Saturday, May 31, 2014

Did local cops blow it in the Elliot Rodger case?

Police investigating mass-murder Elliott Rodger did not check to see if he made any recent handgun purchases as per California's centralized database.  The officers also knew Rodger had posted suspicious videos on You-Tube but did not check them out.  These steps should have been taken before they went to visit Rodger.  Couldn't one of the half-dozen deputies who went to Rodger's residence to interview him have checked this out before/while they visited him?  This is sloppy police work in a potentially violent situation.  Of course, we will never know if taking these steps would have saved lives.  However, the missing information would probably have made the police more aggressive in investigating the case.  Perhaps they would have asked for consent to search the home.  Perhaps some of the folks who post this violent stuff hope the cops will get pushy and stop them.Who knows? Nonetheless this looks like sloppy police work.

California has some of the toughest gun-control regulations in the nation.  However, officers have to take advantage of the laws for them to work. Many argue that we don't need any more gun control laws,--what we need is aggressive enforcement of the laws currently on the books.  Finally, the case shows that we  need new mechanisms to locate and investigate those who are real threats.  This will not be easy as people in this country have lots off rights.  However, the obsession with social media that many have should make it easier.  

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