Irresponsible knife-wielding copper

cerulean

cerulean

Joined
May 26, 1999
Messages
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This story is from the Denver Post. www.denverpost.com/news/news1018f.htm
Veteran cop charged with menacing

Oct. 18, 2000 - A veteran Denver police sergeant who allegedly threatened another sergeant with a pocket knife was charged Tuesday with misdemeanor menacing.

Sgt. Darrell Wisdom, 53, is accused of placing the blade of a folding knife between the legs of Sgt. James Gropp, 54, "in a threatening manner." The incident allegedly occurred Aug. 26 in a men's restroom at Denver International Airport, where both sergeants were assigned. Both were on duty.

"The allegation that led to the charge involved Sgt. Wisdom placing the victim in fear of imminent serious bodily injury," said district attorney's spokeswoman Lynn Kimbrough.

The two got into an argument in a police office at the airport, and Wisdom then followed Gropp into the restroom, where he allegedly pulled the knife, police said.

Wisdom, a 30-year police veteran, was booked and released on his own recognizance. He remains on duty but has been reassigned to police headquarters. Neither he nor his attorney could be reached for comment. He is scheduled to enter a plea Dec. 13.
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I only have one comment

Life is Tough
But it is even tougher
when you are stupid
 
...oh, I feel so much better knowing that this cop is on restrictive duty, but the sniper that killed Randy Weaver's wife is running around free...--OKG
 
It is sad to me when those who are sworn to uphold the law break it so flagrantly. Also, I wonder if this officer would be the type who would give civilians grief over a tactical knife, afterall we see how he views knives from his behavior.
 
OKG, they shot Randy Weaver's 14 year old son too, didn't they?

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Chang the Asian Janitorial Apparatus
 
Well, if this moron does end up getting himself fired, at least he'll always have a career as a U.S. Customs agent to fall back on.
biggrin.gif


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Semper Fi

-Bill
 
I don't know anything about the circumstances involved in this case, but it is very hard to have sympathy for folks suffering from the consequences of their own stupidity.

Paracelsus
 
BWaaaaaaaHahahahahahah............


Ya' gotta laugh out loud when you read about an idiot named Wisdom!

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Clay
www.balisongxtreme.com
Because......
getting 'em open
is half the fun!
 
Does it disturb anyone else that the consequences were so insignificant? What would happen if a civilian did something like that to another civilian? Worse yet- what if a civilian did that to a police officer??? That's assault! He assaulted an officer! What happens to him? They re-assign him!!! DANG! If a civilian even has a knife that airport security questions, he or she may very well get worse punishment than that!
 
I hate to say it, but sometimes when folks hear people complain about police brutality or double standards; the general public dismisses it as whining. As RAMPARTS in LA shows, these complaints are often very real. Once again, I am not anti-cop. I just know that all people in positions of power are susceptible to the temptation of abuse if they can get away with it.
 
Originally posted by anthony cheeseboro:
I am not anti-cop. I just know that all people in positions of power are susceptible to the temptation of abuse if they can get away with it.[/B]
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I can't speak for anyone else, but I work in law enforcement and I don't feel temted to do wrong just because I can get away with it. I went into this line of work to make my mark in this world. If I can save one person's life or keep one kid from starting drugs, then I will feel that I have made a differance.
There is always going to be a bad apple out there. That is a fact of life. But a good person will always be good. I don't beleive an individual will do wrong because of his surroundings. If that were the case I would say ban all knives, guns, and violent movies as they influece evil.
 
Originally posted by Howie Lintz:
Does it disturb anyone else that the consequences were so insignificant? What would happen if a civilian did something like that....What happens to him? They re-assign him!!! DANG! If a civilian even has a knife that airport security questions, he or she may very well get worse punishment than that!

He has not received any punishment yet. Just like a civilian, he has been given a court date (Dec 13). He was reassigned, apparently pending that court date.
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I just can't believe that the guy was a 30 year veteran and he tried to pull that stuff on another officer. Geez... not a lot of "wisdom" there. If he did something like that to a civilian, he might at least have a chance to get away with it.

Also, I like how the story says that he placed the knife between the other officer's legs "in a threatening manner".
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Hmm... I guess you have to read between the lines, but that certainly sounds threatening to me!
 
sigsauer, as an honest LEO who has not succumbed to the temptation to maybe be a bit mean or unnecessarily aggressive, I say that I admire you. I believe that all people, not just LEOs, are liable to do wrong when they feel that they won't have to pay for it, even those people who go into a profession for good reasons can wind up doing bad things. That is true for people in my line of work (professor) as it is for an LEO. The difference is that if I break the law, there is no "blue wall" to back me up. True enough, tenure can help a professor in professional bind, if it is not too serious but it provides no cover in cases of criminal infractions. To get back to knives, this case concerns me because I can't help but wonder if an officer who would behave like what was described wouldn't automatically react negatively if he saw a civilian with a knife, given his own proclivities.
 
I've only got one thing to say about the behavior of the Denver law enforcement officer in question:

"The funny thing about common sense is that it's not that common"

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“Belül szívem hibád az örökkévaló erõs vastartalmú sok vasaló és orvosság."


Crushing the weak since 1970 .... the Demon has spoken.
 
I did some thinking about this incident. I hate to admit it, but obviously, this is not 'standard police procedure.' Had I been the individual, and mind you, I'm a weight-lifter and a former motorcycle club memeber, I would have killed the cop as quickly as possible. Imagine the scenario: Is the cop kidding? Has he 'snapped'? Is he really going to cut you? Truth be told, it would be easier to snap his neck or plunge your own knife into his vitals than risk death or injury. And this is the problem with rogue cops. They endanger the 99% of the force trying to do good. Oh, BTW, my adopted daughter is a cop...--OKG
 
Not for nothing but I think this may be getting a little more play than it deserves. Two Sergeants, assigned to the same station, the same age, both veterans, it sounds to me like the kind of locker room nonsense that goes on wherever men work together outside rigid "office" type settings. It just seems like in this instance the "joke" (read :sophmoric stupidity) went too far, or crossed the line of the "victim". I doubt the defendant had any more intention of using a knife on his co-worker than the average guy has when he tells a co-worker, "I'm gonna' kill you", "kick your ass", etc. A boneheaded play? Without a doubt. But I'd lay odds that when they arrested the guy he had the most surprised look on his face because to him "it was just a joke." (Famous last words) My point is simply this: I have serious doubts that this is a "rogue cop" and think the questions of the type "what if he did this to a civilian?" overestimate the man's villiany. My .02
 
Hmm. Hadn't thought of it that way! I probably should have; I almost got busted for simple assault once when some friends and I were just "being guys" on the bus home fro, school.
 
I think you touched on a good point, that is, "what if the cop was just a civilian." Truth is, he'd be dead, he'd be arrested, or he'd be sued. Except for concealed weapons privileges, police have no more rights under the law than citizens. They are NOT a branch of the military. As a citizen, you also have the power of 'citizen's arrest.' My point is that civil rights are like muscles, if you don't use them, they atrophy. I don't really care if the guy was clowning around, a nutball or a rogue. He had an open weapon. He pressed it against a citizen. He probably made threatening remarks. This was an assault. The cop is SO lucky the citizen wasn't equally a whacko.--OKG
 
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