Plan B » Cleveland

Vantro · 9/12/2015 9:25 am

Once again Cleveland police are in the news. Supposedly the police department got an anonymous call from the Harvard Wine & Grill stating that young males riding dirt bikes and ATVs would attempt to provoke them into pursuit and lure them into an ambush.

The anonymous tip reportedly came from the Harvard Wine & Grille, and said that an additional group of young males would be waiting, ready to "overwhelm" arriving officers.

CPPA President Steve Loomis(ASS) called it credible. He told Fox 8 Thursday that officers would not be enticed to respond, but if they had to, they would do so "immediately."

"And I assure you we're a a better shot than they are," Loomis said.

He characterized the threat as the latest in a series of threats against officers nationwide. "It's open season on police," he said, and urged city leaders to speak out against the threats.

FYI Cleveland has the lowest police deaths & injuries it has seen in decades. Steve Loomis is one of the ppl responsible for the tension between cops & ppl. His ego surpasses logic as you can read from his response to an anonymous call he says is credible, but refuse to comment other than to say police are a better shot. Once again he is jumping the gun. Dirt bikes & ATVS aren't exactly popular vehicles in downtown Cleveland, as a matter of fact I have never seen one, so I am not sure why he deems this threat so credible. Must be his ego. I understand that if they take threats seriously, but I am not convinced the call even happened. It's not like the CPPA is always truthful. There is a lot of questionable things about this supposed threat, from the anonymous call to the use of dirt bikes in an inner city not known for these types of vehicles. I think someone has been watching too many movies. If the threat is real I would expect the police to handle it professionally instead of once again jumping the gun & act as if they are in a Hollywood movie with no one to answer to, as officer Brelo did in the car chase of 2012! I don't have much hope. To be clear if the threat is real then I hope the cops get their perps, but they must do so rationally & professionally.

Vantro · 9/14/2015 9:21 am

Well nothing happened. I guess it was just as I believed. I wouldn't be surprised if Loomis made it all up, but that is just an opinion. Last week the city of Cleveland paid out 5.5 million in a civil suit for the killing of an unarmed man in 2012. The same year Cleveland police fired over 130 shots into a vehicle that backfired in front of the police station. Officer Brelo stood on the suspects hood & fired directly into the vehicle at the unarmed couple. Still waiting for something to happen in the Tamir Rice case. Crazy how they are getting away with dragging their feet on that case! Crazy how they are getting away with killing so many unarmed ppl, especially Tamir! Cleveland we have a problem!

Dori · 9/14/2015 9:32 am

I thank you for your updates Vanto! I was shocked that officer got off for pumping all those shots on two innocent boys! That was so horrendous how many cops responded to that call and how many shot at that car! saying they were armed and shot at them when it was only a car backfiring! He walked ,How can that be????
And poor Tamir and his family!!How can you keep from being angry? What is wrong with people who feel the cops are being targeted?

Sam · 9/14/2015 9:46 am

It really is frustrating, vantro. As in so many topics these days, people's views on this topic are polarized. People in support of the Police do not want to admit that some Police officers do abuse their position. They seem to think that its ok to use unwarranted force on an "alleged" perpetrator. What happened to James Blake is a perfect example of this. He was standing there in a way that was not threatening, kind of leaning on the building, which would not have been easy to "escape". The officer did not need to tackle him like he did, IMO. Luckily he did not resist. Because if he had, things may have turned out very differently.

I think training is key to improving police relations with the people they serve. Shooting to kill is often not warranted & if Police officers had other strategies to use besides deadly force many of these cases could be avoided.

Dori · 9/14/2015 9:55 am

With all due respect and you know I love ya but you cant retrain a character flaw! This cops do not have the empathy nor are they polieman for the right reasons! As the old saying goes! "My mama already raised me once" They are who they are and need to be weeded out,thats the answer! The criminal justice system needs to start taking the bilnd folds off and make them responsible!,instead of putting them back on the street! Its not complicated! Treat them as the criminals they are! And the good cops need to step up and not practice the Blue wall of silence!

