60 Minutes II Police Snipers

[Double Tap]

To any who watched:

The news television magazine, 60 Minutes II, that aired 1/30/2001 at 9:00pm on CBS, featured a piece on Police Snipers. I was wondering if any of you caught it and if you did, what your thoughts and comments were about the segment? I thought it was pretty good, maybe a bit brief, but then again, I'm just a college student with no LE or MIL experience.

Thanks,

Dane

[Sharky]

My opinion: Despite the constant badgering of that piece of shit reporter who tried to provoke him into saying something dumb, David Rodriguez, didn't take the bait. His part of the interview was intelligent, eloquent and professional. I was HIGHLY impressed with this guy. Matter of fact, my mission for tomorrow is to find his e-mail address and give him a cyber pat on the back for representing us so well! HOOAH!!!!!

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F.I.D.O.

[ANACONDA]

IT WAS A GOOD PIECE, EXCEPT FOR THE REPORTER TRYING TO MAKE THE SNIPES LOOK "UNSTABLE".
I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO TRAIN AT THUNDER RANCH.
MAYBE I'LL TAKE MY WIFE THERE ON OUR SECOND HONEYMOON......LOL !

IF ANY YOU GUYS KNOW ANY CADENCE SONGS SEND THEM (E-MAIL) TO ME, I'D REALLY APPRECIATE IT.



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"When You Have them By the Balls, Their Hearts and Minds Will Follow"

[WS-G]

Thunder Ranch is definitely on my "must-attend-someday" list.

Like Sharky said, an excellent job was done of not taking the bait.

Likewise, the Albuquerque (NM) chief-of-police did an excellent job of showing his true colors as a liberal-leaning bureaucrat.

[Erick]

I thought the piece 3was balanced, in spite of 60 Minutes efforts to make it otherwise.
Gawd Bless Clint Smith for his "Some people need to be shot" line!

Erick
(multiple Gunsite & Yavapai grad who'll get to TR someday)

[RogueExec]

Sharkman, if you find his email, share it will ya? That guy deserves kudos BIG TIME for keeping the media where they belong with regards to LE: uninformed and not "needing to know".

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Never under any circumstances take a sleeping pill and
a laxative on the same night.

[Swat1]

Although I am not a sniper, as a whole I thought it was a good piece. The story was very objective and balanced and presented both sides thinking, albeit the liberal tree hugging/hippie/suspect lovin view came from within our own (the Albuquerque, NM Chief of Police). David Rodriquez did an outstanding job during the interview and Clint Smith's "Some people need to be shot" line was an excellent way to end the piece.

Swat1*

P.S. I think I am going to start sending our snipers to Thunder Ranch.

[drunyon]

I thought the show was pretty balanced also.

In discussing the segment with a Sniper friend of mine, I learned a rather interesting tidbit that was just plain bizarre.

I am told, but have no first hand knowledge, that the New Mexico sniper that took out the bank robber holding the hostage had taken out another bank robber in previous years...who was holding...GET THIS...the SAME female bank teller hostage. Yep...the same woman was taken hostage in two different robbery attempts...and the bad guy in both heists was taken out by the SAME sniper.

Hell...they could have done a whole hour on that aspect alone, but it was never mentioned.

Amazing and Interesting!

[Swat1]

At Basic SWAT school they showed us that same video, in both real time and slow motion. It's pretty wild what a .308 round will do to the human head. We watched it several times in slow motion...for the training value... http://www.specialoperations.com/ubboard/wink.gif

Swat1*

[Sharky]

Yeah, except for that part where he fired two rounds into the wall in front of him. Oops. Ya gotta remember that there is a difference between line of sight and line of bore.

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F.I.D.O.

[MrPotatoHead]

I thought the reporter was trying to bait Clint Smith and Steve Rodriguez. I am fortunate enough to have worked with Steve in the past and they picked the wrong sniper to try to bait. He's intelligent, articulate, and a total professional. Clint Smith seems to have the same attributes. Too bad for the liberal media.

