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“They observed an individual who appeared to be trying to avoid them”
From the Richmond Police Department:
Although First Precinct Officers Charles Griffith and Kevin Santiago have been out of field training for less than a month, they still were able to use their training and keen observation skills to arrest an armed offender recently.
While patrolling in Mosby Court, they observed an individual who appeared to be trying to avoid them. They initiated an encounter with the man, who began making furtive movements with his hands. Noticing these movements, the officers gained control of the individual and patted him down. The officers found a firearm tucked into his waistband.
They checked the man’s record and found him to be a convicted felon. They also learned that the firearm had been reported stolen. The individual was subsequently charged with several offenses. This incident is noteworthy not just for the illegal firearm taken off the streets by two brand new RPD officers, but for the fact that this arrest occurred in Mosby Court, which was the location of a recent homicide.
37 RESPONSES
Nicely handled. Thanks for letting us know about a good thing this morning!
Got your attention enough that you clicked, didn’t it?
I try to avoid cops all the time, are they going to try to “gain control” of me?
I wave to cops when I see them, they usually wave back. Is there any valid reason to avoid them?
I would not mind of the police asked to pat me down and check my record every day if it could lead to consistant arrests such as this.
Thanks RPD for making this place a little safer to live and taking another bad guy off the street!
Nice job.
I don’t discriminate, I avoid every group of people who travel around this city carrying guns. Not to mention any group of people who can beat me up, lock me up, or shoot me on a whim.
But seriously Church Hillian #5, you live in fear enough that you are okay with living in a police state?
@Daniel
1)who are you refering to that could “beat me up, lock me up, or shoot me on a whim”.
2) No I don’t live in fear
3) what do you mean by a police state?
Maybe you should come to some of the Church Hill Neighborhood watch meetings and meet the police, especially since you live in the community where you feel you need to “avoid cops all the time”.
I’ve been here 10 years, I’m well aware of how the cops work in the neighborhood.
1) is the cops, they are the only ones who could get away with that. 3) police state would be in reference to “I would not mind of the police asked to pat me down and check my record every day if it could lead to consistant arrests such as this. ”
And I have no interest in watching my neighbors, I’d prefer to know them and be friends with them.
I wish the story was specific in what the individual was doing “to avoid them” although I usually respect a policeman’s hunch as to what looks suspect. In Mosby Court, I doubt if they’re usually greeted with welcoming smiles.
#8, 3
“I would not mind of the police asked to pat me down and check my record every day if it could lead to consistant arrests such as this.”
The above is my definition of a ‘police state’, although I doubt if they would ‘ask’ your permission.
The RPD just can’t win! Either they aren”t doing enough or we are living in a “police state”.
I travelled to East Berlin when the “wall” was still in place physically, emotionally, and agressivly enforced. That is a police state, NOT two young officers using common sense when doing their very dangerous job!
Thank You for being there, using common sense, following your instinct, taking appropriate action and I personally apologize for the negative comments here!
Welll done RPD!
Not sure if thus is the best way to bring together the neighborhood. This time, they found someone who may have been up to something, but how many other people have been stopped and searched who were completely innocent? This makes me think of the situation in Ferguson Mo.
neighbor@ 14
Keeping in mind that the facts in this case indicate a convicted felon in possesion of a stolen firearm, not “someone who may have been up to something”. Also keeping in mind that neither one of us was there, so we are both second guessing,
What about this makes you think of the situation in Ferguson Mo. ?
Just because someone is a convicted felon does not mean anything in this case. We don’t know what this person’s previous felony was, but if they have “served their time” then it should not matter.
If you lived in Mosby Court you would probably carry a gun as well. And if you had a criminal record you might not be able to buy a gun legally, so you’d get one as you could.
So, he is being charged with having an illegal firearm, which we have no idea if he had any interest/intent of using maliciously, maybe it was there for safety. Sure, it’s against the law, and sure he shouldn’t have aquired a gun illegally. BUT, the cops only stated reason for stopping him was that he avoided them and acted strangely when confronted. Neither of those things are illegal, and should not warrant the cops “gaining control” of him. But you are right that we weren’t there, so we don’t really know. The difference is that you seem to trust the cops and some of us don’t.
The Ferguson connection in my mind has to do with how the police respond differently to a black man avoiding them in Mosby vs how they respond to me(a white man) avoiding them.
If you want another perspective on the cops, try talking to young black men in the neighborhood and get their impressions of the cops.