Vantro · 9/14/2015 10:03 am

I agree with both of you. Dori I am furious!!!! I have been at the receiving end of it with Cleveland police & it got nasty! What the officer did not know at the time is that my mother was an officer & had much influence. He harassed my boyfriend for no reason. We were attending my bosses wedding & decided to go for a walk on the peir & boardwalk after dinner. Literally strolling slowly while enjoying the sunset on the lake. Cop walks by staring at me. OK no biggy. Walks by again, still staring at my chest. This time my man gave the officer a dirty look. That was all it took. The cop got in my man's face & started yelling at him! It was surreal. One of those situations where you can't believe it was happening. Well I snapped out of it & went off on the cop ,ending it with call in my name. He went from being an arrogant ass to a bungling idiot in seconds. If my mother was not an officer I am pretty sure we would have had a different outcome & over what? Walking on the boardwalk? Don't let the media fool you. Cops in Cleveland are not scared for their lives. They are arrogant with GIANT egos. As I already mentioned, crimes against police in Cleveland has dropped to it's lowest in decades. I wonder why police did not fear for their lives shooting unarmed ppl during the Danny Green days when Cleveland was known as Bomb City USA, but now they do? It's all bs!

Sam · 9/14/2015 10:07 am

Well I do agree with your point, Dori. There are some Cops that do need to be weeded out. And whenever an officer does something criminal, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

But training is also an element that needs to be addressed. Lethal force is not necessary for a child with a toy gun or a guy selling single cigarettes on the street. I also think some Police officers would benifit from training in how to arrest a person without escalating the situation. JMO of course.

Last edited by Sam (9/14/2015 10:08 am)

AdminShiny · 9/14/2015 10:08 am

Vantro wrote:
I agree with both of you. Dori I am furious!!!! I have been at the receiving end of it with Cleveland police & it got nasty! What the officer did not know at the time is that my mother was an officer & had much influence. He harassed my boyfriend for no reason. We were attending my bosses wedding & decided to go for a walk on the peir & boardwalk after dinner. Literally strolling slowly while enjoying the sunset on the lake. Cop walks by staring at me. OK no biggy. Walks by again, still staring at my chest. This time my man gave the officer a dirty look. That was all it took. The cop got in my man's face & started yelling at him! It was surreal. One of those situations where you can't believe it was happening. Well I snapped out of it & went off on the cop ,ending it with call in my name. He went from being an arrogant ass to a bungling idiot in seconds. If my mother was not an officer I am pretty sure we would have had a different outcome & over what? Walking on the boardwalk? Don't let the media fool you. Cops in Cleveland are not scared for their lives. They are arrogant with GIANT egos. As I already mentioned, crimes against police in Cleveland has dropped to it's lowest in decades. I wonder why police did not fear for their lives shooting unarmed ppl during the Danny Green days when Cleveland was known as Bomb City USA, but now they do? It's all bs!

That is such a scary story! What if your mom hadn't had influence? Would you and your man have ended up in jail or worse? Dammit.

Regarding the other incident, sounds like Loomis made it up. What a bunch of keystone cops out of control.

Is there any relief on the horizon Vantro? Is anything substantial being done to change things in Cleveland?

Vantro · 9/14/2015 10:15 am

Exactly Sam! Police often escalate a benign situation resulting in the injury or death of someone. Brelo is a perfect example of this. Not only did he join in on the killing of 2 unarmed ppl, but he put his life as well as his fellow officers & bystanders in serious danger with his actions! The cop that killed Tamir had already been fired by another department who claimed he was unstable & not fit for duty! It isn't just the officers, much of the problem is with leadership, 911 operators & office management. It all needs to be addressed IMO. Cleveland has had a complete breakdown & needs to be reformed completely, from the mayor on down!