[WS-G]

Originally posted by Swat1:
We watched it several times in slow motion...for the training value... http://www.specialoperations.com/ubboard/wink.gif

And I thought Faces of Death was merely light dinnertime viewing. A very rare steak with a side of linguine-and-marinara-sauce are a must on the menu, of course http://www.specialoperations.com/ubboard/biggrin.gif

[Sharky]

Mrpotatohead, Can you get his e-mail address? Several of us here would like to e-mail Officer Rodriguez and congratulate him. Thanks.

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F.I.D.O.

[RogueExec]

Strikes me funny that we're making such a serious request of a guy named MrPotatoHead. No flame --- just phunny.

[jcollettusa]

I still have one problem that Sharky mentioned earlier, What in the Hell was he doing to miss that badly? If he hit the wall next to him, it obviously was not his range estimation, therefore, it had to be his marksmanship skills or one hell of a windy day, which really should not matter.

[Swat1]

It takes about 15 feet for the scope and line of the barrel to match up. He was on top of a building with a small concrete "lip" around the top, although he could see the target through the scope his barrel was pointed into the "lip". He fired both of the first shots point blank into the lip without realizing it until the second shot missed. Then he readjusted bringing the barrrel of the weapon over the lip and neutralizing the threat. So really his marksmanship etc. had nothing to do with it, Basically he pulled a bonehead move with the excitement of the moment which I am sure he has never lived down.

The instructors used this tape to one, show the effectiveness of a sniper and two to illustrate the usefulness of paying attention and not getting tunnelvisioned.

Swat1*

[MrPotatoHead]

Sharky,

He retired and is not with the department anymore. I don't have his e-mail address (It's not like we were tight or anything. He was a salt when I was a rook and then he got promoted.) and would not feel comfortable giving it out if I did. He's doing a lot of teaching now and I would suggest attending any course he teaches. I feel really fortunate to have been able to be trained in the academy by him and to run into him on occasion at briefing/in the field. He's a plethora of knowledge.

Swat1,

I think Sgt. Rodriguez is the hardest on himself about what happened with the wall. That is that reason that we must let him "Live it down" because he won't let himself. He is an ordinary guy, with extraordinary skills/training who was placed in many unreal situations and he made a mistake. It was a mistake he learned from, we can all learn from, and still do thanks to videotape and Sgt. Rodriguez. The lady at the bank has Sgt. Rodriguez to thank for her life and we all have him to thank for a training opportunity. I think the only "Bonehead" thing to do would have cover the whole incident up and not allow others to learn from it. I'll bet not one single person who has been trained using that tape as an example will ever make the same mistake. Thanks Sarge for helping us!

Rogue,

I agree, never take Mr. Potato Head seriously. He married a spud.

[Swat1]

MPH,

I hope you don't think I was being critical of Sgt. Rodriguez because I was not. When I said bonehead move, I am talking about those types of incidents that all of us (including me many times) have caused especially when excited and under great stress. In no way was I being critical of Sgt. Rodriguez, we watched the tape to learn from it and learn we did.

Swat1* (whose made many a boneheaded move)

[This message has been edited by Swat1 (edited 02-05-2001).]

[RogueExec]

<--------Bonehead-Move-Maker

[MrPotatoHead]

Swat1,

Sorry if I sounded critical of your post as well. I sometimes forget who I am dealing with as I mostly deal with S***heads who talk trash about everything. Currently I am being lambasted by a bunch of idiots because we have not caught Darrin Shane Chubbock yet. I wish Steve were still around for the probable callout there is going to be on that SOB when we find him.

Oh, by the way, I don't even rate being a "Bonehead", just a potato head. (It's all mushy inside.) I can always hope to attain at least that level of competence!

[This message has been edited by MrPotatoHead (edited 02-05-2001).]

[Sharky]

Yep, that guy is a true piece of shit. I'm sitting here staring at his wanted poster as I type. He looks like an e-type silhouette to me.

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F.I.D.O.

[RogueExec]

Sight, Acquire, Fire, Sharkman.

[MrPotatoHead]

Yes he is. His Mommy was interviewed by a local paper here. Says he won't be taken alive but he's really a "nice boy". He was to the ripe old age of 12 when he got arrested the first time and then stayed out of trouble until he was 15 or so. Really nice kid, pillar of the community, etc.

[MrPotatoHead]

Byron Shane Chubbuck: In custody and in the hospital.