Examining one cop's remarkable victim impact statement

[Nordic Viking]

I'm sure nobody expects someone robbed of a limb to be emotionless when confronting their attacker. She's not a vulcan.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

perhaps this will give some perspective:

my partner and i bought food for 7 year old victim of a sexual abuse investigation. im not a restaurant or a charity. should i not have done this?

i let the mother of a victim who took a bat to the head cry on my shoulder. im not a social worker. should i not have done this?

i followed up with visits and calls to both. im still not a social worker. i was not in any way obligated to do this. should i not have?


you may not expect sympathy, but many, many people do.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

So you acknowledge that comforting someone isn't tied to emotions...

it may or may not be.

i will not make a blanket statement for every situation every officer may face.

 

[guns_and_labs]

When a police officer appears in court as a police officer -- even if it is to give a victim's statement -- when he/she is introduced as "Officer so-and-so, an officer of the City of X Police Department," when he/she appears in uniform, that uniformed and identified police officer becomes a representative of his/her department and, indeed, community and also his/her profession. As such, his/her conduct -- including language and self-control/discipline -- will necessarily reflect back upon his/her department, community, and profession.

Often (and I'm not saying it is here, necessarily) it is a sound legal tactic to let a professional get "unprofessional". Emotion from a professional is extremely impactful on a jury or on a judge. Criminal court is an adversarial encounter, and the prosecution is there to win. You don't think the defense attorney counseled his client on how to act?

And given the sentence, it worked. And it worked in the media. All in all, it was a successful outburst.

If I'd have been the prosecuting attorney, I might have even suggested some of the way the officer surrounded the outburst.

 

[2TONYB]

what difference does it make?

and how is this relevant to the thread?

Cops shouldn't be put on a pedestal, and how is this impact statement "remarkable"? It's really no different than any other victim impact statement.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

Cops shouldn't be put on a pedestal, and how is this impact statement "remarkable". It's really no different than any other victim impact statement.

that's the point.

the fact that the victim is a police officer has no bearing on the impact statement or that she called the shooter a pos.


but in reality, it is impossible to accurately determine what impact a statement will have on a judge or jury. people's individual and collective predjudices will invariably affect the outcome.

 

[BrewCity59]

Really? -- You read the story originally posted by TKAZ, and your immediate reaction is "Gee she shouldn't have said the word "sh&t" on the witness stand. That was real unprofessional"? I just don't get it.

 

[Gollnick]

the fact that the victim is a police officer has no bearing on the impact statement or that she called the shooter a pos.

Then why is this thread entitled "Examining one cop's remarkable victim impact statement" (boldface added)?

Why is the article referenced similarly entitled and from a website specifically geared toward law enforcement?

Why is her status as a police officer even mentioned?

I suspect that she is not the only victim to call her attacker by that name. So why single out this specific case if not because of her status as a police officer?

 

[BrewCity59]

Gollnick...you're too myopic on this. Read the article and the comments that follow. You're missing the message. Look at the comments from all of those "non emotional" LEOs. They tell the real story. The point of the article was that her willingness to call a spade a spade in open court was "remarkable".

This is a law enforcement based article meant for LEOs.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

Then why is this thread entitled "Examining one cop's remarkable victim impact statement" (boldface added)?

Why is the article referenced similarly entitled and from a website specifically geared toward law enforcement?

Why is her status as a police officer even mentioned?

I suspect that she is not the only victim to call her attacker by that name. So why single out this specific case if not because of her status as a police officer?

i didn't write the thing.

i suspect that any article written about a victim statement would include information about the victim.

i also suspect that it was written because it is not often a police officer has the opportunity to make a similar statment, and the author thought it interesting, and also thought police officers would find it interesting.


and i suspect you are being intentionally obtuse about the whole matter.

 

[Gollnick]

Wait a minute... On one hand I am told

the fact that the victim is a police officer has no bearing....

but on the other hand I am told

This is a law enforcement based article meant for LEOs.

The point of the article was that her willingness to call a spade a spade in open court was "remarkable".

You can call a spade a spade and do that professionally. If you are going to be a police officer and appear in court as a police officer, as a representative of your department, your community and your profession, if you are going to invoke the special respect reserved for police officers, then you need to conduct yourself -- including your wording -- professionally and in ways which reflect well on yourself, your department, your community, and your profession, especially in a situation such as making a formal statement in court.