Dori · 9/14/2015 10:23 am

Sam wrote:
Well I do agree with your point, Dori. There are some Cops that do need to be weeded out. And whenever an officer does something criminal, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

But training is also an element that needs to be addressed. Lethal force is not necessary for a child with a toy gun or a guy selling single cigarettes on the street. I also think some Police officers would benifit from training in how to arrest a person without escalating the situation. JMO of course.

I do understand where your coming from,But as I see it , what your suggesting is common sense and coming from as I said empathy,protect and serve! How do you train people to have it when they have ulterior motives! Some cops put that uniform on to feed their egos! I know this first hand! psychological testing once every year would help!

Vantro · 9/14/2015 10:35 am

I am proud of the ppl of Cleveland. Very angry, but remaining rational. Many activists are working hard for change & refuse to let this crap slide any longer. Here in Cleveland we have the racial element, but we realize that no race is safe from some of these arrogant cops. We do have some great officers, but as long as they remain silent they are complicit in it all. This has been going on since 2004 when we got our first DOJ report & it was bad! Not only did the city do nothing to improve the department they double downed on the problems. Brings us to 2014 & another horrible DOJ report. Loomis doesn't see the problem, but that is because he is a major part of the problem. He needs to go! Oh & one of the guys the city hired to improve the situation has a long criminal record. Several of our officers have had major problems! From taking bribes from a heroin dealer to child abuse to domestic violence to racial slurs! All are still serving except those that worked for the heroin dealer. I honestly believe that Cleveland police have more bad than good right now. I am also tired of hearing that Cleveland is so bad with crime that no one wants to be a cop here, so they will hire the bottom of the barrel. That is not an excuse for police behavior, nor is it the whole truth!

We aren't giving up because we now live in a world where information is there & it will be used against you!

AdminShiny · 9/14/2015 10:43 am

Vantro wrote:
I am proud of the ppl of Cleveland. Very angry, but remaining rational. Many activists are working hard for change & refuse to let this crap slide any longer. Here in Cleveland we have the racial element, but we realize that no race is safe from some of these arrogant cops. We do have some great officers, but as long as they remain silent they are complicit in it all. This has been going on since 2004 when we got our first DOJ report & it was bad! Not only did the city do nothing to improve the department they double downed on the problems. Brings us to 2014 & another horrible DOJ report. Loomis doesn't see the problem, but that is because he is a major part of the problem. He needs to go! Oh & one of the guys the city hired to improve the situation has a long criminal record. Several of our officers have had major problems! From taking bribes from a heroin dealer to child abuse to domestic violence to racial slurs! All are still serving except those that worked for the heroin dealer. I honestly believe that Cleveland police have more bad than good right now. I am also tired of hearing that Cleveland is so bad with crime that no one wants to be a cop here, so they will hire the bottom of the barrel. That is not an excuse for police behavior, nor is it the whole truth!

We aren't giving up because we now live in a world where information is there & it will be used against you!

If the DOJ reports are so bad, why aren't they involved in improving it? Not sure how it works but I know they have been working to clean it up in Ferguson. Shouldn't Loomis have to answer to the DOJ?

Vantro · 9/14/2015 10:54 am

Just as in 2004 they give us ear candy thinking we will believe they are taking this seriously, but in truth it is all bs! This time their feet will be held to the fire! Loomis is as arrogant as they come. He is perfectly comfortable ignoring the problem while blaming the victims. He wanted to charge a dead child, Tamir Rice with "aggravated menacing"! I kid you not. How can we get change when the CPPA protects cops deemed unfit for duty & trying to charge an unarmed 12 yr old who is now dead because of the unstable, unfit cop? It crazy!

Dori · 9/14/2015 11:06 am

I feel for you and the people in Clevland Vantro and I commend you for taking care of it as you all are! It has to be so disheartening! You go girl!!!! Please keep us updated!

