Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake ( Archived) (33)

Dec 18, 2021 12:55 PM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
secretagent09
secretagent09secretagent09New Jersey Girl in, North Carolina USA198 Threads 4 Polls 7,223 Posts
Some of us have discussed police shootings in the U.S. There is one more shooting that I'm not sure how I want to go with it. I'm hoping the CS family will have opinions.

A police officer stopped Duante Wright for having expired car registration tags but his mother said he was stopped for having an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. In Minnesota it is against the law to have anything hanging from the rearview mirror. When they stopped Wright police did a background check and found he had an outstanding warrant against him. He was originally stopped for expired registration tags and secondly for having the air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror.

The officer walked up to Wright's car and he got out but then he fought his way back into the car. Two officers were struggling to get him out of the car. One of the officer's yelled Taser Taser Taser but instead of the Taser she pulled her gun and shot him which resulted in his death.

The officer who shot him has been on the force for 26 years. The prosecutor argued that in all that time she should have known that she was pulling her taser gun and not the real gun. Each gun was on different sides of her body. The taser is yellow.

So, did this 20 year old die because he had an air freshener tree hanging from his rearview mirror or did he die because he had an outstanding warrant or did he die for having expired registration tags?

The officer has been charged with second degree manslaughter. Should she get a pass? Her mistake resulted someone losing his life. Should she be forced to retire without her pension?

Any opinions on this?


------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 18, 2021 1:06 PM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
Jaavisst
JaavisstJaavisstLjusdal, Gavleborg Sweden96 Threads 22 Polls 707 Posts
While living in the USA I only ever had to deal with one unfriendly cop. She was short, fat and black and I feel like she had to prove her self against me a tall, skinny white man. I guess if you turn everything around it will also create a problem. All cops I was ever stopped by was polite and I think they react to how you behave your self. Oh now I remember a black male cop who told me to get out of his town(Ft Lauderdale) after cruising to many times on ocean blvd in my ugly stripped for paint Cutlass -69. Maybe the solution to US shooting problem is to have only black cops in black neighboorhoods and vice versa, because we all no that banning guns will never happen.
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 18, 2021 1:14 PM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
secretagent09
secretagent09secretagent09New Jersey Girl in, North Carolina USA198 Threads 4 Polls 7,223 Posts
Jaavisst: While living in the USA I only ever had to deal with one unfriendly cop. She was short, fat and black and I feel like she had to prove her self against me a tall, skinny white man. I guess if you turn everything around it will also create a problem. All cops I was ever stopped by was polite and I think they react to how you behave your self. Oh now I remember a black male cop who told me to get out of his town(Ft Lauderdale) after cruising to many times on ocean blvd in my ugly stripped for paint Cutlass -69. Maybe the solution to US shooting problem is to have only black cops in black neighboorhoods and vice versa, because we all no that banning guns will never happen.
The subject is not about banning guns. It is about a cop who made a mistake thinking she was using her taser to stop someone from their tirade.

I find it hard to believe that this was the first time she attempted to use her taser in the 26 years she was a police officer. It's not as if she was alone in the attempt to arrest Wright. There were two other officers there. What went wrong?

Most cops are polite. Your idea of having only black cops in black neighborhoods wouldn't hold up because whether a cop is black or white he IS a cop and wants people to do as he asks. When a cop tells someone to do something it is in their best interest to do it.
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 18, 2021 5:11 PM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
secretagent09: Some of us have discussed police shootings in the U.S. There is one more shooting that I'm not sure how I want to go with it. I'm hoping the CS family will have opinions.

A police officer stopped Duante Wright for having expired car registration tags but his mother said he was stopped for having an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. In Minnesota it is against the law to have anything hanging from the rearview mirror. When they stopped Wright police did a background check and found he had an outstanding warrant against him. He was originally stopped for expired registration tags and secondly for having the air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror.

The officer walked up to Wright's car and he got out but then he fought his way back into the car. Two officers were struggling to get him out of the car. One of the officer's yelled Taser Taser Taser but instead of the Taser she pulled her gun and shot him which resulted in his death.

The officer who shot him has been on the force for 26 years. The prosecutor argued that in all that time she should have known that she was pulling her taser gun and not the real gun. Each gun was on different sides of her body. The taser is yellow.

