LAPD Not to Be Taken Too Lightly, or Too Seriously

LAPD, as a Demigod of Los Angeles, is a Jealous Demigod. He doesn't like to be trifled with. He doesn't like to have His authority questioned and most of all, He doesn't want His minions attacked.

The only thing necessary to disrupt the lives of thousands and to destroy a neighborhood in Los Angeles is for someone to shoot a cop. Once again, a cop was shot (this time not by himself) and the whole of the LAPD surrounded a neighborhood and proceeded to destroy a house. LAPD has a new toy. It's called BatCat, it cost over a million dollars and weighs 39,000 pounds.

Cops responded to a domestic violence call and one of them was shot at the door. Bad news. Certainly the kind of thing that deserves a heavy response from the police.

SWAT, a bunch of cops wearing nazi helmets and body armor, took over the scene, not having any illicit poker games to raid at the moment. Then comes the heavy stuff: Not being content to just warn folks of the danger in the neighborhood and telling them to stay indoors and keep their guns handy just in case, they kick people in the surrounding area out of their homes and send them......where? Away!

Despite SWAT having many excellent snipers, and despite several reported appearances of the madman iat the windows of his house--with his rifle and sometimes firing at police--no sniper even too a shot at him.

Comes the BatCat. As if waiting to try out this new toy, the police do nothing until it arrives. They set it to tearing the house apart one wall after another. The mind boggles. Apparently, in spite of the wanton destruction, they didn't find the guy right away. They finally sent in a robot camera in and they found him dead on an apparently intact bit of floor

They still haven't said whether he was shot by police or whether he shot himself. I'm guessing the latter.

I'm also wondering: if they hadn't found him in his now ruined house, would they have taken the awesome BatCat to tear up the house next door? Knowing LAPD's penchant for overkill, as seen in several events over past decades, anything is possible.

Sometimes I think I stay here to observe all the Los Angeles excesses.

There ain't no government like no government regards,

Col. Hogan
Stalag California