Bobblehead Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 My Son is a Binghamton Police Officer and this has shook Me to My core,,,,No One should ever lose a Son or Daughter, Husband or Father in this senseless manner. This is the Nightmare that No Family ever wants to hear,,,My Deepest Prayers and Sympathy goes out to this Hero Officers Family, Friends and Officers Family,,,this is a sad sad Day,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centurion Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 Terrible price to pay for those among us who chose to protect the peace. I was just made aware of this tribute. Please share. http://www.odmp.org/officer/22056-police-officer-david-w-smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BinghamtonBill Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 Will there be a fund to donate to? I spoke to my friend Ginny on the phone earlier and she believes the JCPD will create one. I'd like to do my part to help make sure Officer Smith's wife and child are tended to. A very sad day for our entire community. Thank you for keeping us informed Garo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Independent Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 As i watched the Cheif's press conference I could not help but notice the lack of sensitivity on the part of Cheif Z. his ending comment in the Binghamton Press is complete nonsense. That there was no training to avoid a situation as what happened yesterday! BS I don't want to be a Monday morning quarterback but if his back up was there with him at the same time it would have been avoided. Or if he had his back up in the car with him! Years ago (60s) i remember two officers riding in one car and they would always have each others back in that instance. I have many questions to this tragedy. I feel bad for the officer who got to the scene only to see what happen to the first officer Dave W Smith. May Officer Dave W. Smith never be forgotten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19April1775 Posted April 1, 2014 Report Share Posted April 1, 2014 Well here I go again, saying something outside the box, risking verbal injury. I do not for one second discount the human emotion in this case. But I know it is just human emotion. Besides atheism and satanism can anybody name a religion on this earth that does not say that good people get promoted from this hellhole when they die? If there is one, they at the very least say we get a reincarnation to try again. So quit all the drama. Dave Smith as he was known is only on the next step of the journey that all of us will be on sooner or later regardless of how this body dies. Just saying. 75' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bingoloid Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Years ago (60s) i remember two officers riding in one car and they would always have each others back in that instance. I have many questions to this tragedy. I feel bad for the officer who got to the scene only to see what happen to the first officer Dave W Smith. I was wondering about this, too. I'm sure whoever called this in emphasized that the person was a coworker and not armed, but it was still presumably a report of erratic behavior and a bomb threat. It seems wrong that Officer Smith was in whatever vulnerable position he was in that he could be attacked and blind-sided, alone and without a chance to draw his weapon. It bothers me to see a police official say that nothing could have prevented this, because that seems like it can't possibly be true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Devils Advocate Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 It seems wrong that Officer Smith was in whatever vulnerable position he was in that he could be attacked and blind-sided, alone and without a chance to draw his weapon. It bothers me to see a police official say that nothing could have prevented this, because that seems like it can't possibly be true. I was thinking the same thing. But when you work in a town where the last police officer was killed in 1925 when his patrol car was hit by a train, an officer may not be as vigilant about his gun being taken away as say an officer working in the south Bronx. I am by no means calling him negligent or lazy, but in different areas of this state and country I think your initial instincts are tuned to different things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julia Allison Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Zikuski's preemptive comments regarding Officer Smith's final moments are reckless and unprofessional. What happened to the basic due process required of a thorough criminal investigation? Isn't it incumbent upon the Chief and his investigators to carefully gather facts and evidence to arrive at informed conclusions? Officer David Smith and his family deserve better than off the cuff, self-serving assumptions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickey13905 Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Can't even refrain for a few days before second guessing what's going on. From an earlier report within this thread criticizing the Chief on his response time. Then a now deleted thread on criticizing his use of the benign quote of "it is what it is" within the press conference. Now he's being criticized for essentially saying the fallen hero didn't have a chance. What will the lot of you stoop to during this horrific event? You've laid out your agenda against Chief Zikuski very plain for everyone to see on nearly every other thread on this site. Please show a modicum of class and let it rest without using this tragedy to further your cause. Just my 2 cents. RIP David W. Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julia Allison Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 I have no Zikuski agenda. My issue is hearing any police chief making generalizations about a devastating crime that happened six hours prior. Six hours is not enough time to work a crime scene, gather all the facts, interview all the witnesses, obtain laboratory results, etc, etc and make a fully informed definitive statement about what exactly happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bingoloid Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Can't even refrain for a few days before second guessing what's going on. From an earlier report within this thread criticizing the Chief on his response time. Then a now deleted thread on criticizing his use of the benign quote of "it is what it is" within the press conference. Now he's being criticized for essentially saying the fallen hero didn't have a chance. What will the lot of you stoop to during this horrific event? The quotes I saw didn't simply say Smith didn't have a chance, it said there was no training that would have helped him and no amount of caution that would have prevented this. No stooping: a respected, experienced officer was shot to death for no good reason. Citizens are right to ask exactly why Zikuski thinks this can't be helped. It may not be the right time, but he brought it up. There were valid questions raised about the handling of the ACA, as well, not just locally but nationally, about some areas where the BPD seemed to have fallen 20 years behind known best practices. Some changes were made. Maybe some changes need to be made in how officers approach these types of calls, as well, so that they're less exposed to being randomly ambushed and murdered with their own weapon. That seems like an outcome that we should all be able to get behind. As for "it is what it is", a resigned shrug, "sucks, but what can you do?"-type sentiment does not seem benign when *you're the chief*. Maybe people were having a gut overreaction to it, but it was not a great choice of words. What went wrong here and whether something can be done to keep officers safe in the future, though, is or should be separate from any of our opinions about Zikuski. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Roger Klarvin Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Can't even refrain for a few days before second guessing what's going on. From an earlier report within this thread criticizing the Chief on his response time. Then a now deleted thread on criticizing his use of the benign quote of "it is what it is" within the press conference. Now he's being criticized for essentially saying the fallen hero didn't have a chance. What will the lot of you stoop to during this horrific event? You've laid out your agenda against Chief Zikuski very plain for everyone to see on nearly every other thread on this site. Please show a modicum of class and let it rest without using this tragedy to further your cause. Just my 2 cents. RIP David W. Smith Any time a cop is killed, it's our job to make sure the elected officials and departments have the resources they need to keep cops safe, as they keep us safe. This is 2014, the technologies available are far better than 10 years ago, there are countless cases around the country to study and learn from, and numerous seminars available regionally, if a cop is killed the circumstances must be studied and/or scrutinized. Zikuski is quick to say "he didn't stand a chance" and seems to sidestep questions regarding the timing of Smith's backup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 In regards to improving officers' saftey, one major problem is man power shortage. It would be great to have two man cars but budget cuts simply will not allow this. Most of the time there are only two cars (with one officer each) patrolling the whole entire village. And when one gets tied up, the other is left and forced to scramble from complaint to complaint making for some highly dangerous situations. As I have said many times we need to make precincts. Have one Commissioner in charge of the whole area with LT's in charge of each section. Trim the brass and get more officers out on patrol. We do not need A/Chiefs or Captains, or take home cars and in my law enforcement expierience, they do nothing but soak up unwarented overtime anyway. It's going to get worse as departments face more cuts while more undesiraibles flock to this land of entitlement and no accountability. It's just too bad we don't have any politicians willing to address this problem, so for now "It is what it is"..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Roger Klarvin Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Does the city of Binghamton really need 93 Police or Fireman making above $75,000 a year? Or do we need more police on the streets? I vote for more police on the streets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binghamtonian Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 So what's the official word on how the suspects got Officer Smith's gun? Some LEO's I know are privately questioning what happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Independent Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 binghamtonian, on 02 Apr 2014 - 10:11 AM, said:binghamtonian, on 02 Apr 2014 - 10:11 AM, said:So what's the official word on how the suspects got Officer Smith's gun? Some LEO's I know are privately questioning what happened. It's not known how he got the gun from officer Smith. I question the incident because the holster for the gun has two safe guards or LOCKS to release the gun from it's holster. The normal person on the street would not know this. So then the question is did Officer Smith release the gun himself from his holster or did James Clark know how to release the gun from it's holster? When Officer Smith was punched in the head was the gun already loose and out of it's holster giving Clark easy access to the weapon? If Officer Smith released his gun did Clark fight with him to take his gun from him? Or were the punchs to Officer's Smith's head keeping him from controling the situation the Car Cam should have audio to hear the struggle in the car or and the camera to record the incident. I'm sorry there are too many question's i would be asking about this incident that are not being answered! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WolfMan Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 I'm sorry there are too many question's i would be asking about this incident that are not being answered! . No question some will disagree, and that is fine, but In my opinion, at this point in time after the tragic event, many questions being asked (including some you ask in this post I am partially quoting) are simply not the public at large's business. Again, I am stressing the "at this point in time" Give them time to find and study all evidence on this. The investigation is going to take some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Independent Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 mickey13905, on 01 Apr 2014 - 11:36 PM, said: Can't even refrain for a few days before second guessing what's going on. From an earlier report within this thread criticizing the Chief on his response time. Then a now deleted thread on criticizing his use of the benign quote of "it is what it is" within the press conference. Now he's being criticized for essentially saying the fallen hero didn't have a chance. What will the lot of you stoop to during this horrific event? You've laid out your agenda against Chief Zikuski very plain for everyone to see on nearly every other thread on this site. Please show a modicum of class and let it rest without using this tragedy to further your cause. Just my 2 cents. RIP David W. Smith I was there in the driveway of Walgrens when Chief Z showed up! Both State Troopers blocking Harrison St. on the Main St. side let him in 30 to 40 mins. after the incident. He pulled up coming from the westerly direction of the Mall or Highway direction! