct, but it is a very real perception that must be addressed if progress is to be made.

agree

[icanthearyou 4,462]

The story above says the man was indicted. Ferguson and New York cases the cops weren't. There's no reason the general public can assume cops aren't being "held accountable when they abuse their power and authority to prey on the people they are paid to protect."

The MSM could do multiple stories a day on cops saving lives, doing what they're supposed to and going about it the right way, but why should they do that? People scream for unity but constantly look for something to divide themselves.

Exactly. I have been accused of"thinking cops are never wrong" wich is s***. They are wrong but some always pile on when they are not.

autigeremt made the point in another thread that within a department that he had personally worked with, 95% of the cops were good law enforcement professionals, and 5% were not. I am personally inclined to agree with his assessment and apply it to most departments. In my opinion, the biggest problem is that enough of the 95% that are good either rarely do anything about the 5% that are not, or they look the other way. Even worse, sometimes the people closer to the top are part of that 5%. As more people have contact with that 5%, the resentment grows.

i have had my own rounds with that 5%. It exists. No matter how bad they are resisting will not improve your situation. Promoting this anti-cop rhetoric in the media gives minorities a false sense of reality.

Can you cite any media outlets pushing "anti-cop rhetoric"?

[Weegle777 78]

The story above says the man was indicted. Ferguson and New York cases the cops weren't. There's no reason the general public can assume cops aren't being "held accountable when they abuse their power and authority to prey on the people they are paid to protect."

The MSM could do multiple stories a day on cops saving lives, doing what they're supposed to and going about it the right way, but why should they do that? People scream for unity but constantly look for something to divide themselves.

Exactly. We overlook the thousands of stories where police save lives, buy infant car seats for needy moms, buy bags of groceries for those in need, are away from their families on holidays so you can spend time with yours, show up when no one else will, work horrible car wrecks where people die, direct traffic so you won't get pissy on your commute home, work horrible murder scenes, bust drug rings up so your little Jimmy won't get addicted, and walk your wife to her car so she won't get attacked or abducted.

But let's focus on the 1 out of 10,000 times where a cop isn't perfectly up to your standards.

SMH.

[icanthearyou 4,462]

The story above says the man was indicted. Ferguson and New York cases the cops weren't. There's no reason the general public can assume cops aren't being "held accountable when they abuse their power and authority to prey on the people they are paid to protect."

The MSM could do multiple stories a day on cops saving lives, doing what they're supposed to and going about it the right way, but why should they do that? People scream for unity but constantly look for something to divide themselves.

Exactly. We overlook the thousands of stories where police save lives, buy infant car seats for needy moms, buy bags of groceries for those in need, are away from their families on holidays so you can spend time with yours, show up when no one else will, work horrible car wrecks where people die, direct traffic so you won't get pissy on your commute home, work horrible murder scenes, bust drug rings up so your little Jimmy won't get addicted, and walk your wife to her car so she won't get attacked or abducted.

But let's focus on the 1 out of 10,000 times where a cop isn't perfectly up to your standards.

SMH.

I agree with your sentiment but, the overwhelming majority of good, should not be used as a free pass for the bad. WE employ the members of law enforcement. They work for US and, represent us. WE have the right, and the responsibility, to criticize the actions of individuals who do not uphold the standards WE want. WE should ALL respect the uniform and what it stands for. However, we should not tolerate individuals who create a sense of fear rather than security. We should never tolerate law enforcement that violates the law. We should not be afraid to question the actions of any individual in government or, a pattern of behavior within any institution of our government that we feel violates our principles or laws.

People who are self-governed have a responsibility to question their government. People who are ruled, have either given up, or had taken away, that responsibility.

The media may sensationalize some of these stories but, are they making them up?

[AUUSN 823]

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.” - Frederick Douglas

[alexava 6,973]

The story above says the man was indicted. Ferguson and New York cases the cops weren't. There's no reason the general public can assume cops aren't being "held accountable when they abuse their power and authority to prey on the people they are paid to protect."

The MSM could do multiple stories a day on cops saving lives, doing what they're supposed to and going about it the right way, but why should they do that? People scream for unity but constantly look for something to divide themselves.

Exactly. I have been accused of"thinking cops are never wrong" wich is s***. They are wrong but some always pile on when they are not.

autigeremt made the point in another thread that within a department that he had personally worked with, 95% of the cops were good law enforcement professionals, and 5% were not. I am personally inclined to agree with his assessment and apply it to most departments. In my opinion, the biggest problem is that enough of the 95% that are good either rarely do anything about the 5% that are not, or they look the other way. Even worse, sometimes the people closer to the top are part of that 5%. As more people have contact with that 5%, the resentment grows.

i have had my own rounds with that 5%. It exists. No matter how bad they are resisting will not improve your situation. Promoting this anti-cop rhetoric in the media gives minorities a false sense of reality.

Can you cite any media outlets pushing "anti-cop rhetoric"?

not to anyone who has automatically decided to fall for it.

[AUDub 11,136]

Can you cite any media outlets pushing "anti-cop rhetoric"?

not to anyone who has automatically decided to fall for it.

This strikes me as a rude answer to a fair question.

[TheBlueVue 177]

Can you cite any media outlets pushing "anti-cop rhetoric"?

not to anyone who has automatically decided to fall for it.

This strikes me as a rude answer to a fair question.

The "honest question" was condescending and not to be taken seriously. This whole thing is about politics, plain and simple. Law enforcement is not perfect. Really? Im shocked I tell ya, Im shocked! The incredibly infrequent incidence of this kind of abuse of power in the grand scheme of things is being emphasized irresponsibly, IMO, and used to sustain a narrative that ignores the value of the protections they provide society at large. At its bottom, is an apparent desire to render LE nearly powerless to do their job.

[Weegle777 78]

And these societal indictments will only cause more officers to either hesitate and get themselves killed, or put them even more on edge and cause more of these incidents.

[icanthearyou 4,462]

Can you cite any media outlets pushing "anti-cop rhetoric"?

not to anyone who has automatically decided to fall for it.

This strikes me as a rude answer to a fair question.

The "honest question" was condescending and not to be taken seriously. This whole thing is about politics, plain and simple. Law enforcement is not perfect. Really? Im shocked I tell ya, Im shocked! The incredibly infrequent incidence of this kind of abuse of power in the grand scheme of things is being emphasized irresponsibly, IMO, and used to sustain a narrative that ignores the value of the protections they provide society at large. At its bottom, is an apparent desire to render LE nearly powerless to do their job.

So, negative stories should be buried?

Do you have any evidence to support this conclusion?