So, did this 20 year old die because he had an air freshener tree hanging from his rearview mirror or did he die because he had an outstanding warrant or did he die for having expired registration tags?

The officer has been charged with second degree manslaughter. Should she get a pass? Her mistake resulted someone losing his life. Should she be forced to retire without her pension?

Any opinions on this?


For a long, long time police officers had an extremely broad and insulating immunity against prosecution for these kinds of situations. Grand juries convening would always find against indictment. Hands down. However, the tide has turned. Police Officers are educated and certified, and must complete CEU yearly, and performance tactics quarterly. Like nurses and accountants, etc…they are paid TO BE CORRECT. I understand the frailties of life…but as I’ve read, and re- read about this case, the mistaking the gun for the taser just doesn’t hold water. She likely didn’t mean to do it, and much of law is based on intention. Still, there’s consequences for one’s actions, accidental or not. So, employing the biggest part of my heart possible, what do I think would be “fair”?

The department/ city pay a lawsuit. Large amount, yes. Superfluous, no. (Can’t change the fact that someone is deceased, and pay-outs are ridiculously high. People always say, “It’s not about the money”, but they go ahead and take the money.)

Terminate her with condition of being permanently excluded from any type of security employment. Permanently disarm her. ( Need to make a statement that guns are for people who don’t make mistakes with them. Five years probation. 500 hours community service. Apology to survivors and community.
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 26, 2021 8:15 PM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
secretagent09
secretagent09secretagent09New Jersey Girl in, North Carolina USA198 Threads 4 Polls 7,223 Posts
UPDATE:

The shooting occurred during the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd just miles from the courthouse. Wright's death sparked days of protests and looting in Brooklyn Center and inflamed nationwide tensions over police violence in the U.S.

Like Chauvin, Potter was sent directly to state prison to await sentencing after the jury reached a verdict following 72 hours of deliberations. Hennepin County District Court Judge Regina Chu denied a request from Potter's defense attorney to release her on bail until sentencing, which is set for Feb. 18, 2022.

The first-degree manslaughter charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and/or a $30,000 fine. The second-degree charge has a maximum sentence of 10 years and/or a $20,000 fine.

Potter will only be sentenced on the most serious charge. For someone with no criminal history, the presumptive sentence for first-degree manslaughter in Minnesota is about six to eight-and-a-half years, according to state guidelines.

In Minnesota, it's presumed that a defendant with good behavior will serve two-thirds of their sentence in prison and one-third on supervised release, known as parole.

Was former officer Kim Potter reckless? What jurors needed to decide in Daunte Wright's death.

What will the judge consider in Kim Potter's sentencing?
To determine Potter's sentence, Chu will likely consider arguments made by both sides, victim impact statements and whether Potter makes a statement that takes responsibility or shows remorse at her sentencing hearing.

Prosecutors said Potter should face harsher sentencing because of two aggravating factors: she abused her position of authority and "caused a greater than normal danger" to the safety of other people nearby, including the passenger in Wright's vehicle, two officers on the scene and civilians on the busy public street.

Meanwhile, Potter's attorney Paul Engh said he will seek a "dispositional departure" from sentencing guidelines, meaning he'll ask the judge to stay the sentence and allow Potter to be put on probation, home monitoring or serve her sentence in a local jail instead of prison.

Police rarely prosecuted for on-duty shootings
Law enforcement officers fatally shoot about 1,000 people a year, but arrests and convictions are rare in fatal police shootings partly because officers are able to use lethal force to defend themselves or others.

"Almost all" police shootings are determined to be justified, according to Philip Stinson, a Bowling Green State University criminology professor who tracks police misconduct.

Police have fatally shot more than 6,300 people since 2015, according to a Washington Post’s database created after the 2014 death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. In that time, Stinson found 91 officers were arrested on murder or manslaughter charges stemming from an on-duty shooting.

Since 2005, seven officers have been convicted of murder, 37 were convicted of lesser offenses and 53 were not convicted. Meanwhile, 45 more criminal cases are ongoing.


