Northern Colorado Gazette

By Craig Masters
The city of Aurora police chief stepped up to the cameras and microphones and apologized for the “inconvenience” to citizens caught up in bank robber apprehension Monday. But the chief was solid in his support for the actions taken by the officer in charge at the scene.

For those who may not know what took place on Aurora’s public streets Monday, the police were so certain they knew an armed bank robber was in one of some 19 cars they had surrounded on the public street that they actually conducted a car-by-car search: detaining women and children and innocent men for hours. Some of the citizens were handcuffed while others were forced out of their cars and forced to the curb by heavily armed officers.

In the end, the bank robber – who did have multiple weapons – was arrested and the chief of Aurora’s police department was more than happy to make his statement for the cameras declaring how the “inconvenience” was worth it because the dangerous armed bank robber was taken off the streets.

How stupid, stupid, stupid can that police department and its chief be? How different that press conference would have been if the armed robber would have decided to go out in a blaze of gunfire. After all, since the police were “certain” he was in one of those 19 cars, there were 18 cars filled with potential hostages. “How inconvenient  would a half dozen funerals have been, Chief?”

So how much money from a bank branch robbery is a child’s life worth, Chief? What about two children, their mother, and a couple of innocent guys who couldn’t even run fast enough in handcuffs to get out of the the line of fire?

Those officers who took cover behind their body armor and weapons shouldn’t even own BB guns. Following orders that are clearly wrong is not a defense – ask any German who was prosecuted after Nuremberg. Instead of being supported by the chief, the officer in charge should be hospitalized for mental evaluation and treatment and the chief should be forced to repay the citizens of Aurora for his salary – he certainly demonstrated he doesn’t deserve it!

But what the heck, it was just an inconvenience – this time!

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