Did the police over-react?

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/bomb_scare_in_union_square_1KWUvndCTyL78JEJEWCkMP

A couple of 5-gallon gas cans in the back seat of a car parked in Union Square last night brought the area to a screeching halt, prompting the evacuation of 600 people and briefly trapping hundreds of punk-rock fans attending a concert at Irving Plaza. But it turned out the suspicious car was owned by a gardener who uses gas cans to fill his lawn mower. The call first came in to cops at 10:16 p.m. from a Con Ed worker on his break who noticed the containers in the car parked in front of the building at 4 Irving Place. Within moments, cops and Bomb Squad experts swarmed the area to check out the 1991 Oldsmobile. The cops kept hundreds of fans inside Irving Plaza -- where a Buzzcocks concert was about to let out -- before finally letting them out the back door. "So . . . bomb scare," Tweeted the Dollyrots, the opening band for the punk-rock vets. "We might have to play after the Buzzcocks to keep people here." Residents of apartment buildings and NYU dorms and late-night workers were all sent into the street. By midnight, the owner of the vehicle, who had been at the concert, returned and was none too happy -- especially when he saw that cops had blown out his windows with two controlled blasts. "What happened! What happened!" he kept asking police. "What's wrong? I didn't do anything." Police determined "there was no malicious intent" on the part of the gardener and declared an all-clear. The city had a close call on May 1 when a car bomb left in an SUV Times Square failed to explode. Additional reporting by Remy Braun larry.celona@nypost. Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/bomb_scare_in_union_square_1KWUvndCTyL78JEJEWCkMP#ixzz0nvda0MYz

Maybe I'm wrong but in light of what happened here a couple weeks ago maybe leaving a couple gas cans on the back seat of your car in a crowded place isn't the brightest thing to do. If you have to do it maybe cover them up with a blanket or something. Of of the news channels is reporting that this genius actually thinks the NYPD is going to give him a new car for his troubles.

In reply to Wally:

How much is a 91 Olds worth?

the Buzzcocks are touring? definitely one of my all-time favorite bands.

In reply to nutherjrfan:

I love the Buzzcocks, but I suspect their good touring days were over 25 years ago.

oh I dunno, I finally saw the Psychedelic Furs last year and it was a pretty good concert.

Of course the police over-reacted. That's what they do.

Why the back seat? I keep the cans in the trunk...

Yes the police over reacted. Worse, people in general over reacted. Worse still, people support the over reaction by the police.

This is where people think I've got my tin-foil hat on, because I see this sort of thing is being very bad.

foxtrapper wrote: Yes the police over reacted. Worse, people in general over reacted. Worse still, people support the over reaction by the police. This is where people think I've got my tin-foil hat on, because I see this sort of thing is being very bad.

Shut your mouth or I will bring my jackboots of authority down on your troublemaking neck.

Maybe the 'Olds didn't have a floor in the trunk.

I always am mystified at people using the back seat to carry stuff instead of the trunk. I saw a guy the other day put his gas can in the back seat.

I think the citizen who called it in over-reacted. Cops can't just blow off a call reporting a bomb.

But I imagine a simple look through the window with a flashlight would have shown it was just what it was- a couple of gas cans in the back seat.

I certainly don't miss the post 9/11 paranoia...

At least he didn't have Lite Brites in the back seat.

2007 Boston Bomb Scare - "I'm doing it as hard as I can!"

But at this point, no cop is going to be the one that dismisses something like this and then the next day is blamed by everyone in the country for not treating it as serious when the car bomb is ignited in front of a theater...

I can predict the posts here; "How in the hell could a cop see these gas cans in the back seat in the middle of the city and not think it was suspicious???"

I agree, there was no over reaction in this case.

A few weeks back, I was planning to do some yard work. I had an extra bag of fertilizer, so I tossed it in the back of my truck to return it to Home Depot. I knew that I needed to get propane while I was there, so I went to the barn to get the empty tank. When I was in there, I noticed that I had no gas for the mower, so I threw two empty gas cans in the truck as well.

