Too young for the responsibility?
It's reported that a 20 year old full time Deputy Sheriff and part time city Policeman, shot seven young people who had gathered for a pizza party and movie in the town of Crandon, Wisconsin (pop.2,000 residents), killing six of them and critically wounding one.
Deputy Tyler Peterson went on a killing rampage apparently over a boyfriend/girlfriend situation.
One resident, David Franz, reached into the very heart of the matter with a very astute observation, one that should be considered more often in police hiring procedures, "The first thing we said to each other was, how did he get through the system? How do they know someone's background, especially that young? It is disturbing to say the least."
It is disturbing. Wouldn't we be wiser, and perhaps safer, to hire LEO's who have some time, wisdom and experience under their belts? Not necessarily old folks, but people who've seen a little more of life than a 20 year old?
Even the church has faced this issue, with Paul admonishing those choosing church leaders, with, "Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil." 1 Timothy 3:6.
Sounds like words of wisdom to me.
Sahagan
Deputy Tyler Peterson went on a killing rampage apparently over a boyfriend/girlfriend situation.
One resident, David Franz, reached into the very heart of the matter with a very astute observation, one that should be considered more often in police hiring procedures, "The first thing we said to each other was, how did he get through the system? How do they know someone's background, especially that young? It is disturbing to say the least."
It is disturbing. Wouldn't we be wiser, and perhaps safer, to hire LEO's who have some time, wisdom and experience under their belts? Not necessarily old folks, but people who've seen a little more of life than a 20 year old?
Even the church has faced this issue, with Paul admonishing those choosing church leaders, with, "Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil." 1 Timothy 3:6.
Sounds like words of wisdom to me.
Sahagan
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I agree. Sounds as though the 20-year-old would have been one of only a few officers employed by the town, given its population. I could maybe see hiring a young man (but probably still not that young) in a situation where he'd be around a number of brother officers, the majority of which would be veterans -- and not turn him loose, alone, when obviously he can't have had much experience. When you're talking about only a few officers comprising the force, though, I'd have to consider a certain degree of age and/or solid law enforcement experience a prerequisite to be hired. 0 -
20,30,50 or 80 years old makes no difference in whether a person will commit mass murder. I agree that seasoned people are probably better suited for police work, but age has nothing to do with homicide. This is not a judgment issue. 0 -
I wonder if he was the class dork who never got any respect and went nuts when, after becoming a cop, he still wasn't respected? I'm not buying the girlfriend story. Hard to imagine him shooting everyone over what should have been a one on one affair. [:(]
Sad for all.[:(][xx(]0 -
CNN) -- A sheriff's deputy shot and killed six people in Crandon, Wisconsin, early Sunday before dying himself under circumstances that remain under wraps, the town's police chief said.
1 of 3 The assailant, Tyler Peterson, also worked part-time as a Crandon police officer.
Forest County Sheriff Keith Van Cleve said Peterson was "about 20" and was not on duty at the time of the shootings.
Schools superintendent Richard Peters told The Associated Press that three Crandon High students were killed and another three who died had graduated within the past year.
The victims were at a house party together. Residents say one of those killed is or was the shooter's girlfriend.
A survivor of the shooting was in critical condition Sunday night, and a Crandon police officer was treated for minor injuries, according to AP.
"I'm waiting for somebody to wake me up right now. This is a bad, bad dream," Jenny Stahl, mother of 14-year-old victim Lindsey Stahl told AP. "He took them all out."
Karly Johnson, 16, told AP she knew the shooter.
"He was nice. He was an average guy. Normal. You wouldn't think he could do that," Johnson said.
She said he had helped her in a class and had graduated with her brother. Peters, however, said he could not confirm whether the shooter graduated from Crandon High.
Police Chief John Dennee would not say Sunday evening how Peterson died.
Crandon Mayor Gary Bradley said the assailant had been brought down by a sniper, AP reported.
The shootings took place about 2:45 a.m. at a home in Crandon, a town of about 2,000 people 220 miles north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Neither Dennee nor Van Cleve would discuss details of the shootings or identify the victims. They said officials would address questions Monday. Dennee told AP the victims were having "a pizza and movie party."
Marci Franz, who lives two houses south of the duplex where the shootings occurred, told AP the gunshots awakened her.
"I heard probably five or six shots, a short pause and then five or six more," she said.
Then she heard eight more shots and tires squealing, she told AP.
"There's never been a tragedy like this here," she said. "There's been individual incidents, but nothing of this magnitude."
The state attorney general's office will investigate the case, Van Cleve said.
Kevin St. John, a spokesman for the state Department of Justice, said the agency's criminal investigation unit routinely investigates cases of a "statewide or significant nature."
Van Cleve called the situation "very difficult" for his officers and the community. Watch how the small town is handling the shock of the shooting ?
Bud Evans, an elder at Praise Chapel Community Church, said relatives of some of the victims of the shooting were gathering at his church.
Evans said watching members of the community suffer left him with "a helpless feeling."
The Crandon School District canceled classes for Monday. E-mail to a friend
Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report0 -
quote:Originally posted by lt496
20,30,50 or 80 years old makes no difference in whether a person will commit mass murder. I agree that seasoned people are probably better suited for police work, but age has nothing to do with homicide. This is not a judgment issue.
