NET Team makes big arrest

[gilgamesh]

I am surprised no one has commented on the special on WDAM last night about the NET Team and their renewed efforts at crime control. Nick Ortego spent what looked like an afternoon and evening with the NET Team as they attempted to stem the flow of drugs in the 'Burg by working with an informant to bust a drug dealer in the act. I found it ironic that there were at least 6 officers (isn't that 1/2 of the police force at any given time) on scene to arrest one scraggly, barely able to stand "dealer" for the sale of a $20 crack rock. I guess he will lead them to the "big fish"...that is of course if he can remember where he was yesterday, much less who his "supplier" is!
This is an egregious effort on the part of the administration to project an image of a strong police presence that I felt made them look exceedingly foolish instead. Guess they are hoping to have this impact the Ward Four elelction

[Biggie]

I guess getting a small fish is better than nothing but man, they probably spent weeks of surveillance and a bunch of over time and TV crew riding with them on that one bum. That Fairley dude sells a bunch of coke and gets on the back page of the newspaper. They should have had a TV crew for that one.

[CuriousOne]

Six to bust one crackhead does seem excessive but I can tell you that drugs do tend to make the average person fight harder and act crazier when being arrested. I'd say three officers could have handled it though. They are absolutely trying to "save face" and I believe that they are doing an excellent job with the new arrests but why has it taken scandal for the admin to ALLOW them to arrest the unsavory. I'm sure that the arrests are still closely scrutinized by the chief and that many officers are still insecure about making arrests for crimes for fear the criminal may be on the "above the law" list.

I will say that the new NET team is impressive and commend their efforts to "crack down" on crime but the hype surrounding it is a bit excessive... a bit like a smoke and mirrors tactic.

[58ford]

I wonder if we could get a copy of the "above the law" list?
Can I apply for it?
What are the qualifications?
How many Hubbucks does it cost?

[CuriousOne]

I think it's more about who and what you know that gets you on THAT list? :smt102

[Conveyor Belt]

Did the guy have a gun? I thought the new team was all about spotting weapons and removing those guys, not using informants to bust low level crack dealers.

[wilebill]

Did the guy have a gun? I thought the new team was all about spotting weapons and removing those guys, not using informants to bust low level crack dealers.
I was thinking the same thing. I agree that crackheads and dealers should be gotten off the streets, but more than likely that guy we saw last night will be back on the streets because there's no room for him at the inn, so we've been told.

Personally, I'm more interested in seeing the gun toting loonies locked up for good, along with the car thieves and house burglars. Those are the ones who are more fearless and fearlessness is not something I care to deal with when it comes to criminals since they don't have as much to lose when it comes to a showdown.

[gilgamesh]

No, they didn't mention any weapons and this guy couldn't have held up one if he tried.
I agree with everything Curious One said, but in this particular case it was laughable. This guy must have weighed 90lbs soaking wet and I am not sure he knew what planet he was on. I would guess that was not the kind of arrest they were looking to have televised. He definitely was not a gang banger, but more like a 60+, brain-fried, derelict.

[Conveyor Belt]

What did they do at that school? Watch re-runs of Cops?

Officers of Hattiesburg, we love you and love what you do. We're just poking fun at the boasting of Wynn.

[58ford]

Car thieves & burglars with guns, Oh my!

Car thieves & burglars with guns, Oh my!

Car thieves & burglars with guns, Oh my!


With no disparagement to the officers in the street, I would like to say,
A gun in the hand beats a cop on the phone every time.

[CuriousOne]

gil ~ I didn't watch the news last night so I had no idea what the man looked like and I understand your point completely. My point was that if they wanted to show force in this instance, three would have been plenty. It would only take one to arrest, one for back up (incase something unexpected happened) and the other just to show force. The extra officers could have been working on their own time to make the tv special? I don't know that for a fact or anything, just a guess that maybe they wanted some air-time on the news. I think they may be making a mistake by being so visible because sometimes it's better if the bad guy can't recognize your face. I only say this because I believe this is the second time in only a few weeks that they have been featured on the news.

[58ford]

I propose a "Wynn Cam" all Wynn all the time that way we could check out what he's doing that's making all our officers run away.
Document.
Document.
Document.

[58ford]

Maybe we need a Triple D Cam too.
I haven't heard much from her lately.

[gilgamesh]

Oh, I understood that, CO. I was just trying to paint a better picture of what the story/arrest was like. I agree it is not the police officers who present a problem...it is the silly effort to make this look like some sort of crime busting night on the town. Three probably would be more than sufficient in most cases, but I think my 85 yo mother could have taken this guy down with her umbrella!

