This makes me absolutely sick. Whatever happened to protect and serve the public?

Furthermore, this matter and all others begs the question, how much and why do police reports hold weight in a criminal court case?

Evolution of our civic culture depends on the citizenry not only questioning the government and holding our public officials to account, but a blistering scrutiny of the processes that public officials adhere to.

I hold police, politicians, fire fighters, state workers, and any institution or group of individuals who earn the bulk of their living from tax payer dollars as public officials.

More worthless cops, two more innocent people dead

I'm thinking "worthless" doesn't quite capture it.

They are either out of control bullies (and most likely racists... the PNW's history with Japanese-Americans cannot be forgotten) or totally unsuited for the job

From the newspaper "Howe said in his report that he felt threatened by Saruwatari, who held the hammer by her side and refused to drop it.". How the hell can a big beefy cop be threatened by an small, elderly lady who is lawfully working on her own home.

Of course the Feds have mistakenly held a couple hostage in their own home because they went to the wrong address looking for drug dealers. The agents involved tried to coerce a confession for over a day from totally innocent people.

Many cops don't think they have to listen or analyze. Or they are too stupid to do that. These crackers think their badges give them free rein.

Cannot wait to see what the cop apologists will dream of to answer a tragedy like this. Cause I gotta say, if a cop is at the wrong address, it's probably not a "lawful command" s/he's giving anyone.

The violation of someone's civil rights is even more egregious when it happens in a person's residence. Our home is the single place where one needs to feel safe from all forms of intrusion, be it by crooks or the government.

Interesting the city could keep the police reports from the family. Once the case becomes "non-criminal" those reports become public record. Someone is afraid of what they say.

I would be interested in seeing the reports because you really can't be arrested for assault because you refuse to drop a hammer. Unless the laws are different in Wash. assault would be an act of actual aggression resulting in injury to the cop.

"We’ve got city attorneys telling the police to never admit they screwed up," This statement identifies much of the problem here and elsewhere.

A big cultural change has taken place over the years and now cops almost everywhere conduct themselves like an occupying army. If this little old lady knew who she was talking to she would have put the hammer down.

They are either out of control bullies (and most likely racists... the PNW's history with Japanese-Americans cannot be forgotten)

So all the white people in the PNW are racist?

These crackers think their badges give them free rein.

Now who's being racist?

“a law-abiding person, a person respectful of authority.”

Which these days means you get down on your knees and lick badge. Assert your 4th or 5th ammendment rights? Yer a resistin arrest! She didn't drop that hammer toot sweet and I'm guessin the cops didn't like being asked what the heckfire they were doing there. Sounds as if the lady was guilty of thinking the cops had any semblence of common sense when clearly many do not in this climate.

LucsAdvo, cops are all blue, never forget that. We're just civvies, serfs. They keep fostering the us vs. them attitude, and it spawns resentment across the board.

http://jonathanturley.org/2010/06/27/officers-tackle-jogging-teenagers-in-search-of-felons/

Our home is the single place where one needs to feel safe from all forms of intrusion, be it by crooks or the government.

And it shouldn't be the only place.

Jon not sure where you got your education, but either your reading or logic skills are suspect, because nowhere did I say all white PNWers are racist.... however, there is a higher likelihood of it if you are employed as a cop in a backwater like Spokane.

And cracker is about an attitude not a skin color, Jon. But I suspect you've never spent much time in the deep South. Cracker is much like "white trash"... you have to be white to be one, but not all whites qualify to be one.

GAS.... did you ever hear the Lenny Bruce stick on the pols to the cops..... it's on an old recording somewhere. The reason the pigs act like they do is because their bosses (who really should be all of us not the pols) tolerate it. And cop apologists, save your breath.... anyone who lived through certain events in the 60s or 70s has free wheel to call cops pigs..... Not all cops are bad, but one hell of a lot of them are.... And the local yokels in fact have been notorious for civil rights violations and keeping files on citizens who committed no crimes but whose politics some a-wad or another had an issue with.

I've always feared the police...and I've never been arrested; haven't even had a traffic infraction in thirty years...but I do fear them.

Deputy Dan has no friends.

If law enforcement in this country continues to act, as they have for many years, in the manner of an abusive, occupying army, they no one should be surprised when the population they are "occupying" begins to act out in turn.

Generally, people resent abusive, occupying armies.

In the case of people who have tasted a little bit of freedom, even more so. In America, we are fed a steady diet of propaganda about how we are a "free people" from childhood on.

Well, OK, well and good. We're a free people then. A free people will eventually will rise up against an occupying army riding roughshod over them and smash it to bits. Isn't this what we are taught about our "Founding Fathers" ?

Especially an armed people, like Americans, whose hunting rifles render Kevlar vests useless from distances of hundreds and hundreds of meters.

I sometimes wonder if returning military personnel...hardened people used to killing again and again...are going to be the ones to start an end to America's insane, ever-growing in scope and size police state, instead of fulfilling their usual role as it's hired attack dogs. My guess is that a move by the Feds to disarm returning vets under the aegis of psychiatric management will be the spark that sets it off.

It is totally obvious to me that this problem is now far, far beyond the talking and legislative stage. I'd like to see a resolution to it that does not involve armed conflict. But, I just don't think that is possible any more.

http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/06/a_must-read_on_race.html