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeTheDrunk Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Does the city of Binghamton really need 93 Police or Fireman making above $75,000 a year? Or do we need more police on the streets? I vote for more police on the streets. The way things are today, no policeman/policewoman should be by themselves. Two in a car at all times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bingoloid Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 No question some will disagree, and that is fine, but In my opinion, at this point in time after the tragic event, many questions being asked (including some you ask in this post I am partially quoting) are simply not the public at large's business. Again, I am stressing the "at this point in time" Give them time to find and study all evidence on this. The investigation is going to take some time. Like Independent and The Devil's Advocate, I have zero inclination to suggest that anyone was negligent at this point, but, while some people may not like me putting it this bluntly, the police response appears to have enabled an actively psychotic person to acquire a firearm, kill an officer, and have a streetside shootout at the entrance of a hospital. There are two wives without husbands and two children without fathers, and a lot of other people could have had their lives destroyed in the exchange of gunfire. Nobody should have had to die over this, least of all Officer Smith. I'm operating under the assumption that JCPD did everything by the book, but this went about as wrong as it possibly could have. Zikuski's comments are frustrating because they seem to try to slam the door on the possibility that the book failed everyone involved and needs to reevaluated. I agree that it's too soon and there is a lot that will come out, but, again, Zikuski is the one who brought it up. When you're in charge, standing over two bodies and seemingly arguing that nothing could have prevented this, there are probably going to be some very upset people asking you to elaborate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle Festus Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 I know my thought is a long shot, BUT I wonder which police force arrested MR. Clark for his DUI? I'm also aware that it happened 15 years ago, but there are people who can harbor hatred for an awfully long time, especially when they feel that they were treated unfairly. Anyone happen to know if it was the Johnson City police who gave him the ticket? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Independent Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Thank You Bing and others who can think independently and not just eat whats served to us. I appriciate that you and others are keeping an open mind about the tradgic incident that we all have to remember and wonder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Independent Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 I know my thought is a long shot, BUT I wonder which police force arrested MR. Clark for his DUI? I'm also aware that it happened 15 years ago, but there are people who can harbor hatred for an awfully long time, especially when they feel that they were treated unfairly. Anyone happen to know if it was the Johnson City police who gave him the ticket? Good question but I have been wondering was Mr. Clark on medication? Did he serve in the arm forces abroad? It could have been a reason for what he did? If he did serve and was on medication or even was given new medication to make him loose control of his mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bingoloid Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 Good question but I have been wondering was Mr. Clark on medication? Did he serve in the arm forces abroad? It could have been a reason for what he did? If he did serve and was on medication or even was given new medication to make him loose control of his mind. I have heard of strokes causing violent psychotic episodes. Also, the onset of schizophrenia in the mid-40s is maybe not as rare as I thought. http://www.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/schizophrenia/risk-factors.html The FOX 40 article mentioned that whatever he was yelling as he ran up to the patrol car was unintelligible to the people around him. Who knows what he thought was happening when he attacked Smith. The whole thing is just awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickey13905 Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 I was there in the driveway of Walgrens when Chief Z showed up! Both State Troopers blocking Harrison St. on the Main St. side let him in 30 to 40 mins. after the incident. He pulled up coming from the westerly direction of the Mall or Highway direction! I suppose I just don't understand the purpose of detailing when the Chief arrived on scene. There could be hundreds of reasons for this, from being in the shower for 10-15 minutes without phone access to perhaps conducting a coordinated police response involving many agencies. I don't pretend to know. But the insinuation I'm getting from this (and I apologize if I'm wrong) is that he just doesn't care. I find this idea preposterous. This event would devastate any police chief & be given his highest priority. I can assure you he didn't hear this news, shrug, and go back to drinking his morning coffee. I'll backtrack on some of my earlier statements regarding his statements in the aftermath. I suppose it's public fodder to question how certain things were handled & conclusions were reached. I just take exception to the idea that some have insinuated Chief Zikuski didn't seem to place the proper importance on what occurred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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