Fellow Officer Murdered In The Line Of Duty

[RationalBiker]

For the third time in the last 4 years, a fellow officer was killed in the line of duty. Prior to that, our city had only had one officer killed during the first 16 years of my career.

http://www.wvbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=4043985

I did not know the guy personally, as he was relatively new to our department and he worked in a different precinct. Folks I know spoke well of him. I can't really say more than the linked article at this point, but based on what I know, it seems he was executed without provocation. There is some chance that the suspect may have been involved in some crime just prior to the encounter, but it's not known whether the officer was aware of that or not at the time he was shot. When I can say more, I will.

What bothers me most about this, is that it brings back some memories of an officer I did know (Sheila Herring) who was killed in the line of duty two years ago. I was working that night, responded to the scene, and tried to help as she lay wounded on the ground. When she left the scene, paramedics had indicted that she looked like she would be alright, but she was pronounced DOA at the hospital. It was a horrible night, but in that instance, the suspect was also fatally wounded.

The striking similarity is that Reaves, like Sheila Herring, had left a department that many would perceive to a be a more dangerous place to work, and came to our department. Reaves had worked for Baltimore PD for 10 years prior to his 1 year with us. Herring had worked for Detroit PD for 8 years prior to her less than 1 year of service with us.

At any rate, please excuse my brief diversion from matters more philosophical. Like talking, it helps a little to write this out.

[Groovenstein]

Best wishes, man. Please let us know if they catch the SOB.

[softwareNerd]

Really sorry to read about this.

[dondigitalia]

Me too. It always makes me angry to see/hear about police officers getting persecuted instead of thanked, and it's something that happens all the time, even if not to this extremity.

[Prometheus98876]

Oh man, you have my sympathy. I too want to know if they catch the basta*d, so that I know some justice has been served.

Don't apolgise for 'diversion', I doubt anyone here really minds that you should do so for something you so meaningful to you. It is good to see that unlike a lot of people I know you are trying to get over it properly.

[RationalBiker]

Thanks for all the thoughtful comments. I will keep you abreast of what I can as this case develops. I see that since I originally linked the article, they have identified the suspect, and replaced a composite drawing with his real picture.

[Unconquered]

For the third time in the last 4 years, a fellow officer was killed in the line of duty. Prior to that, our city had only had one officer killed during the first 16 years of my career.

Do you have any theories as to why the difference in recent years vs. the past?

[The Wrath]

Sorry to hear about the loss. Hope they lock the bastard in jail and throw away the key.

[Inspector]

Ugh. I just hope they catch the guy who did it and get him what he deserves.

[RationalBiker]

Do you have any theories as to why the difference in recent years vs. the past?

No, not really. I mention the frequency not so much to be indicative of a problem, though it may well be, but moreso to illustrate that we had been pretty fortunate for quite a while up until 2001.

Our homicide rate in generally is up slightly this year, but it's no where near as bad as it has been in the not too distant past. Less respect for law enforcment officers? Maybe, but that's really hard to objectively establish in my opinion.

The officer killed in 2001 was killed by a mentally disturbed guy who got off a "lucky shot" so to speak.

In Sheila Herring's case, she and other officers responded to a shooting scene at a bar. There were lots of people and mass confusion in the parking lot, and they were unable to pick out the suspect until he shot her first.

The officer who was killed during that 16 year period, was attempting to help a woman who was trying to get out of an abusive relationship and the estranged husband killed him.

Prior to that 16 year period, there were two officers killed, one week apart in April 1984. That was about a year before I came on.

A neighboring city also had an officer killed this month (October) as he tried to apprehend a robbery suspect.

So I think the long span of time with only one officer getting killed was a "fluke" for lack of a better word. The problem is officers can get complacent when you have long peaceful gaps like that. With such diverse situations, I find it difficult to pinpoint the problem.

Here is a link to Officer Reaves entry on the Officer Down Memorial Page;

http://www.odmp.org/officer.php?oid=17939

This page can be useful to give folks some idea of the ways officers are being killed, how many are dying each year, etc.

[Hakarmaskannar]

My condolences to all those berieved by this tragic event.

It's terrible to hear about these tragedies but what also grieves me about these situations, both in the US and here in the UK, is that had the officer been the one left standing over a dead suspect, having killed them in legitimate self-defence, there would be uproar from the human-rights/liberals/left-wingers about improper procedures and use-of-force

[gags]

I'm terribly sorry to hear about this. It's always a tragedy when a member of law enforcement is killed or injured by a criminal.

I really have to give you guys credit. You work in an very difficult job where people want to constantly second guess the split-second decisions you have to make under extreme stress. If I had my way, I'd double or triple your pay. It's one of the few functions of government where I would happily pay an additional tax or surcharge to finance better compensation for police officers. Here in Detroit, we've been laying-off officers so that the mayor can drive around in a Lincoln Navigator and have parties with strippers at his mansion while the city heads for receivership. Talk about screwed up priorities.

[RationalBiker]

I am glad to say that the capital murder suspect in this case has been arrested!

Like they do in any homicide case, some of our investigators worked days on end without going home, and with very sparse sleep, attempting to solve this case and apprehend the offender. The assistance of several other agencies, federal, state and local, were paramount in his apprehension. As I'm sure most of you know, the ever important tools of investigation rely on intelligence, logic and reason. Additionally, common technology, and the lack of intelligence of the alleged perpetrator assisted in his downfall. A hunt for the suspect that started in Norfolk, VA, ended in White Plains, NY.

http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=4043985

Thomas Alexander Porter was captured scant hours before the funeral service and subsequent burial of the victim he had allegedly killed. Amidst an otherwise solemn event, our Chief was able to announce this news to the mourners, bringing some hope that justice may indeed be served in the end.