I hope you didn't take what I said as passing judgement. I didn't intend that, or, for that matter, see that SahaganBeta did either. I look at it more as a suggestion that law enforcement agencies play the odds, than a condemnation of the young. You're absolutely right, though, about age having nothing to do with the inclination to commit murder.
Again, no judgement or offense intended.0 -
quote:Originally posted by mongrel1776
quote:Originally posted by lt496
20,30,50 or 80 years old makes no difference in whether a person will commit mass murder. I agree that seasoned people are probably better suited for police work, but age has nothing to do with homicide. This is not a judgment issue.
I hope you didn't take what I said as passing judgement. I didn't intend that, or, for that matter, see that SahaganBeta did either. I look at it more as a suggestion that law enforcement agencies play the odds, than a condemnation of the young. You're absolutely right, though, about age having nothing to do with the inclination to commit murder.
Again, no judgement or offense intended.
Never crossed my mind to take offense. Passing judgment is fine also. We most all do so on many issues.
When I said that this was not a judgment issue, I was referring to the baby cop and his judgment, not yours.
You were on-point reference the young age and the potential for him being out on his own. Subtract the mass murder and the situation of a baby cop patrolling alone, with police authority is a real concern.
There is something to be said for life experience. If a department has baby cops on, they damn sure better have some experienced officers monitoring them.0 -
but but but... he's under age to buy a pistol, get a ccp, etc!
was he allowed to drink as well?0 -
I've always wondered about that. If a ruckus started in a bar.....here is a 20 yr old deputy going in who is too young to carry or drink. How much credibility would he hold over the bad guys? [?][?] That would be quite a burden on the deputy.
rider0 -
quote:Originally posted by rider
I've always wondered about that. If a ruckus started in a bar.....here is a 20 yr old deputy going in who is too young to carry or drink. How much credibility would he hold over the bad guys? [?][?] That would be quite a burden on the deputy.
rider
Kinda like the 20 year old in IRAQ........good point.0 -
There's a lot to be said for adult supervision, but it depends of which twenty year old too. There are some twenty year olds I wouldn't trust to cut my grass or walk my dog, but there are a lot of twenty year olds who carry some pretty awesome responsibility, and carry it well. Sometimes you are better off with a twenty year old who knows he doesn't have a lot of "life experience" than with a thirty year old who knows everything about everything.
If we don't let young people have responsibility, when do they get the "life experience"? Within a few generations we won't be able to trust a forty year old because he wasn't allowed to gain any "life experience".
Come to think of it, there are some forty year olds I wouldn't trust to cut my grass or walk my dog.0 -
Betcha he was a reserve.
Doug0 -
quote:Originally posted by JamesRK
There's a lot to be said for adult supervision, but it depends of which twenty year old too. There are some twenty year olds I wouldn't trust to cut my grass or walk my dog, but there are a lot of twenty year olds who carry some pretty awesome responsibility, and carry it well. Sometimes you are better off with a twenty year old who knows he doesn't have a lot of "life experience" than with a thirty year old who knows everything about everything.
If we don't let young people have responsibility, when do they get the "life experience"? Within a few generations we won't be able to trust a forty year old because he wasn't allowed to gain any "life experience".
Come to think of it, there are some forty year olds I wouldn't trust to cut my grass or walk my dog.
You raise excellent points. I'm acquainted with people in their fifties, even older, who are on the fast-track to having been a complete waste of air from cradle to grave. And, I know younger people who were mature beyond their years when they attended the high school I worked at, and are now hardworking, responsible, and decent adults, if not especially "successful" in the eyes of others.
As for a young police officer acquiring experience -- partnering with a veteran officer is the method preferred by both the agencies my brother has worked for. The younger, or at least less-experienced man handles traffic stops, other such routine duties (including all the paperwork [:D]), and is there to assist and put his own life on the line when the SHTF -- which, where my brother works, it does on a fairly regular basis. The Native Americans Tim is in contact with on a daily basis can't metabolize alcohol worth a damn, but a number of them consume it in huge amounts, and what they do to one another and anyone else who crosses their paths while under the influence goes beyond terrible. I know of two police officers jumped and captured by one's own cousin and his friends, beaten half to death, then incinerated in one of their cruisers; also a 17-year-old disembowelled with a kitchen knife when he tried to stop his dad from beating his much younger brother. These are not circumstances a rookie officer -- or anyone, really -- ought to have to confront alone. The presence of a "been there, done that" veteran can make the difference between an ugly situation gone completely out of control, or an ugly situation dealt with as well as is humanly possible.
Again, as I stated earlier, the simple fact of a man or woman being young isn't a guarantee of anything, any more than is being older, as you pointed out. It's just a factor to be considered when figuring the odds of things going wrong due to inexperience or immaturity. In a situation where people's lives are going to be at risk, it's hardly unfair to think in those terms. My 2 cents -- someone else may have a nickel's worth of opinion and be able to point out where I'm wrong. [:D]0 -
No link but the morning paper carried the story that all the kids at the party called him a "worthless pig" and that is what set him off.
A dork with a badge is still a dork.
Maybe a shrink eval prior to being given a badge could have detected his feelings of inferiority? Unfortunately for all concerned, we will never know.0 -
Everybody wants a [time, wisdom, experience under their belt] person on the PD.
....so, how do you get those things, except by hiring?0
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