[bartspoon]

The so called news report (more like wynn propaganda) failed to mention that wynn, when he took over, gutted the NET team from 12 to two officers. How he took a successful team and for all intense purposes did away with it.

The NET team that wynn destroyed, had successfully removed the gang threat from our city. And had removed so many handguns that gang members did not leave the house with one. They knew they would be stopped searched and the gun taken. So if we have a gang problem now we have the chief to thank for it.

We also lost the officer who started the NET team and did such a great job. When he saw what was being done with the team he went to another city and built a successful NET team for them.

wynn is being given free PR from WDAM, for closing the gate after the cows have already gotten out.

Just another reason this ward 4 election is so important.

[sidelinetolong]

I think it's a fine line between PR for Wynn and MH bashing the whole police dept. If I were a new reader to this forum the perception would be we are anti Hattiesburg police dept and not just anti Wynn. We all know that we still have some fine policemen that inspite of the current problems with the dept put on the uniform and do their job every day.

[58ford]

I personally am pro-cop.
I don't mean for any of my comments to be construed as bashing the officers.
I just want conditions for them at the PD to improve to the point where they feel like staying in the burg.
May be a new donut shop would help.
Seems to work for petal.

[ACEsmom]

I feel bad for the police officers. Not only are they working for (or unable to work because of) a complete idiot but when they try to do good people pick on them. I know they are doing the best they can under the circumstances. I just couldn't imagine their working conditions. I remember WDAM airing a guy standing outside the PD headquarters stating the building was why the officers were leaving. What a crock. I just hope they know how much we appreciate them.

[58ford]

Are you able to give donuts as gifts in the hubplaza?

[Conveyor Belt]

I believe you are...

[pharmcop]

Did the guy have a gun? I thought the new team was all about spotting weapons and removing those guys, not using informants to bust low level crack dealers.

That's a good point. This new publicity is nothing more that good officers doing their jobs and finally getting attention for it. The admin is trying to use these officers to make their lack of leadership abilities look a little less significant. Regardless of how many officers were there, they did a good job if they made a good arrest. GO NET!!! They need less restraint to performing their jobs, but the regular patrol officers need the same respect and attention when they do the same job. We all do the job to the best of our abilities, NET just usually gets more attention because they have an acronym.

[Conveyor Belt]

In the pre-Wynn days, the people I worked with, who were related to known dealers/etc, spoke of the NET team's reputation. They (the criminal family members) were afraid of the NET team and were cautious because they knew the NET team was out there lurking somewhere in the shadows watching every move they made. The spoke of them like they were some sort or para-military special forces type entity. That was the reputation of the team. I don't see how that is such a bad thing. Apparently, some police chief thought diffferently.

[pharmcop]

NET is good, but NET today is not the NET of yesteryear. I have the utmost respect for NET, don't get me wrong, and I don't think it's NET's fault. Wynn just has them punked like the rest.

[LAGNAF01]

go Net/atf!!!
its About Time They Let Em Loose Again, But For How Long?
its All A Ploy To Make Hpd Look Good Again And Then They Gonna Arrest 1 Of Fairley's Family Memebers And They Will Get Shut Down Again.
but They Still Doin A Good Job.

[ACEsmom]

Aren't the Feds on Fairleys gang - hopefully the NET team will work with the Feds and avoid that mess. Unless they think they'll be able to continue to improve if they bust a Fairley. I hope that's the case

[LAGNAF01]

let The Old Net Members Back Out On The Street And Turn Em Loose.
it's Gonna Take 10 Years To Get The Streets Back In Shape In Hburg.
but They Are Doing A Good Job.

[Bahlk]

I don't think there are any "original" net team members still employed by HPD. LOL

[LAGNAF01]

yeh there are still a few around a few good ones but they have been moved to other locations that do not allow them to use there expertise.
Like community relations officer.

[bigsexy]

It is amazing to me that this Net Team continues to get attention for doing basic law enforcement things. I know several cops who said the Net team doesn't do a whole lot. It is amazing how these guys can leave work and get training for weeks and still not do much. What ever happened to the Detectives Division. Years back you would see them on the news pulling in the real bad guys. Anything from Robbery to Murder. I used to see Rusty Keyes on the TV giving news interviews. This new administration makes no sense. The people who really have to solve crime in Hattiesburg get no praise, no training and no help from anywhere. The Detectives Division are the real top cops or it used to be. U solve crime by tracking where the evidence leads you not by riding around trying to be seen. Look how bad the Detectives has gotten since Danny Rigel was Cpt up there. It funny how these net team guys get praise for things Detectives have been doing for years including working with ATF on gun crimes. Sound like PR to me. Nobody left in Detectives with any real experience. So sad. Hattiesburg has like 5 or 6 detectives. Meridian has 33. Who is really proactive! NOT HPD. How many times you seen a NET team guy get a conviction on a Major Crime. NEVER. ITs always a detective that has to make the case.

