Cop Killer - worse than a run-of-the-mill killer?

[OCanadaOurHomeAndNativeLand]

Seems to be the common view. Cop killers are more vigorously pursued, and viewed as worse than those that kill civilian citizens. Are they also subject to stiffer sentences?

Do you think this should be the case? Cops are the last people between criminals and freedom. It is natural in this case that they would more often be victims of murder than an average citizen. They volunteered to be in the line of fire. Are cop killers worse and should they be punished more severely?

If you were in the position to decide and mete out the punishments, what would you say?

[TheNoNamedOne]

Yes when the grouping is among adults only. No if children are included.

I answer "no" when children are included because they are virtually unable to defend themselves and them being a target makes it more reprehensible.

Yes, for adults, like i said. Cops are not only the person. They are the collective identity and will of society that are charged with keeping society civilized. So, to kill them, you are also attempting to kill a small part of society -- an important part -- ORDER.

[ryukyuboi]

Giving special treatment to a group of citizens, like cops, does not bode well with the equal protection under the law concept in my view. But there are legal exceptions to rules/concepts. I believe courts have upheld this exception, and probably for just cause.

[newvalor]

Yes when the grouping is among adults only. No if children are included.

I answer "no" when children are included because they are virtually unable to defend themselves and them being a target makes it more reprehensible.

Could you explain more how if it is a child that they should not be punished the same as an adult who commits murder??? I see it the same way, they killed someone. It does not matter what age, if they are old enough to kill they are old enough for the consequences.

Yes, for adults, like i said. Cops are not only the person. They are the collective identity and will of society that are charged with keeping society civilized. So, to kill them, you are also attempting to kill a small part of society -- an important part -- ORDER.



Cops are in charge of upholding the law to protect citizens from illegal activities and catch those individuals that commit them. A cop killer should be punished more severly because now the police force has to replace that deseased officer that had experience and had helped enforce the standard umongst others. They have to take all of that and replace it with another rookie who has no experience and may resort to a different method when giving a situation that was common at times.

[TheNoNamedOne]

Giving special treatment to a group of citizens, like cops, does not bode well with the equal protection under the law concept in my view. But there are legal exceptions to rules/concepts. I believe courts have upheld this exception, and probably for just cause.

I don't think the point is one of equal protection -- but one of equal prosecution.

Don't you think more recourses(i.e. more vigorously persued) should be applied to finding someone who kills the President of the United States than someone who kills a policeman?

I do.

Perhaps that is one of the things you mean by "exceptions."

Also, judges I think need more protection (i.e. again more recourses applied to finding and prosecuting the killer) so that they and we can be assured of their ability to judge cases free from intimidation -- sending the message that a killer of such a man that holds the office will be brought to justice.

As for actual sentencing, should the President's, judge's, or cop's murder require that the killer spend more time for that in prison than someone who murdered an ordinary at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder person?

Yes.

It sounds kind of callous or elitist to say so, but like I said before, I think the attack is magnified and grafted onto society as separate attacks on individual citizens because of the office which those persons hold. In those cases, I don't think it is fully about the person. It is also about the office. The office transcends the person which brings in extra penalties for those who do not respect those offices.

To look on it at a smaller level, that is why you can say "phuk you" to a regular citizen you are pissed at, but if you said those same words to a judge in their court, you'd be held for contempt -- not because the judge is personally insulted, but because the People invested in the office of the judgeship have been insulted.

[OCanadaOurHomeAndNativeLand]

Lots of interesting thoughts. Thank you.

I guess I was referring more to say a fleeing criminal shooting & killing a police officer. It was not premediated. The cop was the last thing between the crook and freedom. A cornered animal, so to speak. I don't think a criminal in this particular situation should be charged with first degree murder, or prosecuted more vigorously than any other killer. Manslaughter for sure. Prison time for sure. But the police often act as though a gang exacting some sort of revenge.

[atb35]

Lots of interesting thoughts. Thank you.

I guess I was referring more to say a fleeing criminal shooting & killing a police officer. It was not premediated. The cop was the last thing between the crook and freedom. A cornered animal, so to speak. I don't think a criminal in this particular situation should be charged with first degree murder, or prosecuted more vigorously than any other killer. Manslaughter for sure. Prison time for sure. But the police often act as though a gang exacting some sort of revenge.

In this case I think it has more to do with comradere and often times personal. If you know someone, or they are a fellow police officer, you are naturally going to want to put more effort into finding the person that did it. It is the same in anything I imagine, if you are familiar with a person that needs your service, you will likely go the extra mile so to speak.

[ryukyuboi]

The basic belief I was trying to express is that accused individuals should be treated equally under the law for a similar crime. I am not a lawyer, but I know when a police officer is murdered, there are state laws presently on the books that define the murder of a police officer as a more serious crime than for anyone else being murdered - probably for the reasons you give.

If a white person killed a black policeman, would the sentence be the same as if a black person killed a white policeman? Sometimes not, with the only difference between the crimes being race.

Racism within the judicial system - including racist juries, racist police officers, and racist judges - undermine justice.

[Muku]

The basic belief I was trying to express is that accused individuals should be treated equally under the law for a similar crime. I am not a lawyer, but I know when a police officer is murdered, there are state laws presently on the books that define the murder of a police officer as a more serious crime than for anyone else being murdered - probably for the reasons you give.

If a white person killed a black policeman, would the sentence be the same as if a black person killed a white policeman? Sometimes not, with the only difference between the crimes being race.

Racism within the judicial system - including racist juries, racist police officers, and racist judges - undermine justice.
While in theory there should be equal protection, in fact there isnt.

Average people are not called upon to defend or protect each other. Society has deemed that we will have police to do that duty for us.

Fair or not, I only can say that I respect the work that police do in trying to defend us average citizens from crimminal's. When one of their own gets murdered, premeditated or not, I can not blame them for wanting revenge either. It isn't like that person that was killed is so easily replacable either.

In a manner of speaking it is similar to a person in the military that looses a buddy or partner in war. The friends want to get revenge for their friends death and deal death out to those that took his or her life. Hatred, fear, love and revenge are very strong emotions, and I think that these emotions take over in many cases and makes the cops want to meet out justice in the severest manner possible. Right or wrong, I dont know, all life should be considered equal, but that is only in Utopia I think.

In fact things are not so fair.

Our society is unfair in many respects, I know this is about police, but there are so many other things in our society where there is no equality.

[Fonze]

Most cop killers I believe lose reason in the moment of that time or have none to begin with just like any other murderer. Punishment should be the same but I agree with Uchi that only in utopia.