Police 'embarrassed' by rifle left unattended on car

[ELB]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/l ... le29m.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The story:

Inside a police parking garage, a police sergeant puts an AR-15, magazine inserted, on the trunk lid of a cruiser (not his own), forgets, and walks away. Another cop, a lieutenant gets in that cruiser without noticing the rifle, drives away, goes onto city streets, parks, and leaves the car -- and the rifle -- at the curb. A passer-by notice, snaps a picture, and eventually flags down a couple bicycle cops. Another passer-by also notices and finds another police officer (perhap the driver, not sure).

According to a police spokesman, "... it is a violation of the department policies to leave a weapon unattended, but not a criminal violation." What!?!

Picture at link.

I have read several newspaper accounts (stories and newspaper blogs) of this, and the rifle is always identified as an "AR-15," or "semi-automatic rifle" or "rifle," or "weapon," or occasionally "high powered," but never as an "assault rifle/weapon." This burns me up almost as much as incident itself. I'd be happy if I thought at least one newspaper had finally caught on to anti-gun political spin, but a quick search of the Seattle Times website disabused me of this notion.

[seamusTX]

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=46296" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Why would the police have anything other than a "high-powered assault weapon"? Hunting squirrels is not part of their official duties.

- Jim

[ELB]

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=46296

Why would the police have anything other than a "high-powered assault weapon"? Hunting squirrels is not part of their official duties.

- Jim

I missed the previous thread. Maybe someone can merge them.

And whether the police would have a "high powered" rifle, an assault rifle, or a varmint rifle is irrelevent to my point, of course.

[seamusTX]

I don't understand the issue.

Human beings make mistakes. Unless a mistake is grossly negligent or reckless, there is no point in criminalizing it.

Driving around with a rifle on the trunk of your car would not be a crime per se in Texas. (There probably are circumstances such as allowing a child to have access to it that could be construed as a crime.)

Police officers, like most professionals, have a great deal of education and experience, much of it paid for by the taxpayers. If a cop screws up, it makes sense to try to salvage that investment. This would be equally true of a physician, nurse, pilot, etc.

I'm not trying to engage in an internet spitting contest here. I'm just looking for answers, like Diogenes.

- Jim