In the locker room after your shift with your fellow officers, you can use whatever language is culturally-appropriate in that setting. At home with your friends and family, you can use whatever language is accepted in your home. But in public, in front of the media, and especially in court, if you are going to present yourself as a professional police officer, then your department, your community, and your profession should expect you to conduct yourself professionally.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

Yes, I read the article since I wanted to know the whole context before I commented.

When a police officer appears in court as a police officer -- even if it is to give a victim's statement -- when he/she is introduced as "Officer so-and-so, an officer of the City of X Police Department," when he/she appears in uniform, that uniformed and identified police officer becomes a representative of his/her department and, indeed, community and also his/her profession. As such, his/her conduct -- including language and self-control/discipline -- will necessarily reflect back upon his/her department, community, and profession.

you honestly think that one statement is a blight on the whole industry?

if so, you are part of the problem, and not part of the solution. by this logic, anything you do or say is a blight on the whole community of people in your profession.

statements and actions should be taken in context, which you seem to conveniently ignore.

ive used profanity in court.

ive used profanity toward suspects.

does this automatically make me unprofessional and reflect negatively against my department and profession?

 

[MORIMOTOM]

this is not the first time you have chopped up my posts and removed any context.

now you put posts from two different people together, and attempt to create some sort of causal link.

you also avoid any meaningful dialogue by making semantic meaningless arguments.

you win gollnick.


first rodney king. then rampart divsion. now this. how will we ever survive.

 

[BrewCity59]

Gollnick -- Your personal attacks on Officer Moore's conduct and professionalism in this case are uncalled for and totally out of line. You obviously have no standing in the law enforcement community, and therefore no credibility whatsoever in this matter.

 

[guns_and_labs]

But in public, in front of the media, and especially in court, if you are going to present yourself as a professional police officer, then your department, your community, and your profession should expect you to conduct yourself professionally.

Personally, I expect the officer to act in such a way that the perp ends up in jail for a long time. THAT'S keeping the peace. It worked.

 

[Gollnick]

you honestly think that one statement is a blight on the whole industry?

ive used profanity in court.

ive used profanity toward suspects.

does this automatically make me unprofessional and reflect negatively against my department and profession?

Yes, yes, yes... All yes. Using an off-color word may not destroy your department or disgrace your community or devastate your profession. But each incident does a little bit of damage.... just a little bit... a tiny bit... maybe imperceptible. But damage nonetheless. And that cumulative damage adds up.

It's like how museums often don't allow visitors to take flash pictures of paintings. They know that the bright light of a camera flash fades the colors of the painting. Oh, the effect of one flash is imperceptible.... even a hundered don't seem to change anything. But, slowly, bit-by-bit, imperceptible changes add up to perceptible sums. The best solution is to stop it before it starts.

There is an old adage: no one raindrop thinks that it is responsible for the flood.

Each incident takes one drop out of the ocean... just one drop. No one drop removed causes the slightest change in the ocean's level. But every drop, drop by drop, every incident by every officer in every department and agency in every community and state and the nation in the entire profession all add up and eventually sea level starts to fall.

 

[Relayer]

So this lady is a cop. The convicted man tried to kill her.


This is a cop victim giving an impact statement as a human being, too. Is she expected to talk only about how the department was impacted, costs, manpower, resources? Please!

This was also about her personal feelings and how she was impacted personally. Emotions are going to be play when someone tries to kill you. Don't give me the crap about "no emotions." All humans have 'em, even cops. They just have to be certain that their actions don't negatively impact their duty.

What!? Oh no. She said a dirty word? Big freaking deal.

A black mark against the police department? Ridiculous!

She sure gets a pass from me (and I suspect from 98% of the general public) for giving her victim statement as a human being. Even for the emotional use of a dirty word in her victim statement.

 

[shappa]

Apparently the judge agreed with her...115 years.
No mention of a reprimand from the judge. I'm sure if the judge felt the language was inappropriate for his court he would have said so immeadiately.

 

[Gollnick]

This is a cop victim giving an impact statement as a human being, too. Is she expected to talk only about how the department was impacted, costs, manpower, resources? Please!

Of course she can and should talk about the personal impact of the crime upon herself. But, As I have said several times, that can be done effectively while also being professional.

A black mark against the police department? Ridiculous!

As I have already explained, it may not be a huge stain but may be an almost imperceptibly tiny dot, but, dot-by-dot, they add up.

 

[BrewCity59]

Gollnick -- you are urinating into the wind on this one (didn't want to use an unprofessional term). The more you type, the more you prove that you have no idea what you're talking about.-- "It's like how museums often don't allow visitors to take flash pictures of paintings." A cumulative affect?? You gotta be kidding, right?