@Daniel
You obviously have a case of the typical, “I’m a white person and I want to do all I can to save the poor black people that cannot defend and speak for themselves” syndrome.
Black people of the community can speak for their selves in case you have not already figured it out. Most African American members of the community will tell you that they do not want convicted felons in their neighborhoods with illegal weapons.
Some points:
1) I highly doubt that the police are posting on here something if they did something illegal. Do you work in the field of law and civil rights?
2) Your justification of the man being a felon and carry a gun is absurd. There is a reason he has lost his rights, cannot vote or carry a gun.
3) Were you present at this incident? I doubt it. Neither was I. But for you to pass such significant judgment to compare these cops to the officer who shot the young man in Ferguson is appalling. From the notes of the incident it appears these new RPD members acted on their intuition of a suspicious individual, and they were right!
I’m sure your privileged “white” upbringing is high and almighty to those who live in these communities. You do not have the proper perspective to speak for this group of people. Your consistent justifications for this man’s illegal actions are just downright silly.
Well, I am “white”(quotes from you), you are right there. I don’t need to speak for anyone else, but I can tell you my story. I was pretty pro-cop in the neighborhood when I moved here 10 years ago. I was a scared white boy living the in city and there was quite a bit of violence over in my part of the neighborhood.
Over the years as I have seen how I get treated differently by the cops than my black neighbors, and talking to my black neighbors about their feelings about the cops opened my eyes to the often unjust practices of the cops. That is my story, that is all I am speaking for and about.
We are all members of this community, black or white. And it is easy to see when segments of our neighborhood are being singled out or treated differently. This blog and the methods the police use in Church Hill have become more and more isolating. Instead of bring the community together, it is instead making the divisions between the different groups in the neighborhood more segregated. If you choose not to see it this way, that is your option. But it does not change the fact that being a “BM” in this neighborhood sometimes makes you a target.
How did this become an argument about race/Ferguson? The race(s) of the involved parties aren’t disclosed in the above article.
Cry me a river. Please both of you. With yalls amount of whining and the recent rain, we shouldnt have a problem with the river levels…
“If you lived in Mosby Court you would probably carry a gun as well. And if you had a criminal record you might not be able to buy a gun legally, so you’d get one as you could.”
Because continuing to break the law is a completely acceptable thing, right? How does someone defend a felon who is breaking yet another law?
I’m pretty sure I can trust a police officer with “unjust practices” just a little bit more than a felon with an illegal firearm.
Anybody remember Project Exile?
http://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/gun_violence/profile38.html
Check it out. It made a point.
@MHB
This is because “another neighbor” and “Daniel” make assumptions that are not fair and assume that everyone is a BM or (black male) that is arrested. Another neighbor pulled the “BM” from the post of the robberies recently. I guess its improper to give a description of these males as BM by the RPD. Does make a difference what they said and how they described it… would still be the same story.
BM is a description, there is nothing racist about it. They didn’t confront the individual because he was a BM, they confronted him because of his sketchy actions (whatever movements he was doing with his hands). I would much rather the police being as involved as possible, than not being involved at all!!! People lets look at the bigger picture here…making where we live safe.
In the late 70’s and early 80’s when you called the police about gunfire, thiefts, being accosted on the street etc. a likley response would have been, ” what do you expect living up here”?
I like it the way it is now!
I did not make any assumptions. I do not think it is right to shake down people who are not committing or a crime and are not suspects just because they look nervous. I think the police target them because they are young black men. We have to find a way for the police to keep our neighborhood safe without trampling on our civil rights. I do not hope to change the minds of those who disagree with me, because they simply are not interested in seeing this from another perspective. But, I do wish this conversation could be heard on this blog – it deserves respectful consideration.
Also, just to be clear, I did not intend to imply “bm” in itself is racist. I am only questioning the tactics and the PR used by our local police force. I feel they are contributing to segregation of our neighborhood and are missing opportunities that could foster understanding. I wish I could be more eloquent – all I am saying is that they answer to all of us in the neighborhood and should try harder not to isolate us into separate groups.
I’m probably going to sound horribly racist, but oh well. Go back and look at any posts about criminal activity on this site. Who are the suspects? Who are committing the crimes?
You don’t think those who are committing the crimes are the ones who are segregating the neighborhood? Who are more likely to commit the crimes, the ones in the courts, or the ones living within the first few blocks of Broad?
If cops are reacting more to people in an area that tends to have more crime, GOOD. THAT’S WHERE THEY SHOULD BE.