The “Ghetto Lottery”.
Sometimes defined as a non-productive member of America’s criminal class getting shot by the police and then they or their estate file suit against the cop and the city for wrongful death or wrongful use of force. They win a judgement and live the high life until the settlement money is gone.
Example: Chicago giving $5 million to the family of a young hoodlum with a long, violent criminal history, shot by police while he was high on PCP or some other hallucinogenic, wielding a knife and disobeying orders to drop the weapon. Oh yeah, while walking down the street, after breaking the windshield of one cop car and stabbing the tire of another squad, he turned suddenly when officers were nearby trying to take him into custody to protect the general public from this menace.
Well, the cop that shot Quintonio LeGrier is filing suit against LeGrier’s estate, seeking damages from LeGrier’s behavior.
LeGrier, if you recall, charged police wielding a baseball bat the day after Christmas. The officer fired, killing LaGrier to save innocent life. Sadly, a stray round struck and killed a neighbor as well.
Second City Cop had this to say:
Police have sued assailants in past cases and won substantial judgements. Perhaps this would dissuade the city from making hasty settlement officers that only encourage and exacerbate the “ghetto lottery” culture. Well played Officer.
CHICAGO — The police officer who shot and killed teenager Quintonio LeGrier on the day after Christmas will sue LeGrier’s estate.
Officer Robert Rialmo answered a domestic disturbance call in West Garfield Park and wound up shooting LeGrier and a neighbor, he says, because LeGrier attacked him.
You want to short circuit the Ghetto Lottery? Make it where the victims of police incompetence and violence sue the individual officer(s)only. Better policing, and less public payouts. If the flourish of a pen can so instantly eliminate the 2nd Amendment, why couldn’t it eradicte the Ghetto Lottery as I proposed?
They are having a hard time recruiting new police officers now. How many people do you think would want to become police officers if this was the case?
That would also contribute to the “Baltimore Effect”, cops just quit responding to calls. Either way, the bad guy wins.
If the “Baltimore Effect” ensued, where cops wouldn’t respond to calls, then I’d say is there a greater dereliction of duty a cop could commit? If a cop felt this way, then turn in your badge and get a truly productive job. People are clamoring to be cops, with the pay, retirement benefits, worship by the majority of citizens, powerful union protection making them virtually unfireable, and the ability to lord over people with more education and decency to enrich the public coffers that are shrinking from the welfare obligations.
The courts should just quit allowing these frivolous law suits to even go to trial.
Bravo for the officer. I’ve seen plenty of instances in the last few years where cops sue their attackers.
Yes, they get nothing most times, but should the attacker hit the lottery, proverbial or ghetto, then it takes away most if not all of the windfall.
Good work.
The cop that shot that knife-wielding punk should have done the same immediately after it happened.
I really would not want to be a police officer
This is utterly brilliant legal strategy.
If the dead loser’s estate is broke, they won’t defend, thereby leading to a quick, costless and substantial judgment.
If the ghetto lottery-winner’s estate is indeed an estate, then the GOOD SHOOTER will recover.
That’s just frickin’ brilliant!
I love it!
*you haters will note I didn’t say ANYTHING about cop/killers in this post………..er……….oops….
It is brilliant for the good guy.
…For the bat-wielding thug who brought an upraised bat to greet the police, not so much. Oh yeah, the guy whose momma told him to quit taking his anti-crazy pills.
Good shoot. Bad collateral damage. All caused by Mr. Louisville Slugger.
Well I congratulate Ken.