------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 27, 2021 8:27 AM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
PeKaatje
PeKaatjePeKaatjeAnkeveen, North Holland Netherlands59 Threads 3 Polls 6,334 Posts
a dutch saying is: Where people are working, mistakes are made.
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 27, 2021 8:42 AM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
secretagent09
secretagent09secretagent09New Jersey Girl in, North Carolina USA198 Threads 4 Polls 7,223 Posts
PeKaatje: a dutch saying is: Where people are working, mistakes are made.
Do you think she should get a 15 year sentence to prison for making a mistake?
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 27, 2021 9:25 AM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
I just googled so that I can comment with some cognitive overview. Officer Kim Potter has been convicted of manslaughter. It is therefore no longer an option to have no prison time. (Judges are required to follow “mandatory sentencing guidelines”.) So, if the lightest possible sentence applies, and she were to be held for only one manslaughter charge (the severest, as I read it, would be used) then the “median” between 15 and 20 years would be 17.5 years [in either state or Federal prison] and the soonest parole release would be 11.7 years, minus the current time spent. So, it seems the very best outcome, for her loss of freedom, from sentencing, would be about 10 years, give or take a few weeks. Given the entire story, I tend to believe that to be too harsh. However, I wasn’t there, I’m not grieving a family death, I haven’t been victimized by that type of profiling, and by-the-way, if someone stinking were a reason to shoot them, there would be corpses lying everywhere. Just saying…
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 27, 2021 8:05 PM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
Bump…
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 27, 2021 9:05 PM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
gonelikethewimd
gonelikethewimdgonelikethewimdOsprey, Florida USA3,293 Posts
I only watched snippets that are available on You Tube..I do not have cable. As far as I can see..he resisted arrest..It is not rocket science..listen and do as the police ask you to do.

Sad mistake indeed...and, the video I saw from body cam..showed that she knew she had done a major mess up.

As far as her testimony and her demeanor, I did not see it..but, if she did not cry..and get all emotional on the stand, that will be construed to mean different things to different people. If you cry..some will call it crocodile tears..others will take it as showing remorse.

I think the standard sentence is way too long for a woman who had been in law enforcement for so long...as far as I know, she had no other issues before this.
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 27, 2021 9:07 PM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
mikey4691
mikey4691mikey4691Knoxville, Tennessee USA8 Threads 6,868 Posts
rohaan: Cool it, Mick. I hear you. I believe there needs to be reform, but I also am on the side of the police in many instances. This one is tough. I’m on the fence, as are at least some of the people prosecuting. You know what I think about that…? Employ the constitution. If in doubt…I think the officer should not have to go to prison. There, I said it.
laugh .. I'm like this iced cherry kool aid I'm holdin, Bro.. cool
thumbs up
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 27, 2021 9:08 PM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
mikey4691: .. I'm like this iced cherry kool aid I'm holdin, Bro..
hug

reindeer
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 27, 2021 9:45 PM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
epirb
epirbepirbDannevirke, Hawke's Bay New Zealand32 Threads 2 Polls 7,379 Posts
gonelikethewimd: I only watched snippets that are available on You Tube..I do not have cable. As far as I can see..he resisted arrest..It is not rocket science..listen and do as the police ask you to do.

Sad mistake indeed...and, the video I saw from body cam..showed that she knew she had done a major mess up.

As far as her testimony and her demeanor, I did not see it..but, if she did not cry..and get all emotional on the stand, that will be construed to mean different things to different people. If you cry..some will call it crocodile tears..others will take it as showing remorse.

I think the standard sentence is way too long for a woman who had been in law enforcement for so long...as far as I know, she had no other issues before this.
She has killed before in questionable circumstances . Little jem not released until after her trial .
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 27, 2021 10:00 PM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
gonelikethewimd
gonelikethewimdgonelikethewimdOsprey, Florida USA3,293 Posts
epirb: She has killed before in questionable circumstances . Little jem not released until after her trial .
I think that has to be a first...most high profile trials are searched and reported on so much...it is not easy to get members of a jury to be impartial.
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 27, 2021 10:10 PM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
epirb
epirbepirbDannevirke, Hawke's Bay New Zealand32 Threads 2 Polls 7,379 Posts
gonelikethewimd: I think that has to be a first...most high profile trials are searched and reported on so much...it is not easy to get members of a jury to be impartial.
Influencing the jury probably was the reason it was kept quiet , hard to believe it was not widely know in media circles well before the trial .
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 27, 2021 10:31 PM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
secretagent09
secretagent09secretagent09New Jersey Girl in, North Carolina USA198 Threads 4 Polls 7,223 Posts
IMO she should serve some prison time because she was found guilty of killing someone. It was not intentional and it was not murder. It was an accident. The guy was resisting arrest because he knew there was a warrant out for him. The hanging air freshener, resisting arrest, kicking a police officer all serve as counts against him.

