

Why lack of information is killing cops - twoshedsmcginty
http://thestack.com/copsync-070515

======
dalke
"Police in one municipality—on the trail of a suspect known to have made
threats against cops—have had no way to communicate that threat to officers
elsewhere who might detain the suspect and put themselves in harm’s way"

That's utter BS. There's this thing called a "radio", and this other thing
called a "telephone". Quoting from
[http://www.troopers.ny.gov/introduction/History/1930s/](http://www.troopers.ny.gov/introduction/History/1930s/)
:

> The most important development of the decade was the initiation of modern
> communications systems. In 1931 the Division inaugurated its teletypewriter
> system, the forerunner of the New York Statewide Police Information System
> the Division operates today. The significance of this was clearly recognized
> by Superintendent Warner, who wrote in the 1931 Annual Report, "The most
> forward looking step since the organization of the New York State Troopers
> was the installation of a modern system of communications." The impact that
> the teletype network would have on interagency cooperation was likewise
> recognized. _" The system coordinates the efforts of all police departments,
> State and municipal," wrote Superintendent Warner, "and unites them in one
> solid organization for the prevention of crime and apprehension of
> offenders."_ [Emphasis mine.]

Somehow in the 1930s the police were doing what the author says isn't
currently possible.

"However, since law enforcement agencies do not share information, other local
law enforcement officers and agencies were unaware of the threat, as was the
Texas DPS."

As a blanket statement, also utter BS. Law enforcement agencies have shared
information for a very long time.

Nor is the analysis complete. The account of how Melvin Hale shot and killed
Randall Vetter is used as if it's representative of how officers get killed.
There are many reasons for the shooting. Others include Hale's anger over
increased taxes, Hale's anger over the seatbelt law, and Hale's possession of
a .223 Mini-14 carbine.

Had there been no seatbelt law, or had there been strict controls on weapons,
or had Hale been arrested earlier for not paying taxes, then it's also likely
that Vetter would not have been killed. I personally suspect that stricter gun
control laws would lead to fewer dead police officers than throwing more
technology at the problem.

There is also the problem of stale and incorrect data. How long is information
kept in the system? How do citizens know if they are being incorrectly
targeted? Who has the ability to add special flags? We know this is a problem
with the No Fly lists, when a Stanford University doctoral student was added
to the list because an FBI agent didn't follow the instructions and checked a
box by mistake. It will certainly be a more frequent problem for any less well
curated list.

