Cop fired for Trayvon Martin Targets

[Tgace]

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/police-officer-fired-trayvon-martin-shooting-targets-18951010

So a Sgt brings these targets to a dept training exercise:

Some other officers take offense and report him. Sgt is fired and it's now big news.

A few things:

-While I don't condone the use of the targets. Fired? Not suspended, demoted, etc?
-What is it with PD's putting their dirty disciplinary laundry out in public? Or was this one of the cops who took a burn to this Sgt. calling the press? I see way too much airing of internal dept. discipline put out to the media for no real reason.
-Is there more to this officers "history" than this?

 

[Kong Soo Do]

I don't see Trayvon Martin, I see a guy in a hoodie reaching into his pocket and pulling a firearm. If someone 'sees' Trayvon Martin in that target, it's because they're looking for it. Perhaps there is more to the story? Perhaps another case of PC gone wild?

 

[Carol]

I don't see Trayvon Martin, I see a guy in a hoodie reaching into his pocket and pulling a firearm. If someone 'sees' Trayvon Martin in that target, it's because they're looking for it. Perhaps there is more to the story? Perhaps another case of PC gone wild?

A police sergeant in a town 1 hour away from where Trevon Martin was shot brings a cutout of hoodie dude with blacked out face and hands carrying Skittles and Arizona Iced Tea.

Perhaps its just the analytics of an engineering mind, but I have no issue seeing the resemblance.

 

[arnisador]

A police sergeant in a town 1 hour away from where Trevon Martin was shot brings a cutout of hoodie dude with blacked out face and hands carrying Skittles and Arizona Iced Tea.

Perhaps its just the analytics of an engineering mind, but I have no issue seeing the resemblance.

Yeah, the Skittles make it pretty clear what's intended.

 

[ballen0351]

poor judgement and bad joke I dont think it should have been a fireable offense

 

[Carol]

poor judgement and bad joke I dont think it should have been a fireable offense

Maybe it shouldn't have been. The officer had already retired from one agency after 22 years before taking this position. To my untrained eyes, this doesn't strike me as the sort of person getting shuffled from agency to agency because they don't know how to behave.

Perhaps the Port has some leadership issues:
http://brevardsbestnews.com/?p=159

 

[ballen0351]

cops tend to have a very bizarre and extreme sense of humor he thought it was funny. Had I been there Id say your an idiot and not think twice about it

 

[arnisador]

You do have to allow for a certain amount of 'gallows humor' in come occupations. This was bad judgment but in and of itself it doesn't seem that firing was called for. Who knows who else this guy has pissed off over the years with his humor, of course.

 

[Carol]

You do have to allow for a certain amount of 'gallows humor' in come occupations. This was bad judgment but in and of itself it doesn't seem that firing was called for. Who knows who else this guy has pissed off over the years with his humor, of course.

Other cops also have the same sense of humor, or at least the understanding.

A Port Authority is the source of a huge amount of revenue. While public sector, they are run more like businesses and less like government organizations. Some don't have their own police departments, others do. Of the ones that do, the agency is more like a division of a corporation than a distinct entity. In other words -- PA police officers have to work for, and work with, civilians.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the folks that complained weren't other officers who might have just told him off to his face and then moved on... but civilian port employees not used to a cops sense of humor. Sounds like the whole mess was made worse by potential management issues at the port...including not knowing how to set expectations when dealing with a matter such as this.

 

[celtic_crippler]

There's no "face" on the target, it's simply an individual wearing a hoodie?!?! How does this resemble “Trayvon” in any way? I routinely wear black t-shirts. Should I complain about targets depicting a male wearing a black t-shirt? Beyond ridiculous!

I find it fascinating that there’s “outrage” over a target that some hyper-sensitive douche bag perceives to be “racist” but none what-so-ever over targets being used by the DHS and other law enforcement entities that are actual pictures of little children and pregnant women.

http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/02/dhs-supplier-sells-targets-of-american-gun-owners/

Really?

My **** head is going to explode.