Much is now known and more is being found out about the circumstances surrounding the Atlanta murders on Friday.
On Wednesday, when Brian Nichols returned to jail from his rape trial, sheriff’s deputies found a pair of crude weapons in his socks.
On Thursday, a judge, prosecutors and his attorney sought additional security for Nichols’ trial.
Still, on Friday, the former football linebacker ended up alone — his handcuffs removed — in a room with a diminutive deputy almost 20 years his senior.
Nichols, 33, overpowered the deputy, seized her handgun, and went on a shooting spree at the Fulton County Courthouse, authorities said. And the Sheriff’s Department faced difficult questions about how it performs one of its core jobs: protecting the county’s halls of justice.
Friday night, while Brian Nichols was still on the loose, I sat with my brother and his lieutenant as we sat eating spaghetti at a Police Unity Tour fundraising dinner with family, friends and other cops. In addition to discussing the merits of the Tour and why folks ought to consider giving to the cause, the conversation inevitably centered on what might've taken place in Atlanta.
I had asked why Nichols had not been in handcuffs and shackles that morning and was told by those in the know (experienced cops) that defense attorneys had used the power of political correctness to persuade officials that their clients are more fairly viewed by juries when not shackled and when dressed in regular street clothes (preferably a suit and tie) rather than your typical orange prison jumpsuit.
Nichols, a 6'1", 210 lb man with a violent past, was not handcuffed or shackled when he overpowered a 51 year old 5 foot tall grandmother serving as a deputy while being escorted into a changing room where he was to don more appealing attire.
Setting aside the stupidity of assigning a lilliputian grandmother to escort a guy built like a brickhouse, it's clear that political correctness was a contributing factor in the deaths of 4 people on Friday.
In May, my brother will join his lieutenant and many other police officers as they ride for a variety of reasons to honor the memory of those fallen in the line of duty. (And it's not too late for some of you to click on the BlogAd on the left and consider supporting him).
Inane policies that defy common sense will likely ensure that more police officer names are added to the ranks of those lost.
It's enough to make one sick.
Jeff H., Michelle Malkin, Michael King, and LaShawn Barber have more to say, all worth reading.
Thank God they got this guy. I hope he gets all that's coming to him.
And thanks for my very first trackback ever!!!
Posted by: Jeff H | Sunday, March 13, 2005 at 09:16 PM