Paging Al Sharpton! Because #Racism!

Just when I thought life couldn’t get any more bizarre, a story right out of North Miami Beach had me shaking my head in disbelief.

Even more incredulous, NBC6 reporter Willard Shepard is preparing an “exposé” to be aired tomorrow night for the purpose of giving credence to yet another ridiculous accusation of “racism.”

According to a letter distributed today via email from Chief Scott Dennis, members of the Police Department sniper team were being trained at the Medley Range on December 5, 2014. Sniper teams are highly specialized units in law enforcement agencies, who are trained to shoot to kill dangerous suspects who present a clear and present danger to others. Snipers are required to make accurate kill shots from great distances. As such, snipers are trained using various photographs made up of real human faces with similar characteristics. These photographs are grouped together, much like police line-ups, for the purpose of training the sniper to be able to pick the suspect out of a crowd of people, many of whom might look like the suspect.

In order to train a sniper for this assignment, law enforcement agencies obtain old mug shots of actual criminals, and use them for sniper target practice. The North Miami Beach Police Department’s sniper team also utilizes old mug shots from our local area for this purpose. The NMBPD’s December 5, 2014 sniper training session was no different than that of any other department’s across the country.

Except this time, the team’s sniper training protocol led to an unintended – and unbelievable – consequence.

Not to mention the mother of all coincidences.

The Chief wrote:

“The media, in this case Willard Shepard of NBC-6, will show that our snipers trained using an old photo array (line-up from the early 2000’s) featuring six mugshots of black male arrestees. It should be noted that in the sniper target inventory there were numerous targets featuring a similar array of white/Latin males, Osama Bin Laden, a little girl (hostage), computer generated male and female, and a myriad of other targets. In the case at hand, officers completed the training and threw away the targets in the dumpster at the Medley Range, the following day the range was leased to the National Guard. A Guard reservist came across the discarded targets and recognized one of the pictures as her brother which was taken 14 years earlier when he was arrested by NMBPD.”

Seriously, what were the freaking chances? I think I’d have better odds playing the Florida Lottery, right?

In any event, the “Guard reservist” was so emotionally traumatized by the sight of her ex-con brother’s mug shot, which might have been used for target practice, and immediately called ~~a doctor~~ the media.

Oh, and then she called her lawyer.

Because nothing says, “I’m so upset” like “I’ll see your ass in court.”

But not before she made sure the media discovered the “blatant racism” of the North Miami Beach Police Department because its sniper team was using mug shots of black men for target practice.

For the record, sources have told me that the leader of the three-man sniper team just happens to be a black man.

The poor put upon woman also ignored the rest of the mug shots that were trashed, including those of white and Hispanic men, OSAMA BIN LADEN, and a little girl depicting a hostage.

OBVIOUSLY, the only page of mug shots that mattered to the woman was the one with pictures of BLACK MEN.

Because #Justice. And all that.

What followed next was just more of the usual insanity that goes on every day around the world by clueless people who believe that appeasing terrorists will solve the problem.

In an over-response to the woman’s “pain and suffering,” Chief Dennis wrote:

I ordered a suspension of all sniper firearms training while a review was conducted. Additionally, I made contact that evening with world renown sniper trainer, Mr Stuart Meyers. Mr. Meyers, author of books on the subject and having trained over 1,000 police agencies, is considered an expert in this field. Mr Meyers assured me that this target identification drill using mugshots is a “best practice.” He reiterated a lesson: There is a direct correlation between the more intense and realistic the training the greater the chances of a positive outcome.

I ordered the procurement of commercially available “Real face” targets only to learn that these products still do not meet the needs of this particular training drill. We are in search of alternatives to include the use of out of area mugshots. The drill requires that the shooter or spotter identify the target from a group of similar looking targets, a photo array allows for such a scenario.

So, let’s just get this straight.

The North Miami Beach Police Department’s sniper team has been using the same freaking protocol probably since the department first assembled a sniper team. The Chief also noted that “the same sniper target inventory has been in use longer than any of the [current] team members have been on the Department.”

And yet, because of some woman’s ridiculous complaint that she was somehow injured by the mere sight of her brother’s mug shot (who, by the way was arrested and convicted for vehicular homicide over a decade ago, and who, unlike his victim, is alive and well), the entire Police Department is now faced with conducting a review of its sniper firearms training protocol.

Even more ridiculous, a veteran reporter like Willard Shepard is going to EXPOSE the blatant “racism” of the North Miami Beach Police Department!

GIVE ME A FREAKING BREAK!

All for the sole purpose of whipping up the usual and customary media frenzy.

Talk about riding on the coattails of the #Ferguson bullshit!

Next thing you know, NMB will have Al Sharpton and his rabid Race Baiting Team of “Racism” Experts storming the Police Department, raising hell and demanding answers.

Chief Dennis, if he shows up, I beg you … SEND HIM TO ME!

PLEASE!

I’d love to have a chat with him.