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Home Page > News > 'Stand Your Ground' law a disaster says former Miami top cop John Timoney

'Stand Your Ground' law a disaster says former Miami top cop John Timoney

Warned in 2005 that Trayvon Martin type-killings would result after law passed

JAMES O'SHEA,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Saturday, March 24, 2012, 7:29 AM

Updated Saturday, March 24, 2012, 7:29 AM

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John Timoney

Photo by Graham Turner

“Police officers are trained to de-escalate highly charged encounters with aggressive people, using deadly force as a last resort. Citizens, on the other hand, may act from emotion and perceived threats. But “stand your ground” gives citizens the right to use force in public if they feel threatened. As the law emphatically states, a citizen has “no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground.”

“Stand Your Ground” is a disaster Timoney stated.

“As Florida police chiefs predicted in 2005, the law has been used to justify killings ranging from drug dealers’ turf battles to road rage incidents. Homicides categorized as justifiable have nearly tripled since the law went into effect.”

He appealed for the governor to repeal it.

“Gov. Rick Scott of Florida can make all Floridians proud by being the first governor to reject and repeal such misguided laws.

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seanomelb | Mar 26, 2012, 06:51 PM EDT

Single Donald I do not know if Broonzy included other ethnic groups one would have to be inside the head of the writer. The song was probably written in the thirties.Broonzy died 1958 of throat cancer, regards.

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McNamara31 | Mar 26, 2012, 02:44 PM EDT

dcwusmc "Dancing in the blood of the victims of violence was not, I thought, a trait of good Irishmen and women, but only of the looney collectivist left. Was I wrong? D.C. Wright USMC Retired... No you're wrong.No good man or woman, whether you perceive them to be left, right or anything else would dance in the blood as you chose to say. When you put this in the context that this was a teenager just walking home in America and this idiot perceived him to be a criminal just like the 46 phone call he made before to 911 and that speaks volumes about his preconceived biases. And BTW since you brought attention to the USMC; your statement dishonors the USMC. And before you blast back with the all too predictable “did you serve” question. Yes. Three generations of my family including my USMC husband. Progressives, Independents and lefties all serve in today's military service.

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Gearoid | Mar 26, 2012, 12:32 PM EDT

Timoney has lost all moral right to offer opinions on law and order since he has taken up a post with the murderous Bahraini regime.

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IrelandNorth | Mar 26, 2012, 06:35 AM EDT

The optimum answer to this issue is the doctrine of non-resistance as with more passive/defensive forms of martial arts Judo/Aikido. Go with the energy-flow of your enemies attack. Use their bio-energy by stepping out aside and pushing them in the direction they were already going. And if all else fails, (in the words of a previous US president): "Speak softly and carry a big stick."

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SingleDonald | Mar 25, 2012, 08:38 PM EDT

OFF TOPIC, but relevant: seanomelb, In the Bill Broonzy song, what does "brown" mean? It could be Hispanics, or maybe Creoles, as they were more prominant in the deep south than Hispanics. Since I first heard that song, in a documentary of the Civil Rights Movement, I can't quite figure it out!

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seanomelb | Mar 25, 2012, 07:22 PM EDT

dcwusmc I'm sure you get my point,your inability to understand that there is a problem with this case is problematic in itself

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dcwusmc | Mar 25, 2012, 03:41 PM EDT

Seanomelb, your lack of coherence says more than any reply I could ever make.

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gavinpchow | Mar 25, 2012, 12:49 PM EDT

I think Timoney is a sorry police officer and was worse as a Police Chief. He should have stayed in Dublin. Why have we not heard anyone talk about Zimmerman receiving a broken nose and a lacerated head?? Where did he get the injuries??Could it be that the little negro boy jumped him and was beating him up?? Like several have said let the investigation determine what went down.. Meanwhile tell the EX-top cop of Miami to zip it!!

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seanomelb | Mar 25, 2012, 01:04 AM EDT

dcwusmc I bet you have danced on innocent blood an d didn't give a hoot.Since the introduction of this law self defense "murders?" have tripled,it seems a good law to settle old scores As I said before only in America.The problem is thousands have taken to the streets to force the system to seek justice for travyon. Zimmerman will face justice let us hope justice is not blind as it usually is if your black.It's a old day I think I'll put my hoody on walk the dog.I should be OK I'm white.

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badolan | Mar 24, 2012, 11:21 PM EDT

I shoot about 500-1,000 rounds a month on average. Most cops I know shoot every year to qualify and not much more. To call them experts is pretty damn funny. I have to say that that what happened to Trayvon is tragic and never should have happened. Apparently, he was not armed and was not doing anything illegal except walking while black. Laws saying you only have to feel threatened are not responsible to say the least. I love my guns but the NRA shouldn't run the country.

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dcwusmc | Mar 24, 2012, 10:37 PM EDT

First, Timoney is a twit. Bringing the EuroTrash fear of an armed citizenry to a cop's job in America. We have quite enough homegrown gungrabbers as it is. Second, "Stand Your Ground" is not even a factor in this case. PERHAPS self defense is, from some reports I've seen, but that's for the ONGOING INVESTIGATION to determine. I'm sure most all of you've heard of investigations, haven't you? So instead of condemning anyone or anything, like Zimmerman or the law, why don't y'all just chill and let the legal system do its job, as it does on occasion. Dancing in the blood of the victims of violence was not, I thought, a trait of good Irishmen and women, but only of the looney collectivist left. Was I wrong? D.C. Wright USMC Retired

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mandrake | Mar 24, 2012, 09:18 PM EDT

The problem is simple. Police need to be armed and trained to a high degree about the use of firearms A dopey rent-a-cop should never be permitted within a bull's roar of a firearm or Tazer.

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MCCOLGAN1492 | Mar 24, 2012, 07:55 PM EDT

Wish someone would put a cap in mickey mouses ass, he robs me everytime i have to bring my spoiled kids to that hell ache in Orlando! Bet that place is crawling with neighborhood watch.....

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seanomelb | Mar 24, 2012, 06:39 PM EDT

The killing of travyon has all the hallmarks of a hate crime. Stereo typing blacks who wear hoodies are somehow criminals as Geraldo stated on Fox news(only in America). Looking at Fox news over the last few days their empathy seems to lie with killer. I wore a hoodie whilst walking the dog today(cold morning) thank goodness it was in a civilised country and not Hicksville U.S.A. As Bill Broonzy said "if your black get back/if your brown stick around/if your white you're white your all right.

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IrishDragoon | Mar 24, 2012, 06:15 PM EDT

I respectfully disagree with Mr. Timoney. Assuming what the media told us is true (newspaper men and women would NEVER lie, right?) it is one person's abuse of the law, not the law itself, that brought this on. A cop has a vested interest in keeping the public as dependent on him and his department as much as possible. What better way to do it than to make it illegal to defend yourself.

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