[BiGCoUnTrY06]

IT IS NOT ONLY THE NET TEAM OUT ROLLIN AND PATROLLIN IT IS THE REGULAR PATROLMAN TOO. WHY DOESN'T WDAM DO A STORY ABOUT THEM GETTING OUT THERE DEALING WITH ALL THE CRAP THEY HAVE TO PUT UP WITH. THE PATROL DIVISION HAS TO PUT UP WTH MORE STUFF THAN THE NET TEAM DOES.
IF IT WERE NOT FOR DEDICATED PATROLMAN OUT THERE DOING THERE JOB NET WOULD NOT HAVE A CLUE AS TO WHAT IS GOING ON OUT THERE.
LETS THANK THEM ALL FOR HANGING IN THERE AND DOING THE JOB NO JUST THE NET TEAM.

[noway]

Way to go NET Team another big ARREST (http://www.wdam.com/Global/story.asp?S=5232268)

:smt038 :smt038

[gilgamesh]

That sounds like a real one!!! Good job.

[noway]

LOL!!! I know what you are thinking..The NET Team needs to do this (http://www.wdam.com/Global/story.asp?S=5220502&nav=menu123_2)..

[gilgamesh]

Yeah, well the head of a gang sounds like a good job, and I am glad t o hear it. But, unfortunately it will hardly slow him down. They still run things from jail. But, you got to start somewhere. When I first started with the city, one of the first messages from a concerned citizen was from a prominent African American who is very involved with the provision of social services in the low income neighborhoods. His complaint was that the NET team had been decimated and it made a huge negative impact on his client's lives. He was hoping to get that situation turned around and elicited my support. Needless to say, it fell on deaf ears. The NET team, when allowed to work as intended, is a very effective tool to prevent innercity violence and crime. Maybe Wynn, in his obvious efforts to try and start looking like he knows what he is doing and cares a whit about the citizens of Hattiesburg will actually let them begin to do their job. That would be a good thing.

[Booshay]

Isnt it strange that the Laurel PD can get dozens of guns off the street WITHOUT going to a month long course like our NET team did?

[Kitty]

Isnt it strange that the Laurel PD can get dozens of guns off the street WITHOUT going to a month long course like our NET team did?

I think that is a testament to the leadership of Laurel mayor Melvin Mack. He has stated on numerous occasions that "thugs" are not welcome in Laurel, most recently in the aftermath of the senseless murder of little 5-year-old Mariyanna Maria Tucker, who was fatally wounded when shots were fired into the Laurel apartment where she was sleeping.

[Conveyor Belt]

Laurel wondering where those assault rifles come from, I can tell you: The back of a car at a gun show. I saw a guy selling a few to some thuggy looking guys a few years back out of the trunk of his car. I have NO idea what kind of guns they were, but they looked pretty menacing (and cool).

[zorro]

Laurel wondering where those assault rifles come from, I can tell you: The back of a car at a gun show.

Speaking of gun shows:
http://www.myhattiesburg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=102504#post102504

:smt070

(I've forgotten how to hyperlink)

[pharmcop]

What we all need to realize is that, no matter which city or PD, the "specialized" teams/divisions are always going to get top billing. No one ever mentions the patrol division. Patrol is supposed to be the backbone of any department. Without patrol, there would be no department. Those of us who choose to stay an patrol realize this and accept it. There's more variety. Just because one group is recognized before another doesn't make that group any less important. Good job NET, but I think Community Relations needs a little recognition, too. There's a dang goof supervisor there that loves policing. If the admin would recognize his dedication for what it is, admirable, maybe HPD could start turning over a new leaf.

[daisy]

Well, I didn't know we even had Simon City Royals--sounds like a basketball team, huh? So, did this guy have a flak jacket or vest. It said body armor. Do you buy that at COPS R US? No, I'm being silly. I guess you buy it illegally to protect yourself from other gangs or law enforcement when you're up to no good. By the way I understand the NET team may be doing more in the future and I'm glad. I know all of law enforcement plays their part in keeping us safe. I applaud all of them but really the patrol and all the other divisions--the workhorses that pull the necessary day in day out duties.

[Joelaw]

Bullock is charged with felony possession of body armor. anyone know what this charge is? ( I thought you could own body armor now )

[Conveyor Belt]

My 2nd amendment side definitley has a problem with body armor being illegal.

[IGID]

If you are a convicted felon of certain crimes, you cannot own body armor.

[Conveyor Belt]

Okay... that makes sense... same as firearms, etc... I get it.

