[ZTWsquared]

Since you ask Cheffy, let me give you my take on it – ** warning - long post ahead.**

Cheffy,May 4 2006, 09:18 AM Wrote:I still don't understand the logic behind automatic death penalties for killing police officers.  Are their lives worth more than anyone else?

The short answer is “no” their lives are not worth more – but your question and the answer is only relevant if the purpose of capital punishment is retribution or revenge. If the purpose is to deter future homicides however, the difference between cops and regular citizens is not only relevant, it is the key. And BTW, I have no cops in my family either.

Cops put themselves at a much greater risk of being murdered in a way that the rest of us never will, on our behalf and as part of their job description – and importantly, their risk includes people who don’t know them and would never come in contact with them except for their job. The fact is in Canada the greatest risk is to be murdered by someone you know.

To whatever degree capital punishment might be a deterrent against cop killing, IMO they at least deserve that protection.

Cheffy,May 4 2006, 09:18 AM Wrote:Anyone who would otherwise kill a cop isn't going to be deterred by the death penalty.  They already know they'd be in deep s**t, and don't really care.

If this is your opinion, I can accept that you think this way. But you state it as fact and I’d like to know your source first before accepting it as fact. Additiionally you make a very broad assumption about the possible circumstances of a potential cop killing. But for every instance you could imagine where it wouldn’t make a difference, I can come up with one where it would.

There are a number of studies that indicate that the death sentence is not a deterrent to homicide. These studies generally compare the murder rate of one area that has the death penalty to another that does not; and indeed from these studies it would appear that the death penalty is not a deterrent.

But these studies are useless in terms of assessing whether or not a cop-killer specific application of the death penalty is a deterrent, because the overwhelming number of murders are not cop murders and the statistics don’t apply. These studies are also useless because they do not compare a “cop only” death sentence area, to a “no death sentence” area, which is the comparison you really want to see.

There’s a lot of opinion on this issue, but I can’t find any fact based arguments against the idea. If you can show me definitive proof that a cop-killer only application of the death penalty is no deterrent to the murder of cops, I will change my opinion.

Cheffy,May 4 2006, 09:18 AM Wrote:I'm not necessarily opposed to the concept of capital punishment, but my main concern is - what if they didn't actually do it?

I agree with you here … but the opportunity to get it wrong is greatly reduced if the death penalty is applied only to cop killers by virtue of the numbers. In any event, I’m not advocating that we execute people without absolute proof that they’re guilty.

Cheffy,May 4 2006, 09:18 AM Wrote:As a side note, I find it a bit perplexing that he shouted "America you lost - I won" after the verdict was read.

IMO it’s really simple – it’s all spin. I’ll bet he rehearsed that line hundreds of times in his head long before the jury started deliberating; I have no doubt he planned to use that line regardless of the outcome.