Even though he knew he was being pulled over for the air freshener and that he had a warrant out on him he should have been smart and put his hands behind his back as police officers requested. He would be alive today if he had obliged the officers.

I feel some empathy for Officer Potter because she gave her community 26 years of service and might have been thinking of retiring. I don't understand why she panicked in the situation. It surely wasn't her first attempt to arrest someone. Now she will serve some prison time, lose her pension, never have any kind of job in law enforcement again and never be able to have a firearm even for her own protection
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 28, 2021 2:01 AM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
Oxycodone
OxycodoneOxycodonePula, Central Croatia Croatia1,285 Posts
Out of curiosity - if it is unusual for police officers (stateside) to be sentenced for killing a person why is this case any different from other cases where police officers have not been sentenced?

Just trying to understand the reasoning here and is the justice system coming under some sort of scrutiny?

wine
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 28, 2021 2:09 AM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
epirb
epirbepirbDannevirke, Hawke's Bay New Zealand32 Threads 2 Polls 7,379 Posts
Oxycodone: Out of curiosity - if it is unusual for police officers (stateside) to be sentenced for killing a person why is this case any different from other cases where police officers have not been sentenced?

Just trying to understand the reasoning here and is the justice system coming under some sort of scrutiny?
Observation from afar has it they (folks who run cities ) are getting sick of having their cities burnt to the ground . Also noted from afar other police don't like being shot for the crimes of their corrupt murderous co workers . This year has had a large number of officers shot .
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 28, 2021 2:44 AM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
Oxycodone
OxycodoneOxycodonePula, Central Croatia Croatia1,285 Posts
epirb: Observation from afar has it they (folks who run cities ) are getting sick of having their cities burnt to the ground . Also noted from afar other police don't like being shot for the crimes of their corrupt murderous co workers . This year has had a large number of officers shot .
Thank you and appreciated. Complex not to say the least.wine
------ This thread is Archived ------
Dec 28, 2021 2:58 AM CST Officer Kim Potter Made A Mistake.......A Very Bad Mistake
secretagent09: Some of us have discussed police shootings in the U.S. There is one more shooting that I'm not sure how I want to go with it. I'm hoping the CS family will have opinions.

A police officer stopped Duante Wright for having expired car registration tags but his mother said he was stopped for having an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. In Minnesota it is against the law to have anything hanging from the rearview mirror. When they stopped Wright police did a background check and found he had an outstanding warrant against him. He was originally stopped for expired registration tags and secondly for having the air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror.

The officer walked up to Wright's car and he got out but then he fought his way back into the car. Two officers were struggling to get him out of the car. One of the officer's yelled Taser Taser Taser but instead of the Taser she pulled her gun and shot him which resulted in his death.

The officer who shot him has been on the force for 26 years. The prosecutor argued that in all that time she should have known that she was pulling her taser gun and not the real gun. Each gun was on different sides of her body. The taser is yellow.

So, did this 20 year old die because he had an air freshener tree hanging from his rearview mirror or did he die because he had an outstanding warrant or did he die for having expired registration tags?

The officer has been charged with second degree manslaughter. Should she get a pass? Her mistake resulted someone losing his life. Should she be forced to retire without her pension?

Any opinions on this?


Not all Tasers are yellow!
------ This thread is Archived ------
Post Comment - Post a comment on this Forum Thread

This Thread is Archived

This Thread is archived, so you will no longer be able to post to it. Threads get archived automatically when they are older than 3 months.

« Go back to All Threads
Message #318

Stats for this Thread

1,452 Views
32 Comments
Created: Dec 2021
Last Viewed: Mar 27
Last Commented: Feb 2022

Share this Thread

We use cookies to ensure that you have the best experience possible on our website. Read Our Privacy Policy Here