A few days ago, the story of Imam Morales, who died after being tased while on a Brooklyn ledge, brought sadness to many. Today, the sadness deepens.
Just in from Newsday;
On his 46th birthday, Lt. Michael Pigot of Sayville shot himself at Floyd Bennett Field, the Brooklyn base for the elite Emergency Services Unit, the sources said. It happened about 6 a.m., according to news reports.
In an interview this week Pigot told Newsday that he was sorry for authorizing an NYPD officer to use a Taser before air bags were placed below the victim.
This compounds one tragedy with another. Not knowing anything more about Lt. Pigot than I read in the papers, I assume that there were deeper issues in his life than just the Imam Morales death that pushed him over the edge. But it seems safe to assume that this was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
I’ve argued in the past that the life of a police officer is no more consequential than the life of anyone else. The corollary, however, must also be remembered: The life of a police officer is no less consequential.
I am deeply saddened that Lt. Pigot took his life. I am deeply saddened that he felt this act necessary and that he saw no other option. My sympathy goes to his family, as it does to the family of all people who die needlessly.
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Mine, too.
I know people who have killed people, in legally and (IMHO, and all) morally justifiable circumstances. (I’m not putting the taser death in that category; doesn’t look that way from here.)
Don’t know one of them who looks back with fondness on it; several of them, I’m pretty sure, came close to suicide.
Very sad.
I’m going to engage in a little talk (blog) therapy here.
I personally know three police officers who where shot and killed in the line of duty at the hands criminals. I worked on the street/partnered with two of them. I trained with the third.
I personally know two police officers who took their own lives. I went to the police academy with one. I worked closely with the other for several years. The officer with whom I worked closely, took his own life in part because of job stress and corruption within the police department. I know that because he shared his concerns with me. I had no idea it would lead to his permanent decision.
Shortly before he retired, my field training officer from long ago was shot in the face by a juvenile he approached. Fortunately it was only a grazing shot.
Just as many officers have I’m sure, I have seen too many people, mangled from vehicle accidents, shot, stabbed, wrists slashed, self-hung, burned to death, brains literally blown out, and otherwise just plain dead. They have been senior citizens, middle-aged, young adults teens, and infants.
I have seen citizens who have been treated unfairly by police. I have seen police grossly abuse their authority. I have seen excessive force. I know of police perjury. I know of citizens who were killed by the police and if better tactics and attitudes were employed by the police it is quite possible death could have been avoided.
Where does all of this leave me?
It leaves me angry with police administrators and government officials who have it in their power to improve the working conditions of police officers internally within an agency (get rid of pettiness, corruption, and double standards), employ better trained, more mature and capable officers, and to stop looking out strictly for themselves, yet fail to do so.
It leaves me with the thought that I need to do my best to treat all people with as much respect, concern, and compassion as possible. Being human, it is not always easy but it is important.
It also leaves me with the strong conviction that those in authority and power should do the same.
It is sad to hear of Lt. Pigot’s death just as it was sad to hear of the death of Mr. Morales.
In your first post you poked fun at the Lieutenant ” after 30 minutes he needed a donut break, and a union right to another break”.
You failed to report the Lieutenant issued an apology to the family, apparently remorseful.
A character trait we don’t’ see from Wall Street or the defense bar”.
We don’t need sympathy from fraudulent folks faking sympathy, this is just fodder for your blog.
Where I come from, it’s both possible to criticize and/or mock somebody’s bad choices that resulted in an avoidable death and to regret his subsequent (possible, but not necessarily, related to those choices) suicide without faking either.
I appreciate your comments about both men; I thought they were sincere. Thank-you for the attention paid to both of these tragic deaths. I too wish to express my sympathy to the families for their loss; and hope they are able to heal.
Where you come from, you have all of the information on hand. You have weeks, and even months to make judgments based on what Lt. Pigot had maybe 5 seconds of data to base a decision on. I’m pretty confident that Lt. Pigot was already suffering from his choices, the legions of media camped outside of his home most likely prompted his decision to end his life. Must be a satisfying ending for those media types out there.