Then I took a look at my truck, with a bag of fertilizer, two gas cans and a propane tank in the bed. I almost reported myself.

No authority will ever get in trouble for over-reacting these days. Boston is an excellent case in point. So is the TSA. Nobody wants to be the guy who said "oh, no, that'll be fine" and have it blow up in their faces - literally or figuratively.

I once drove a Mazda pickup all over California with two 55 gallon drums of high octane race fuel strapped upright in the bed. Good thing nobody ever called that one in! Being a non-citizen, I would have been disappeared.

By the way, the handling was fine until we used enough fuel to drop the level in the drums a bit. You'd turn into a corner and the truck would take a set. Then the fuel would slosh over, and the truck would take another set. Great way to learn how to be smooth...

Keith wrote: </cite By the way, the handling was fine until we used enough fuel to drop the level in the drums a bit. You'd turn into a corner and the truck would take a set. Then the fuel would slosh over, and the truck would take another set. Great way to learn how to be smooth...

Sounds like driving a fire truck. That another reason why we keep them full.

The answer is no. The alternative is much worse.....

noddaz wrote: The answer is no. The alternative is much worse.....

Like... the gardener comes out later and drives home as if nothing happened. Yes. That would be absurd.

Hopefully NYPD will at least pay for the new windows now required for the car. Yeah it's a '91 Olds, but if it were my car I don't care how justified or paranoid the local constabulary is. If they damage my vehicle and there was no crime I would want it repaired.

See the problem is is that you don't know what is under those gas cans. And, with an attempted bombing two weeks ago anything suspicious may be investigated. I understand this. I also understand very well how and why that the bomb squad doesn't mess around. Still were it my car I'd be some pissed.

The question is whether two cans of gas in the back seat of a car constitutes probable cause. This is one area where I am torn between protecting this country and my fellow citizens. If one doesn't take actions under perhaps unusual circumstances those two gas cans may very well go BOOM, with all the damage to property and life that would entail. On the other hand, let's say Woody drove into town with his truck loaded as he described and stopped to see a movie. A concerned citizen sees the contents of his truck, calls the police, and when he comes out has to maybe explain himself for hours when he was indeed perfectly innocent.

Overall I hope that if it were me and the damage were repaired I would be thankful and not overly upset. Hopefully this rant has made a little sense. Rant over now.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

noddaz wrote: The answer is no. The alternative is much worse.....

Like... the gardener comes out later and drives home as if nothing happened. Yes. That would be absurd.

Like the two cans were attached to a timer that blew up 15 minutes later as the concert let out and 357 people were killed and another 546 were severely injured. Yes. That would be absurd.

Hmmm which one is less of a problem, ignore and hope or do something that caused some people a little discomfort and the city has to replace two windows.

Doesn't the city police auction on Rikers have lot's of equivalent cars he could choose from?

Two full gas cans wont go boom. Two EMPTY used gas cans could. Other things would need to be present in considerable quantities to case mayhem and destruction.

Lets also not forget that if he filled the gas TANK on that 91 Olds it holds more than 10 gallons. Whats next, you cant drive your car with more than 5 gallons of gas? I say the cops over reacted. I wonder if any bomb dogs were called out to verify probable cause? Err on the side of caution TOWARDS personal freedom, If the highly trained fido doesnt hit on any thing, no probable cause.

I am thankful I am not in a position to make the decision.

I'm not in any position to decide either. Part of the reason I'm torn. I can see and to some extent agree with both sides. Just why I'm glad I don't have to make the call.

what about all the cars out there with gas cans cleverly hidden out of sight in the trunk? maybe they need to blow open the trunks of every car just in case there's a bomb in there.. i know that if i was gonna build a car bomb, i'd hide everything as much as possible.

In reply to novaderrik:

TERRORIST!!!!