need to vent

carpe kid

carpe kid

Member # 018
First Name
Brandon
Last Name
Eckardt
I fully expect all responses to this thread and that is ok, I am a big boy. I don't know if anyone watches channel 4 news. They are currently running a story about an off duty officer that beat up a guy. I know the cop. He is a good cop. I have a real issue of news stories being run that aren't news.

Two guys got into a bar fight, one was an off duty cop and by channel 4 he is the only guilty party. The facts have not come out and it will paint an entirely different story of what really happened, but for public opinion it is all but over.

This to me is the same concept of having a news story saying he is a good clean cut boy, never in trouble I don't know why the police shot him. I also don't know why he was in the pawn shop at 2am, dressed in black with a mask on. (true news story from a couple years ago)
 
The news broadcasts care nothing about the truth or who they hurt, they will sensationalize anything they can get their hands on. Makes me wonder what the truth really is on almost every story they tell where police are involved.
 
I understand your view, especially since you know him. However, just as managers, executives, and president's of companies are held to a higher standard, so are police officers. I totally respect the majority of them, but have had a few run in's with younger officers that new they had a badge to stand behind. The only fact I know at this point from that story is a human being was beaten, bloodied and scarred for life. How it arrived at that point, is beyond me. I just cannot see beating another human to a point where they cannot defend themselves anymore. Good cop/bad cop, they all have their bad days, apparently, this was one of them.

Sorry, that was a sidebar. The news, you are absolutely right, half of what they report is not accurate. It's all about who get's the story on the air first.
 
From what I was told from multiple people there was the individual was in the process of choking an off duty cop when the other individual told him to let go. When he didn't he was hit once. Much different story then the news is portraying.

I don't want to be misunderstood. If the officer was guilty of a crime, then prosecute, but if not then why is this news. Would a bar fight not involving officers be on the news???
 
carpe kid said:
I don't want to be misunderstood. If the officer was guilty of a crime, then prosecute, but if not then why is this news. Would a bar fight not involving officers be on the news???
Click to expand...

No...but in the eyes of the news and the public, they are held to a higher level of accountability than everyone else.

I know this hits home with you, but Police Officers are public employees, and garner more attention when something happens to them, especially when off-duty.

I'll go one further, if someone is dishonest in the way they conduct themselves, is this in the news? Usually not. But, if it is a politician, then it leads the news stories. Just look at the newest scandal with Senator Burris.
 
No, it would not. As I said above though, they are held to a much higher standard than the average Joe that get's in a bar fight. We, or should I say, I would think an officer, off duty or not, has been trained how to deal with drunks and people that attack them. I just think the news, by showing the guys bloody face over and over, showed a continual beating occurring AFTER a guy is down. I'm sure alcohol forced some bad decisions on both sides.
 
Agreed, but as I understand the facts. The guy on TV was in the middle of choking another person who happens to be an off duty cop. Up to that point it was words not actions. The cop in trouble yelled at the guy twice to let go. After that he hit the man one time. He was unconcious after one hit. He hit the bar as he was falling.

To me, two warnings, one hit is a higher standard. I honestly believe this guy did no wrong in the event, BUT public opinion is quite different.
 
Ok, here's the pic - All of that damage to his face happened from a fall when he hit the bar?! Umm ok, maybe a few fists and feet also hit him? Just a thought
EDIT: (Removed pic out of respect for the accused and others on this forum)
 
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I understand the photo, but you know as well as I before being cleaned up you look the worst. I was hit in the face with a baseball, one hit and I looked much worse than this photo when they got me to the hospital. There was one family member in the bar at the time(not involved) and the officer that I know both said the same story.
 
Well, we got off topic, but to steer us back - The news, especially channel 4, is all about sensationalism. They have even taken it to the weather now. It's ridiculous. Too bad your friend can't talk about it, which brings up a good point, how come the "victim" is allowed to talk all they want, but the "accused" has to stay quiet? Lawsuits, that's why. Hope this works out for him.
 
This is a really interesting thread. Is there a link for the story or is gone by now? What is the truth? What the purported victim says? What the purported perpetrator says? Or something in between? Are there any disinterested unbiased witnesses who can tell us what really happened or are we left with trying to decide which of the principal parties is telling the truth. MOST of the time the parties who have something to gain or lose by telling or not telling the truth DON'T tell the truth they slant it in their favor. Is there an unwritten code among officers to protect each other even if it means distorting the truth to do so? I am asking a Q. Don't misconstrue the intent of my Q. Yes of course the media is biased. Aren't we all? I am not excusing biased reporting. How did the media distort, slant &/or sensationalize this story? The media has constitutional protection, & rightfully so, so we as citizens are protected from abuses of power by politicians, police officers, lawyers & others because of the amount of trust we place in such persons to be persons of character, integrity & proper moral turpitude. That is why we find it so repulsive & repugnant when these individuals breach that trust. How would like to try to meet the standards of trying to consistently behave & act like a "Christian Lawyer?" I'm a hypocrite before I even begin to try to measure up to calling myself a "Christian Lawyer." Now I'm getting OT. I have clients all the time who want me to tell them how to lie &/or distort the truth so they can "win" or get away with something." FOUND a couple of links: http://www.kmov.com/video/topvideo-index.html?nvid=333206 & http://www.kmov.com/video/?z=y&nvid=333639
 
