Missouri Cop Resigns After Pointing Rifle at Ferguson Protesters

[kpete]

Source: NBC News



A suburban St. Louis cop who was suspended for pointing his semi-automatic rifle and threatening protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, has resigned, the police chief told the Associated Press. Lt. Ray Albers, who was put on indefinite leave from the St. Ann Police Department after being caught on a cellphone video that went viral, quit the job he had held since 1994 on Thursday. Albers could not be reached for comment.

The video showed the officer pointing his gun at a demonstrator who apparently had his hands up. He cursed and appeared to say, "I will ... kill you" before a sergeant made him lower his weapon and walk away. Albers was among the officers called in from neighboring towns to deal with unrest after a Ferguson police officer shot and killed an unarmed 18-year-old, Michael Brown on Aug. 9.

The video, which contains profanity, has gotten more than half a million hits on YouTube:

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/missouri-cop-resigns-after-pointing-rifle-ferguson-protesters-n191751

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[sinkingfeeling]

1. There is some good news today!

[SkyDaddy7]

14. NOT REALLY...

This is the same old "Smoke & Mirror" game law enforcement plays...Notice the cop "RESIGNED" he was not "fired"...This is very important because this means he will, and probably already has, got another law enforcement job with another agency. Cops "resign" & this allows them to continue working in law enforcement where as if they were "fired" they would lose their license to do so.

So, this maniac will soon, if he not already is, be carrying a gun for another LE agency.

[dixiegrrrrl]

19. And/or gets to collect full pension and other bennies.

Plus, the Dept. can always quietly hire him back again once the smoke clears.

[DrDan]

24. "resigned", not "retired" - no reason to believe he will be collecting a pension or bennies

[1StrongBlackMan]

30. This is NOT true ...

the reason for one's departure (resignation versus fired) from one police force has little to do with whether one gets to keep their certification. I know of plenty of Officers that resigned and lost their certifications.

But as the other poster noted, it might affect one's ability to collect their retirement. But as crazy as this sounds, I have no problem with a fired Officer collecting on the pension that he/she earned.

The bottom-line for me is that the cop is off the force; not my having to support him through the social safety net.

[tblue]

2. Isn't that kind of threat a crime?

Should be. Scaring people like that.

He needs intervention, anger management or something. And now that he's lost his job I can only imagine the retributive fantasies going through his head. This man is trouble and I wouldn't be surprised if he's in the news again at some time.

[VanGoghRocks]

3. Jesus, I hope Albers was required to surrender all firearms (including his personal arsenal) in

his possession.

[groundloop]

5. THAT is why he should have been charged

[VanGoghRocks]

6. During this episode, I kept repeatedly flashing on 1918-20 Germany and its

so-called freikorps. With their name tags and badges obscured or otherwise blocked, who could say that these so-called constabluary forces were legitimate and not really right-wing Akademi mercenaries?

[IronGate]

8. He wasn't charged or convicted of anything,

so why would he, by law, have to turn in his firearms?
And how do you know he has a personal arsenal?

[Jackpine Radical]

21. By law, he wouldn't.

However, one could imagine a supervisor making that a condition of his being allowed to resign instead of being fired and prosecuted.

(Well, OK, I can't really imagine a St. Louis area supervisor doing that.)

[IronGate]

22. And the supervisor would have no standing making it a condition

of his resigning instead of being fired and prosecuted.
I imagine the courts would've had something to say about that along with his union rep.

I'm just glad this asshole is no longer a cop.

[Man from Pickens]

11. It would be if YOU did it

and a felony, not some piddling misdemeanor

plus they'd beat the crap out of you on the way to booking, just because they can

[Ikonoklast]

4. Resigned. Not fired. He'll be an asshole cop hired on somewhere else.

That's how guys like him get recycled to other departments.

[VanGoghRocks]

7. Unless I'm mistaken, the state of Missouri issues public safety licenses. Said licensure is what

would allow Albers to seek employment at some other law enforcement agency. There needs to be a thorough vetting of that state protocol for issuing public safety licenses, methinks.

[Louisiana1976]

28. Agree wholeheartedly.

[1StrongBlackMan]

31. Yep ...

before a cop is hired, he/she is investigated ... part of that investigation is the circumstances surrounding his departure from his previous employment. If for no other reason, the department's risk management unit would weigh in on the hiring decision, as this cop would be labeled toxic.

No ... I suspect this cop will soon be either be a mall cop or a private investigator or a "security consultant"/body guard.

[damnedifIknow]

9. See ya

[VanGoghRocks]

10. On a related note, Glendale officer Matthew Pappert (he who

said Ferguson protestors should be put down like 'rabid dogs') has been FIRED!

Glendale Officer Matthew Pappert, suspended with pay last week, was fired Thursday after an internal investigation wrapped up Wednesday, said Glendale City Administrator Jaysen Christensen.

Pappert's comments also included postings that said Ferguson protesters were "a burden on society and a blight on the community." Another posting said, "Where is a Muslim with a backpack when you need them?"

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/st-ann-lieutenant-resigns-glendale-officer-fired-after-actions-during/article_4e9f0ee5-a8ab-5cc8-ab1a-5e8be57612ca.html

The fate of one other publicly outed douche-nozzle (a St. Louis County police officer, IIRC) remains unclear at the moment. I'll see if I can find out more.

[stage left]

17. Hooray!

Maybe this will start a trend.

[Louisiana1976]

27. Good.

[secondvariety]

12. What a psychopath.

What a scared, nervous little man. This pants crapping mound of jelly is what passes as a peace officer these days. I guess the Lt. exam didn't include any questions on professionalism.

[malthaussen]

13. Well, that's good to hear.

At this point, I am glad when anyone has to face even minor consequences for such behavior.

-- Mal

[Louisiana1976]

29. Me, too.

[logosoco]

15. It is good that this has come about from all of this.

But, we know there are more who did not/do not get caught. In a sane and just world, other officers will see this and maybe change their ways. Maybe they saw this ugliness on video and realize that is not the way a member of a police force should be. (Or maybe I am just being too hopeful, just looking for some good to come out of this crap).

[radhika]

16. Looks like he reached the 20-year point (hired in 1994)

Quite likely, his pension - if there is one - has vested, and he was allowed to resign to not jeopardize that.

[dixiegrrrrl]

20. With any luck, his pension is invested in some soon to collapse hedge fund.

THAT would be justice.

[1StrongBlackMan]

32. Because ...

it's better that he be supported by the tax-payers through the social safety net; than him supporting himself through the pension that he earned (presumably, before he lost his mind).

For me, the important point is that he is no longer on the force.

[C Moon]

18. If nothing else, they should at least suffer a fine for this kind of behavior.

That's just like patting him on the back and saying don't do it again.

[The Second Stone]

23. It usually takes quite a while to fire a cop

I've seen a federal cop resign before the paperwork could get started up. Someone, probably the cop's lawyer, gave him some good advice to start looking remorseful and contrite and do penance. He will still be subject to being sued.

[Warpy]

26. That guy was under the influence of something

He lost it exactly the way I suspect Wilson did when he shot Brown.

Other cops had the presence of mind to yell at him to stop pointing the gun and to put it down. Good thing, because the way he was jumping around I know he'd have killed people for sure.

I doubt anyone had the presence of mind to test him for drugs of abuse including steroids. That is a bad thing. Or they did, and he resigned under pressure after he was caught with dirty urine.