Today I sent two Minnesota Data Practices Act requests (similar to FOIA requests), one to the Woodbury, Minnesota Police Department and one to the St. Cloud, Minnesota Police Department, in an effort to find out the details of the off-duty Woodbury police officer's negligent discharge that I first blogged about here. I filed these because the story seems to have been hushed up, since there has been no coverage of the incident since the initial story. I think 6 weeks or so is sufficient time to investigate the incident. He either pulled the trigger or he didn't, it's as simple as that.
I want to make it very clear that I bear no animosity towards the officer involved. I have no reason to believe that he is anything but a dedicated professional who had a bad day. Just as with any other tool, however, a handgun can be the subject of a mistake by the user. My only point involves fairness. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that had the same thing happened to me, I would have been arrested immediately, my carry permit would have been pulled, and my name and picture would have been splashed all over the media. Since the officer was not on duty at the time, he should be treated the same way I would have been. I believe that the Woodbury police chief's claim of the officer's identity as "private" is specious at best.
We'll see what we get from this.
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