Police Say They Visited Tucson Suspect’s Home Even Before Rampage

[Mark Maker]

Source: NY TIMES

by Jo Becker, Kirk Johnson and Serge F. Kovaleski.


TUCSON — The police were sent to the home where Jared L. Loughner lived with his family on more than one occasion before the attack here on Saturday that left a congresswoman fighting for her life and six others dead, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said on Tuesday.

A spokesman, Jason Ogan, said the details of the calls were being reviewed by legal counsel and would be released as soon as the review was complete. He said he did not know what the calls were about — they could possibly have been minor, even trivial matters — or whether they involved Jared Loughner or another member of the household.

A friend of Mr. Loughner’s also said in an interview on Tuesday that Mr. Loughner, 22, was skilled with a gun — as early as high school — and had talked about a philosophy of fostering chaos.

The news of police involvement with the Loughners suggests that county sheriff’s deputies were at least familiar with the family, even if the reason for their visits was unclear as of Tuesday night.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/12/us/12loughner.html?pagewanted=1&hp&adxnnlx=1294809024-QOk4XA3OWKQ0GsSiPrH62

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This seems to confirm the theory being talked about here locally that Americas Sheriff, Dupnik, is covering his ass and knew more about about this nutcase than he is letting on. At the very least Loughner should not have been able to legally buy a gun. At the worst it may be that they went easy on this moron because his mother Amy worked for the county.

In any case the whole thing seems to go back at least 4 years and nothing was done. Keep in mind that the Loughner home was 2 miles from where the shooting took place. Why was no one watching this loon?

Something stinks in Tucson, and Dupnik is right in the middle of it all. If Gabby Gifford was shot because the Sheriffs department dropped the ball there will be hell to pay!

[canetoad]

1. I see a gulf of disconnect

Between:
"He said he did not know what the calls were about — they could possibly have been minor, even trivial matters — or whether they involved Jared Loughner or another member of the household."

and your comment:
"This seems to confirm the theory being talked about here locally that Americas Sheriff, Dupnik, is covering his ass and knew more about about this nutcase than he is letting on."

So, does it confirm the theory or was it trivial and unrelated?

[Nostradammit]

2. "A gulf of disconnect" seems to be the objective for some.

[Mark Maker]

4. Neither trivial or unrelated

This Lougher character has been on the radar for at least 4 years down here. Many locals are questioning WTF allowed him to slip between the cracks. Maybe you have to experience it to understand the anger, Gabby was very respected here, by most every one, Repub and Dem alike.

[blueamy66]

18. Spot on.

What were the parents doing? Or not doing?

If you've got a 22 year old still living at home, who was expelled from a CC, you're got a problem.

on edit: I forgot to add the human skull shrine in the backyard.

WTF?

[sabrina 1]

3. I guess you didn't know that Dupnik already raised questions

about this himself. You assume a lot. It was HE who wanted to know if nothing was done because of his mother's job, which he had just found out about.

The 'theory' being 'talked about' is another smear from the right.

I don't think we need rightwing smears presented as evidence of anything here. On the first day of the shooting, the Sheriff was angry that Loughner may have had run ins with the law and that nothing was done about it. And that's probably where the smear merchants first heard about it. HE told them.

[Mark Maker]

6. Wrong, at his 1st presser Dupnik was the one

who told the press how to correctly pronounce the name lock-ner because he was familiar with the family.

His dept. was well aware of who Jared is and who the family are.

[JDPriestly]

9. Yes, I read that Dupnik questioned whether Loughner had not

been charged because of someone's intervention.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. So the sheriff is supposed to watch people that seem a bit off?

What if your neighbor calls the sheriff and reports you seem crazy?

You need to think this out.

[Mark Maker]

7. I guess you're probably right

Especially since it's been reported that some of the complaints came from Jareds teachers and you know how they can overreact. I'll wait for some more reliable people to come foward.

[bettyellen]

11. the teachers would have to have very good evidence he WAS a danger- not that

they had a "funny feeling" about it. They have to bring evidence to court- and gibberish doesn;t cut it.
You have no clue about how these things work, perhaps you need to educate yourself in that regard.

[Mark Maker]

16. Oh no, I understand. Loughner's community college teacher

Who "claims" he was looking over his shoulder all the time when he was at the blackboard, and complained to the administration about this goofball was just having "funny feelings". And when the administration politely requested that Jared produce a positive mental evaluation to continue at the institution it was all because they have no clue.

Let's face it, We're not talking Harvard or Yale here are we.

[bettyellen]

19. it has nothing to do with the school, it has to do, again... with evidence

evidence of danger. and while the teacher and stundents had the right instinctss, he needed EVIDENCE he was a DANGER and the wherewithall to folllow through in the COURT system. It's a high standard. so they did what they could to remove themselves from a perceived danger. Understandable. Unfortunate.

saying really really oddball things is not enough, menacing looks are not enough. I have not heard what else he did, but again it;s not enough - someone would have to follow through with a complaint, petition in court. his parents, if anyone, who were afraid of what he;d do, probaly has access to more evidence than anyone.

