Minn. farmer charged after chasing thief

[Tyrant]

A farmer who chased down a thief and held him at gunpoint until authorities arrived now faces a more serious charge than the thief himself.

Kenneth Englund, 74, was charged with second-degree assault, a felony. The thief, who the sheriff said admitted stealing about $5 worth of gasoline from Englund's neighbor, was charged with misdemeanor theft.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070202/ap_on_re_us/vigilante_farmer_2

Here is the problem. Almost 2 million crimes are prevented every year by homeowners armed with legally owned firearms. But the cops want to discourage that sort of thing because it underscores the facts that the police are able to thwart very few crimes, opting instead to show up after the crime is over, fill out a report that vanishes into a computer somewhere, and otherwise clean up the mess after the crime is over and the criminals (in most cases) long gone.

 

[Sarek]

It's called job security.

The departments don't want the average citizen taking the law into their own hands because a drop in crime rates would eliminate their justification for federal funds to add additional officers and all the fancy crap equipment that they think they need.

There's a town in Northern Minnesota I read about a few months back that obtained federal funds to add an additional 10 officers and got federal funding after 9/11 for a complete multi-million dollar chemical/biological mobile lab with chem gear and all the other niceties.

The towns population is 140 and it's not even close to any major cities much less a "terrorist target".

 

[Starship Coyote]

This is why you don't call the police.

 

[jack]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070202/ap_on_re_us/vigilante_farmer_2

Here is the problem. Almost 2 million crimes are prevented every year by homeowners armed with legally owned firearms. But the cops want to discourage that sort of thing because it underscores the facts that the police are able to thwart very few crimes, opting instead to show up after the crime is over, fill out a report that vanishes into a computer somewhere, and otherwise clean up the mess after the crime is over and the criminals (in most cases) long gone.

In Vermont, we could shoot that fucker legally, kill him even if it was just 5 dollars worth of gasoline. They seem to be ignoring the illegal trespass and burglary, both of which are felonies.

And he could go fuck himself in the neck with a lawyer.