Troups sent to Samson, AL

I don't believe there was any evil intent, but it still worries me that they showed up without an invitation.
Bob
AP Newswire | Stars and Stripes

Army reviews troop use after fatal Ala. shootings

By JAY REEVES
Associated Press Writer

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- The Army said Wednesday it opened an inquiry into whether federal laws were broken when nearly two dozen soldiers were sent to a south Alabama town after 11 people died in a shooting spree last week.

State officials said the deployment of 22 military police officers and the provost marshal from Fort Rucker was requested neither by Republican Gov. Bob Riley nor the White House, which typically is required by law for soldiers to operate on U.S. soil.

Col. Michael J. Negard of the Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, Va., said officials are trying to determine who ordered the soldiers to Samson, who requested them, why they were sent and what they did there.

"In addition to determining the facts, this inquiry will also consider whether law, regulation and policy were followed," he said. He declined further comment.

Former Samson resident Michael McLendon, 28, fatally shot nine victims in the town and killed a 10th in a neighboring county. The March 10 spree ended when McLendon killed himself, and the soldiers arrived in the hours after.

Investigators said McLendon was despondent over his inability to hold a job and his failure to become a Marine or a police officer.

Riley isn't concerned whether the military overstepped its bounds, said Press Secretary Jeff Emerson.

"From what I understand it was a few folks who came to direct traffic or help where they could," Emerson said. "If it had been more than what it was there might be a reason for concern, but these folks just came to see if they could help and left."

The White House press office did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Reporters and curious citizens poured in after the slayings, overwhelming the town of 2,000 near the Florida state line. Samson is about 35 miles from Fort Rucker, the Army's main helicopter training base.

Samson's tiny police force and county officers were stretched to the limit after the shootings, which left investigators with at least seven different crime scenes to check for evidence.

Samson Mayor Clay King said he did not know why the soldiers showed up in town, but he was glad they did.

"The only function they did was directing traffic. They took drinks and snacks to other people working crime scenes," King said. "I'm proud they were here."

Residents said soldiers from Fort Rucker, a major employer in southeastern Alabama, have a reputation for helping nearby communities in emergencies.

According to a summary by the Congressional Research Service, federal law generally prohibits the armed forces from being used as domestic police. Exceptions include emergencies, when troops can help civilians but don't directly act as police.

The chairman of the Libertarian Party of Alabama, Stephen Gordon, said while many are worried about the use of Army troops in civilian police roles, he doubts there was anything nefarious about the soldiers in Samson.

"There is no apparent harm here, but the principle still needs to be upheld," Gordon said. "The barrier has been lowered for the next time, and we really need to take a look at what happened."

Even if the troops were not armed and were only directing traffic, I think there is still a need to determine who ordered them there or requested them.

I know that when I was in the Army, we went to help people during a hurricane, taking GI blankets, sheet, cots, rations and other materials to help set up shelters. At my level, I never knew what the authority was for us to use Army equipment and take our time, and really didn't care if I could help people in need, but I have always assumed someone dotted the i's and crossed the t's so what we did was legal.

Jim

Ain't anyone going to ask?

Who is PAYING for this?

It does sound like a really benign operation but with the recent trend of small town America more and more frequently finding Army troops in their towns for "exercises"; the recent War College paper about martial law for civil unrest and the illegal alien in the white house building his own homey corp....

It really makes anything like this stand out and especially in rural America, there's just too much uncertainty in the country now.

Dan

you are correct to raise eyebrows...but. the base has a good neighbor working relationship with the local rural area. many residents work at the base and have loved ones in the small communities where the shootings occured. i'm sure you know the small communities have small police forces, all fine folks, but perhaps not as well trained and certainly not armed for such an emergency. with cell phones the news traveled quickly, and you can imagine what the conversations included. in panic, terror and many rounds being fired, i, as an alabamian am thankful for response, my 2 cents.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 0311Shooter

Ain't anyone going to ask?

Who is PAYING for this?

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You are "Paying For It", Through your taxes. Those guys are trying to help their local communities, However, People like you are freaked out about Soldiers trying to take care of where they live. God Bless them!

possis comitatus (<-- spelling?) comes to mind

I can just about guarantee that if we didn't have the communist illegal alien squatting in the white house nobody would have batted a single eyelash over this. Its really a shame when soooo many Americans are so (rightfully) worried about what the government has planned for thier future that has NOTHING to do with America that they get sensative to the slightest move by ANY federal power.

Dan

I agree with both Dan and Rooster. I hope that I made it plain that I didn't see any evil, But I think that we must be under constant vigilance under our current leadership. After posting I ran across this piece from the Army Times.
Bob

Geneva County Sheriff Greg Ward said Wednesday that he requested the MPs in response to an offer of assistance from a lieutenant colonel at Fort Rucker for generators, lights and other equipment.

“The lieutenant colonel called our [911] dispatch to say ‘we’re here if you need us,’” Ward told Army Times in a phone interview from his office in Geneva.

With seven separate crime scenes spanning a 20-mile area, Ward’s force of 12 deputies and about 10 more police from neighboring towns, were becoming overwhelmed, he said.

“I thought, let me call them back. So I asked for MPs to come in and relieve our personnel long enough so they could get something to eat,” Ward said, explaining that most of his men had been on the job since 7 a.m. and were exhausted.

The soldiers, he said, were assigned to five highway intersections to help keep traffic flowing and stood guard outside the most horrific crime scene in Samson in which six of the victims, including an 18-month old baby, were killed.

What Ward didn’t want, he said, was for anyone to sneak up and get a picture of the bodies and the soldiers watching the crime scene were instructed to inform the police if that was in danger of happening.

Thanks for posting that Bob. The Army Times article clarifies it.

Dean (the other one)

What? Did they ever hear of the state police? (AL Department of Public Safety). I was a police officer in AL in the 1980s, in our 10 Codes a "Double 0" office down, would literally bring police (city, country, state) from over 50 miles away. They absolutely didn't need US troops. No federal troops should ever be used on US soil unless a Federal Emergency is declared. If one was declared, then fine. If people think it doesn't matter, they were just being helpful, then let's just agree with the liberals and disagree with the US Constitution.

Regards,
Pat

What kind of TROUPS were they? Dance troups, circus troups, or troups of actors?
Oh! You meant TROOPS! NOW I get it!

Thank you Conductor I knew this post was coming, I just didn't know when. Rats!
Bob

The use of the military on or for civilian problems is not appropriate unless the top authority orders it. Even then the military should not be used against any citizen of this country. (Remember New Orleans) The definition of emergency, even for the King in Washington DC must be closely watched by all American Citizens. If we are acting within the Constitution of this country, the military has no authority to act even if the King orders action.