[58ford]

I heard that because of increased use of body armor the FBI was now recommending Two shots to the pelvic girdle followed by two to the center of mass, rather than the tried & true two to the COM, the PG not being covered by most Body armor.

I personally believe in Col. Jeff Cooper's advice, "When involved in a gun fight, your first course of action should be to hide."

[IGID]

Hide? I don't think so. The first rule of gunfighting is have a gun. I'll stick to the tried and true, two to the body, one to the head.

[58ford]

Hide? I don't think so. The first rule of gunfighting is have a gun. I'll stick to the tried and true, two to the body, one to the head.

I agree IGID, the body is the largest target, I also believe in large calibre. A bullet with a large enough mass, even one traveling at a relativly slow speed (say a.45), can transfer enough energy, even through body armor, to at least disorient if not kill an attacker.
I don't know about a head shot. I feel confident in my ability to consistently hit COM at a reasonable distance, but I also know I ain't dirty Harry & I'd hate to give an attacker a chance at follow up shot because I wasted one on a shot at target that small.
Even if you miss COM a little you'll still do some damage.

[IGID]

I agree, bigger is better, but a hit with a .22 is always better than a miss with a .50. Front sight, front sight, front sight.

[58ford]

Totaly agree.
I personally prefer the 1911, I know it's archaic, but I'm comfortable with it, and I think that counts for a lot.

To quote the gunner's guru cooper once again, "There are more powerful guns, there are more accurate guns, there are even prettier guns, but when something's coming out of the dark, an arm's length away, that wants to kill you, nothing feels better in your hand than a 1911."

I practice by throwing graham crackers up stream like a frisby,and then shoot at them as they float down the river. Cheap & biodegradeable, so I don't have to clean up.

[pharmcop]

I agree IGID, the body is the largest target, I also believe in large calibre. A bullet with a large enough mass, even one traveling at a relativly slow speed (say a.45), can transfer enough energy, even through body armor, to at least disorient if not kill an attacker.
I don't know about a head shot. I feel confident in my ability to consistently hit COM at a reasonable distance, but I also know I ain't dirty Harry & I'd hate to give an attacker a chance at follow up shot because I wasted one on a shot at target that small.
Even if you miss COM a little you'll still do some damage.

That's why you more than one round. If at first you don't succeed............. 58ford, we get paid so little and train so hard so that everybody else can hide. We can't.

[58ford]

That's why you more than one round. If at first you don't succeed............. 58ford, we get paid so little and train so hard so that everybody else can hide. We can't.

You'll get no argument from me Pharmcop.
I have a great deal of respect for those who risk their lives for our safety.
I practice regularly with a firearm for self defense & because I enjoy it, not because I have to. I never want to be in a position where I could be shot, or might have to shoot someone else. But, like car insurance, I never want to have to use it, but if the need arises I'm glad it's there.
I believe I could shoot someone in defense of someone else, but if it's just me, given the choice to kill or to hide, I'm hiding. I just pray that no one ever forces that decision on me, but if they do, I'm as prepared as I can be.
Anyway, I appreciate your being there to prevent my having to make that decision.

One question, In the movies I see cops hiding behind car doors, do they actually train y'all to do that? I've shot car doors in the junk yard & bullets just zip right through 'em.

Sincerely, don't let anybody shoot ya.

[Maggie-Doodle]

When I went through the academy we were taught to use the motor area (engine compartment area) of the car as protection when we could...a bullet is unlikly to penitrate that area due to the motor and all the other parts that are inside that area. It is highly unlikely that a car door would do much for you but it is indeed better than having no cover at all...

[58ford]

I suppose at least it hides your body contour.

[Omerto]

When I went through the academy we were taught to use the motor area (engine compartment area) of the car as protection when we could...a bullet is unlikly to penitrate that area due to the motor and all the other parts that are inside that area. It is highly unlikely that a car door would do much for you but it is indeed better than having no cover at all...

Maggie, are you an officer?

[IGID]

I would consider a car door concealment, not cover, but something is always better than nothing.

[Maggie-Doodle]

Omerto: Used to be some where else...another dept., another town....I did work at HPD though...as a civilian. To old and decrepid now-a-days!!!! :) lol

[pharmcop]

Don't believe everything you see in the movies. We actually have to reload sometimes, too. Cover and concealment have different purposes.

[Joelaw]

Hide? I don't think so. The first rule of gunfighting is have a gun. I'll stick to the tried and true, two to the body, one to the head.

I like to say better to have a gun and never need it that need and gun and not have it.

and I have been know to say "better judged by 12 than carried by 6"

[58ford]

I like to say better to have a gun and never need it that need and gun and not have it.

and I have been know to say "better judged by 12 than carried by 6"

A gun in the hand beats a cop on the phone?