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Hi gents. I usually don’t get involved in politically charged emails especially being a new guy but felt I had to on this one. I spent several years in a past life as a police officer police officer in Kirkwood and Overland. When I was a rookie, I worked the same duty in the same Kirkwood court house where Officer Ballman lost his life when Cookie Thornton shot him with a .44 mag. I’ve been shot at and missed, sh*t at and hit., stabbed twice and hit so hard that it was all I could do to keep my side arm and protect myself from being shot . I’ve worked with great coppers and yes, a few that were not so good over the years. Most were outstanding individuals that I trusted my life with on a daily basis. I saw a lot of the good, the bad and the ugly in those years on both sides…and yes, depending on which news channel covered the event, bad reporting. Some got it right, others didn’t want to. All I can say is that I was not there in this instant case and won‘t judge. Weird fact: I graduated for Northeast Missouri State Univ as did Officer Ballman….and you guessed it …the assailant Cookie Thornton!

Anyway, been there, done that…time to think about driving my cobra. Just my 2 cents.
 
Silver Bullet glad to have ya! David, I am big enough to tell you this is probably much like a divorce. He has his side, she has her side, then there is truth somewhere in the middle. First, to answer your question, yes cops stand up for one another. They must. Especially in the wrong areas it is much like war. You may not like your comrades but they protect you because you protect them. Now back to the discussion, I told you I know the people involved. The cop being accused is a good cop and a good man. Even though I was not there I can tell you that he is a man I would gladly stand behind. I don't say that too often, well unless there is an IL atty that needs something;) I was told by multiple people in the bar that night what happened, one has no clue that I know the accused. This place both friends and family hang out in.

To me the funny thing is: one, no other than one station has touched this. Only Channel 4....Why??? My opinion, the others could not get enough people to collaborate a single story. Two, No one that believes this Wally is innocent has gone to the police, but all that have said the same story about him in the middle of choking a cop have gone as far as calling the chief of police. From what I was told(again I was not there) there was an argument. It was words. Wally and another individual got into a situation. The other individual is in fact an off duty cop. Wally was choking this man from behind. The accused yelled at Wally twice to let go. When he did not the accused hit him. Now, his picture is on channel 4 all bloodied up.

I don't know the exacts, but I am just upset that channel 4 ran this before ANY facts came out. Now a good cop is being smeared and this pr#$k is a saint. Every comment is he is a family, church going man. He couldn't possibly do any wrong. I am not trying to start another topic by this next comment, but I have known many men that tell everyone that "they are good christians" that I would not trust with anything! My biggest problem is if he is guilty so be, but if not...if we find out he acted properly he has already been convicted by public opinion. I just truly hope his name never comes out because I believe this is what will happen.
 
Thanks Silver Bullet. Brandon, good points. I feel the need to remove the picture above, and will do so. For those interested, as Brandon said, KMOV is the only one with the story. Brandon, I just know my few "run-ins" with St. Peters police has not left me with good feelings. I felt harassed, guilty and aggravated that I was treated as a child. St Peters is notorious for the not so nice, young, I'll make a name for myself cops. Maybe I am biased and should bow out of this discussion. Hopefully, I brought up some points to make everyone think, there are ALWAYS two sides to the story.
 
Brandon thanks for setting some stuff straight. When I watched the "news story" re the incident, what struck me was that the reporter only quoted one unnamed source who of course said the purported victim was TOTALLY innocent of any provocation. Yeah right. It's like I said when somebody has something to gain or lose by telling the truth they will normally distort the truth. In this case the truth is probably being distorted by the purported victim because he wants to sue for lots of money. The officer may not be telling the entire truth because his job/career, reputation & a lawsuit are at stake. You are of course right there are lots of phonies who call themselves Christians who are very mean spirited persons or liars, cheats & crooks. Have you heard of the "minister" from Houston (originally from Puerto Rico) who claims to be the second coming of Jesus & has a Lear jet etc. :rolleyes::(:mad: Here's the Link for "Jesus of Suburbia:" http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2927283 :(
 
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Thats funny. totally off topic but wasn't it the evangelist in South County said told everyone it was not against God's will for her minister to be "for profit"? Tim, I fully understand. Ther are good and bad in every profession and yes we expect cops to act in a higher level of professionalism. But, the original thread still remains that Channel 4 sucks!:mad:
 
AGREED! I have found that Channel 5 does SEEM to do the best fact base reporting. Fox 2 is just like the rest of the Fox network, everything's a joke. Thanks for a sane, calm, and perspective discussion. We'll see if this just disappears for lack of proof from the "victim".
 
AGREED Let's hope it does disappear for the sake of Brandon's friend. If he did lose his temper or make a mistake in judgment let's all hope & pray that it does not cost him his job/career. After all it could happen to any of us no matter how good of a person he is or we are. All too often in this day & age it seems like the punishment is disproportionate to the crime/wrong in many instances & forgiveness & sensibility don't seem to come into play.
 
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