SF Bay Area LEO's

[Stormfeather]

Guys, I wanted to kind of get your opinion on something that has been sitting in the back of my mind for a couple of weeks now since the shootings in the bay area claimed the lives of those officers.
Do you think that when the BART officer goes to trial, and if hes not found guilty, that the bay area will suffer the same type of reprecussions as LA did during the Rodney King Riots? And if so, how prepared do you think your agency is to deal with such a threat? I mean, LAPD was pretty much overwhelmed when those riots hit. I know population wise, I dont think it will be on the same scale, but for arguments sake, what if it does rise up in scale, how will local agencies react, and do you basically have a game plan? I know about the tone-out for all agencies to respond if possible, do you guys think it will get to that level? Thanks for all the honest input.

[Jonathan Doe]

All agencies have emergency operations plan in place. During the riot in LA, many agencies worked together. I believe we had assistance form national guards also.

[Grumpyoldretiredcop]

I think there'll be a riot no matter what the verdict. Some folks will just use that as an excuse. My former agency has a detailed response plan, including mutual aid provisions.

Of course, we all know that no battle plan survives contact with the enemy...

[BigDogatPlay]

Unless the BART officer is convicted of first degree murder and taken to the nearest streetlamp for execution, I would fully expect there to be trouble to some degree. OPD has, from what I've learned in talking to guys, some pretty solid ops plans. I'm sure they'll get plenty of support from ACSO and CHP to start with. Recall that both ACSO and CHP have been actively patrolling OPD streets for at least a year, maybe two, in an ongoing task force operation supporting OPD.

If Mehserle somehow gets acquitted criminally or takes a minor manslaughter beef, even knowing that he is toast civilly, Oakland will burn. Huge.

[Sam1]

I'll be at walmart looting all the ammo





jk live in socal and not worth going to jail over a 10 dollar box of ammo lol

[Jason762]

Sorry, but there's no way they're going to find him not guilty. Even if he really isn't (and honestly I don't know enough about the incident to judge).

California's just like that...

EDIT:

I'll be at walmart looting all the ammo





jk live in socal and not worth going to jail over a 10 dollar box of ammo lol

It is if you can sell it on CalGuns for $30 a box!

[Ron-Solo]

I was on the front lines with the LASD during the King Riots. The Mutual Aid response was massive involving almost every agency in SoCal. The National Guard was there, along with active duty USMC units just back from Desert Storm. One of the biggest problems was communication between agencies. That has improved some, but will always be a problem.

If there is a not guilty verdict in the BART case, I would bet money there will be riots. There have already been violent protests. Every agency in the Bay Area should start training now, and training TOGETHER when possible.

Have a plan for feeding yourself. Every store and restuarant anywhere near the problem was closed. We lived on granola bars and Gatorade for three days. The local Gatorade distributor backed up 2 semi-trucks in the back of the station and unloaded pallets. They didn't ask for a dime and it truely saved our backsides. I will forever be gratefull and only buy Gatorade brands to this day.

It was a wild time. We got shot at more times than I can count, and most of the time never saw the shooter.

I felt bad for the firefighters who got shot at as much (or more) as we did. No body armor, no guns, just guts.

Be ready. It just needs the right spark to set it off.

[BigDogatPlay]

I'll be at walmart looting all the ammo

So it WAS you that bought it all.....

[jdberger]

Sometimes I wonder if Oakland burning is really that bad of an idea....

Think of the redevelopment opportunities.

[tyrist]

As long as the bay area does not do what Los Angeles did and have the bureau commander come over the air and order Officers to not respond to what was happening (help calls from other units)...then put them in a staging area while the city burns and the firemen are shot at.

If it happens there needs to be a very swift and decisive move from Law Enforcement so the rioters know who is in charge. Also hoping the news media does not continually broadcast how people are looting with impunity would help as well.