All this is equally true of Harvard or a community college.

[sabrina 1]

24. The college should have called the police and had him removed

and taken to a hospital for evaluation. That is what happened to someone I know who was disruptive in his college class, just once. He was removed and taken to the psychiatric ward at a local hospital for evaluation. He had not done anything other than be disruptive. But it was evident that something was wrong with him. He was diagnosed with paranoid schitzophrenia and put on medication.

In this case the college handled it differently. They let him return to class over and over again before, apparently calling his home. If the teacher was looking over his shoulder, as were other students in the class, the smart thing to have done would have been to call the police.

Rather than subject himself to an evaluation, Loughner did not return to school. How is this the fault of the local police, and especially the Sheriff? Did the college call the police?

[JDPriestly]

8. The sheriff can't just arrest someone without probable cause.

He probably needed to be able to charge the person with something.

Also, the police may have gone to the house because they were called about something else -- such as a different family member. There have been suggestions that an additional family member was a very angry person. Police are often called regarding matters involving domestic violence, so that is also a possibility.

In an early interview, the sheriff suggested that Loughner had a bit of a record. I believe I read there were charges of graffiti or something like that. We will have to wait and see. Your speculation is unfounded so far.

[Turborama]

10. "covering his ass" by speaking the truth?

That's a new one.

[Judi Lynn]

12. The right is trying to discredit Dupnik because he publicly called them on their vicious rhetoric.

Yet as they attempt to slander him, implying he wasn't doing his job correctly for not getting there before this guy pulled the trigger, they forget they have ALWAYS claimed they want government totally OUT of their lives, and made incredibly small, so infantile thugs like them can make their own rules with no interference. Just like their fantasy "Old West" world.

[Raksha]

13. Why is this being posted at DU? The blame-Dupnik card is being exploited to the hilt

by the wingnuts on another forum I frequent. They have been at it for two days now. It seems any sheriff who is actually a human being and not a fascist storm trooper is breaking caste, and that just sends them ballistic.

[Judi Lynn]

14. Sad, isn't it? Sad, yet true to perverted form. n/t

[Mark Maker]

17. No, it's because if Dupnik is incompetent and is in anyway

responsible for 6 people dead and 18 wounded, including Rep Giffords, I could give a crap if he's Repuke, Dem, Indy, Commie or whatever.

I guess I'm just funny that way. Maybe I'm supposed to be more partisan here.

[bettyellen]

20. Ha ha ha. You are funny, and ignorant of the role of LE here. The ignorance is hilarious.

[Wednesdays]

28. Oh, no, no. Mark Maker is not ignorant at all, and knows EXACTLY what he's doing.

:think:

[Ikonoklast]

27. So, you want people arrested without cause?

Or, a person that has every legal right to purchase a firearm, one that hasn't been adjudicated mentally incompetent by law, to be arbitrarily turned down?

Which is it?


And exactly how was the sherriff supposed to stop this from happening?

Pre-emptive arrests?

Detaining a suspect without cause?

Thought crimes?

I thought you guys were real big on individual rights.

You already know where the SC stands on this issue, don't you?

Talking points will take you far in life, one day you may even leave Mom's basement.

[seabeyond]

31. then everyone that implies, suggests, promoting lockin and loadin should be arrested

so cops are sure to be doing their job ensuring that any preceived threat is stopped before it begins? ok. i know i am cool with that seeing how i dont threaten.... how many rwers will be swooped down upon.... right now.

your base will be getting smaller and smaller.

[JDPriestly]

15. The CIty of Tucson has a police department.

http://tpdinternet.tucsonaz.gov/Organization/Chief_Villasenor.html

Sheriff Dupnik is with the Pima County Sheriff's Office.

http://pimasheriff.org/

The Toscana shopping center was, from what I can tell, within the city limits of Tucson.

Hard to say why Sheriff's office was handling public relations on this matter. I don't know enough about the organization of the city and county to say. Maybe someone else knows.

[cali]

21. something stinks alright and it's wafting from your op.

[mod mom]

22. + 1.

Poor attempt at that.

[seabeyond]

25. yup. nt

[jakeXT]

23. I hope we see or hear the calls in the future

[hay rick]

26. Unrec.

[Kalyke]

29. You'd think the NY Times would know the difference between police and deputies.

If it was, indeed, the "police" who went to Loughner's home, then Dupnik would not necessarily know anything about the calls and Loughner's actions because Dupnik is the SHERIFF and the people working for him are DEPUTIES.

Who went to Loughner's houuse? The Tucson Police Dept. or the Pima County Sheriff's Dept.?

So, NY Times reporters - how can this news suggest that deputies knew anything if it was the police department?

[disillusioned73]

30. Wish I could unrec, but my window passed...

so let me say this. BOOOOO!!

[r54w32]

32. O.P., I'll just leave this here.

It seems to fit your post so well.

http://tinyurl.com/4r9ddr3

Cheers,say hi to Karl when you see him.