MamaSqu · 10/25/2015 7:37 am

Of all the places I've lived (and that is a bunch) I am fairly lucky to say that the worst of our local police have made the cut to be featured on Dateline for excessive traffic stops of cars with out-of-state plates with high monetary costs to the drivers, since those officers were using those stops as "fund raisers". On the other end of the stick, one of our nearby towns had their PD featured on an episode of Cops. So here in southwest La., overall I would say that generally we are lucky to have more good police than bad ones. So you would think that I probably shouldn't voice an opinion about this subject since I am not currently in an area that is battling the monster, right? How about I play the Devil's Advocate on this one?

Let's say for the sake of the theory that the test town in question has a full staff of 100 police officers....total. That would be the chief, his 2nd in commander, 15 detectives, the people manning the phones, and 75 officers that split their shifts equally amongst themselves. So you have a city with what....100,000 residents....being policed by 75 highly over worked, highly stressed, fairly under appreciated, sometimes burnt out ego-driven, underpaid officers in a volitile situation, that grows daily and the citizens want "change". What if police officers had a mandatory cycling out after 5 years of service? Air traffic controllers are looking into this, and we have been doing it to our politicians, why not cull our first responders with a mandatory 2 year hiatus to help clear their heads, to destress and to get anger management training if that is the case. At the end of the 2 years, if they choose to return to police work, and they clear their evaluation, let them come back in as veterans, not rookies and go from there. With that much attention to the lives and needs of the cops in question, there would be hundreds if not thousands of situations that could easily be avoided, just by having "fresher" cops running the force.

I realize that rookies can sometime be trigger happy, but that goes back to proper training, not so much as retraining. I agree wih Dori, retraining is like trying to make a dead dog jump through hoops. It doesn't just waste your time, but it pisses off onlookers wanting to see some action.

Dori · 10/25/2015 8:17 am

From personal experience ! I'm for pyschological testing on a regular basis! After 17 years on the force an alcoholic was determined to be narcissistic and ,bordering on sociopathic tendencies! Thank the good Lord ,this a small town with not a whole lot happening ,as well as lily white! On that subject ,I had occasion to have the secret channel where police talked amongst themselves privately! Was sickened to hear "Theres a N-- walking along the highway ,how many points do I get for running his black ass over" ! worked in a shop downtown where this cop came in every day and was the sweetest man you'd ever want to meet! But then again so was Ted bundy! There is more ,but you get the drift! Band aids wont get it! Its the character of the cop ,they are already grown,they already have these thoughts ,but they aren't stupid enough to say them outloud!

Mama!

Last edited by Dori (10/25/2015 8:19 am)

MamaSqu · 10/25/2015 8:26 am

Ok, my sick mind just jump right in a puddle of muck....how about for their evaluations each officer is given a dose of "Truth serum"?

Dori · 10/25/2015 8:45 am

PERFECT!!!! There ya go! But on the other hand who could pass that one??? Mother Theresa? Maybe police Chiefs wise enough with enough character himselve not to put up with behavior of "bad cops"! To protect the "good cops from the fall out! Maybe give the Chiefs the truth serum! Love your posts ,btw!!

Last edited by Dori (10/25/2015 8:48 am)

MamaSqu · 10/25/2015 12:48 pm

Any good cop could pass that test even with truth serum. It isn't about being perfect, it's about being in control of certain human elements that make a person inherently good as opposed to extensively bad. In the process to weed out the bad cops, no good cops need to be harmed or worried.

If you watch the show Chicago PD - "Boyd" originally appeared as a bad cop, and often times still seems on the edge, but if you look a little deeper, you see that all of the "protection" money he skims off of the people in his district, he doesn't use for himself, he uses it for the good of other people, always. So, while his methods are in question, his motives are potentionally good. Those would be the gray lines that cause a bunch of trouble. Finding the "Boyds" in a police station, would likely be the objective but finding the ones even more corrupt would be the ultimate goal.

Dori · 10/25/2015 1:11 pm

You speak my thoughts so well! Personally I think they need Tom Sellack as Police Commisioner! "Blue Bloods" have the perfect department! JK.