[fourXfour]

Keep in mind this is not the first time this has happened in northern CA. There is established case law that confusing gun and taser is a training issue. It's very difficult to prove the required intent. This is the first time it's been video recorded.

My money is on a manslaughter conviction with a sentence of around 5 years.

That being said, there will be riots. Businesses will probably board up and shut down on the day of the decision.

[proudamerican831]

deleted

[Stormfeather]

I was on the front lines with the LASD during the King Riots. The Mutual Aid response was massive involving almost every agency in SoCal. The National Guard was there, along with active duty USMC units just back from Desert Storm. One of the biggest problems was communication between agencies. That has improved some, but will always be a problem.

If there is a not guilty verdict in the BART case, I would bet money there will be riots. There have already been violent protests. Every agency in the Bay Area should start training now, and training TOGETHER when possible.

Have a plan for feeding yourself. Every store and restuarant anywhere near the problem was closed. We lived on granola bars and Gatorade for three days. The local Gatorade distributor backed up 2 semi-trucks in the back of the station and unloaded pallets. They didn't ask for a dime and it truely saved our backsides. I will forever be gratefull and only buy Gatorade brands to this day.

It was a wild time. We got shot at more times than I can count, and most of the time never saw the shooter.

I felt bad for the firefighters who got shot at as much (or more) as we did. No body armor, no guns, just guts.

Be ready. It just needs the right spark to set it off.

I was there also. 1/9 out of Camp Horno and Hq !st Mar. I was in the 3 or 4th Humvee from the front that came up the I-5 in that monster convoy. I remember as well all the gatorade that we had. Seemed like you couldnt find a damn glass of water to save your life. . .but there was always gatorade! Yea, was definitely wild times, very "surreal" was the only way I could think of it. Having been thru those times, that is what raises my concerns over the upcoming trial, whenever that may be. Im hoping im home in time, just so I can be there for my family and friends. Ive been stocking up on durable food rations, although I dont think it will be an issue so much as it was in LA. But, as one of the members here clearly stated, "no plan survives first contact with the enemy". So better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

[Stormfeather]

I think there'll be a riot no matter what the verdict. Some folks will just use that as an excuse. My former agency has a detailed response plan, including mutual aid provisions.

Of course, we all know that no battle plan survives contact with the enemy...

I understand people use it as an excuse. I saw it firsthand in LA and in New Orleans as well during Katrina. Definitely not Americas finest moments there.

My main concern I think lies in "what will the response be from local agencies?" The old school days of "One Riot, One Ranger" have pretty much fallen by the wayside, as im sure that Officer in Modesto or Stockton found out. When you stop and think about it in a numbers aspect, to be totally honest, what can 1 officer do against 10 angry rioting protestors, and then take that out proportionately, 10 officers vs 100, 100 officers vs 1000, or unfortunately, 1000 officers, vs 10000 rioting angry protesters. Sure you can use the ladder of escalation, but at what point does that become a weeapon against the department? (especially if innocents get caught in the crossfire)
Ive got no problem with macing/tasing people when I am outnumbered, and I have no problem with drawing a sidearm to defend my life and the lives of others. But what do you do when you are hopelessly outnumbered? I mean, as a Law Enforcement Agency, you have different protocols than we as soldiers do, if we are outnumbered, its a matter of . . . . . ." if im going down. . .im taking as many as I can with me". We can say that because we are dealing with enemy combatants, Law Enforcement Officers on the other hand are dealing with American Citizens. Where is the line going to be drawn, and at what costs? Some folks say that LAPD tactics of pulling back was a bad call, myself on the other hand, think that possibly it wasnt as bad many think. The call to withdrawal may have saved lives, while the costs of property damage was much higher, but in the end, what is worth more, property or human lives?

[bigmike82]

"what is worth more, property or human lives? "
IMHO...depends on which human lives?

LEOs? Most certainly. Worth far more.

Scumbag rioters/looters? Absolutely not.