EX LAPD COP Christopher Dorner

[HairOfTheDog]

The LAPD shooting up those two cars is really disturbing. They're damn lucky nobody was seriously injured or killed. Dorner really had them on edge and acting foolishly. No excuse for those shootings.

I think what LAPD really needs to evaluate is its high alert response protocols, along with its psychological screening of candidates.

The LAPD is one of the most publicly scrutinized and transparent law enforcement organizations in the United States. The policies regarding their use of force continuum have the highest standards applied to any department since 1991. There is no doubt that this department will utilize and apply the strictest of tactics in attempting to ascertain why the officers mistakenly “shot up” the wrong truck. I cannot imagine the incredible tension these officers are faced with nightly while Dorner is still roaming the streets unaccounted for. This doesn’t justify their actions, but it certainly plays a part in it. When Andrew Cunanan was running around South Beach, you could tell a number of sisters/brothers in uniform were on edge. Then again, the rampant media reports and public commentary didn’t help either. Especially, when they try to second guess everything we were doing. It doesn't help and the media can be true fucktards.

I am all for psychological testing for the initial entrance into an academy or department. I thought ours was odd. There were like 200 questions based on yes/no or true/false. Then you sit down with a psychologist to go over your results. I assume this conversation with them was to get clarification on particular answers or determine where your mind was. I passed and so did LC, HA!! Anyway, you cannot give any kind of test to truly determine if someone is going to end up bonkers while on the force. That will fall on his/her fellow officers to report such odd behavior to their superiors (and lets hope they do that).

Thanks SC - good to get LE input. I agree with you; the LAPD has made drastic improvements since the King beating and really transformed itself. It's not perfect, but very proactive in addressing internal issues/complaints. The force has also diversified quite a bit and is largely supported by the community, as supported by the stats in the linked article that I read last year. Good piece.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/13/us/13l...d=all&_r=1&

I've read Dorner's manifesto and each of the published legal/board docs related to his complaint. They all lead me to believe that the LAPD handled the case properly and Dorner was terminated because evidence and witnesses didn't support his claims. The claims of the training officer were deemed more credible based on fair evaluation and investigations/hearings that dragged out 4 years. The force, incidentally, is less than 20% female and less than 40% white these days; the white female training officer was the minority in the case. Doesn't appear there was any discrimination involved in the rulings, imo.

Shooting 40 bullets into two trucks of innocent civilians just ain't good, no matter how you look at it. I do understand the pressure and scrutiny that the PD is under; it's just very fortunate that there were no casualties. I too trust that those shootings will be reviewed fully and steps will be taken to minimize the chances of it happening again in a high alert situation. I also hope that the psychological eval process is reviewed. While I agree that no test will detect/weed-out every potential threat, it's possible that Dorner's profile and actions can be used to gain insight into some new areas of focus during the testing/screening. Hate to think that there will be more Dorners popping outta the woodwork, but you never know.