I still can't give many details at this point, but I want to stress something about this case. This suspect did not simply shoot the officer, as one might do perhaps in self-defense or to be able to flee in the heat of the moment. This suspect took very deliberate actions to ensure his victim died.

As I sit and type this, it's difficult not to imagine the horror, however brief, that Officer Reaves experienced in the final moments of his life. That said, I suppose I'll never really know. Maybe he didn't suffer at all.

[Groovenstein]

Great news. If he's really the guy, I hope the rest of the legal process is as dedicated and effective as you and your colleagues have been thus far. And, if he's really the guy, I hope he ends up getting the needle (or whatever you use over there in VA). That can't bring your colleague back, of course, nor can it ease any uneasiness you feel knowing your life is at risk. But I would guess that when you're around a terrible situation like that, justice does provide some comfort.

[Inspector]

Kudos to those hard-working detectives who found the suspect!

[Hakarmaskannar]

Agreed. Hopefully all that hard work will be rewarded with justice in the courts.

[jrs]

I am glad to say that the capital murder suspect in this case has been arrested!

.....

This suspect took very deliberate actions to ensure his victim died.

Vern, you have my condolences for the loss of your coworker.

Your message raises an issue about the use of the word "suspect" which has been bothering me. Unless and until the suspect is convicted, we are supposed to presume that he is innocent, i.e. not the perpetrator. So we should carefully distinguish between "suspect" and "perpetrator".

The person who killed Officer Stanley Cornell Reaves is the "perpetrator".

Thomas Alexander Porter is the "suspect", i.e. the person who is suspected of being that perpetrator.

So your first sentence above is correct. But your second sentence should be "This perpetrator took very deliberate actions to ensure his victim died.".

By using "suspect" when "perpetrator" is appropriate, you tend to make "suspect" into a synonym of "perpetrator"; and that tends to deny the suspect the presumption of innocence to which he is entitled.

[RationalBiker]

Vern, you have my condolences for the loss of your coworker.

Thank you, I appreciate your kind words.

Your message raises an issue about the use of the word "suspect" which has been bothering me.

You are correct.

I am actually very familiar with the phrases used in my occupation. And while this is personally a difficult matter for me to discuss, I would hope that you would note that in the totality of my postings in this thread, I have endeavored to use terms like alleged, and suspect appropriately (for the expressed purpose of not implying guilt). In that particular instance, I have simply made a mistake. I'm not attempting to cast undeserved guilt on Mr. Porter without the benefit of a trial. I don't want the man convicted if he is not in fact the man who murdered Officer Reaves. That would not serve justice in the least.

Rather, my intention was to indicate the heniousness of the crime, not to indicate that Mr. Porter was necessarily the agent of the henious act.

I would also like to clarify (not because of anything you or anyone else has said) that I don't wish to communicate that this murder is any more henious because the victim is a police officer. It would be an equally horrid crime if committed against any innocent person. The only real relevance his occupation has is on a personal level to me because it could potentially happen just as easily to me or someone on the department with which I do have a closer relationship.

[AisA]

This suspect did not simply shoot the officer, as one might do perhaps in self-defense or to be able to flee in the heat of the moment. This suspect took very deliberate actions to ensure his victim died.

Does Virginia have the death penalty, and if so, does this crime qualify?

[RationalBiker]

Does Virginia have the death penalty, and if so, does this crime qualify?

Yes on both counts. Historically speaking, Virginia is second only to Texas in it's application of the death penalty since 1976, but by a wide margin; 352 vs. 94. Virginia currently has 23 people on "death row", whereas Texas has 414.

At this point, the suspect is still in NY and he is fighting extradition. As I understand it, he's claiming that he's innocent and that he's never been in this area before.

[scottkursk]

Yes on both counts. Historically speaking, Virginia is second only to Texas in it's application of the death penalty since 1976, but by a wide margin; 352 vs. 94. Virginia currently has 23 people on "death row", whereas Texas has 414.

I know that Texas has a reputation of being a real death penatly state. But what most people don't realize is that it's relatively hard to qualify for the death penalty. Just killing someone isn't enough to qualify. You have to kill someone in the commission of another crime, kill multiple people, or commit capital murder. The real difference is Texas juries don't have a problem convicting someone that deserves it. Plus the courts don't tend to tolerate as much bs from attorneys or people making numerous spurious appeals.

[dondigitalia]

The real difference is Texas juries don't have a problem convicting someone that deserves it. Plus the courts don't tend to tolerate as much bs from attorneys or people making numerous spurious appeals.

Texas is also a much larger state. Texas' population is just under 21 million, while Virginia's is just above 7 million. This means that the percentage of death penalties to population for each state is:

TX -1.67x10^-5%

VA -1.34x10^-5%

Texas is still higher, but the margin is much narrower. Although, Virginia's been around longer than TX, and I'm not sure how that would play into things.

[RationalBiker]

Thomas Porter, the suspect in this officer's slaying, was convicted of Capital Murder for which he has received the Death Penalty.

[Groovenstein]

Vern, that's outstanding. I hope the appeal shows the process to have been done correctly and this conviction can stand.