Student Arrested For Using Phone App To 'Shoot' Classmates 706
New submitter Lord_Breetai sends word that a Louisiana high school student has been arrested for using a mobile app to simulate shooting his classmates. The app overlays an FPS-style gun and UI over a real background seen through the device's camera. The student tried it out and then unwisely posted a video of it on YouTube. Another student's parent saw the video and reported it to authorities. Major Wolfe of the local police said, "You can't ignore it. We don't know at what time that game becomes reality. He said it was a result of him being frustrated and tired of being bullied. He said that he had no intentions of hurting anybody. We have to take all threats seriously and we have no way of knowing that without investigating and getting to the bottom of it. With all the school shooting we've had in the United States, it's just not a very good game to be playing at this time." The boy is now facing criminal charges for terrorizing and interference of the operation of a school.
Re:what is happening to this country (Score:1, Interesting)
I fondly remember playing Assassin when I was in school. God, but classes were so terribly boring, we'd do anything for a little entertainment. Assassin was a blast - "kill" your target, usually with an airsoft gun, and avoid getting killed in the masses between classes.
So sad that the adults in the room have completely lost the ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality.
Unsure of reality? (Score:5, Interesting)
Are you unable to discern when computer games have become reality?
Here's some helpful signs for our boys in blue:
Scenario 1: It's quite dark, there are men wearing suits with bright flouro stripes. Jeff Bridges is there. COMPUTER GAME HAS BECOME REALITY.
Scenario 2: You like to play starfighter. You have just beaten the high score, and a man in a hat is inviting you to go for a ride in his car that can fly. YOUR GAME IS ABOUT TO BECOME REALITY.
Scenario 3: You are hacked into a computer. Is it calling itself joshua? Is it seemingly reluctant to play Thermonuclear War? YOUR GAME IS ABOUT TO BECOME REALITY.
Scenario 4: Your life doesn't resemble Scenarios 1 - 3? You life is not a computer game.
Sorry.
Play Again (Y/N)?
Pffff (Score:4, Interesting)
"The boy is charged with terrorizing and interference with the operation of a school."
What's next? Arresting pre-schoolers who point a finger and go 'Bang Bang!!" ???
Maybe if guns weren't so fucking easy to come by the US wouldn't have to arrest kids for being kids.
Fucking idiots.
Re:Really? (Score:5, Interesting)
The root of the problem is that crime rates have fallen dramatically over the last two decades, while the number of police officers has not. The cops don't have enough real crime to deal with, so they fill the vacuum with make believe crime instead. The solution is to either reduce the number of police, or to refocus them on community policing and crime reduction rather than "making arrests".
Will be?? (Score:2, Interesting)
Seriously, what do you mean will be? They are fucked up. This, and the last generation have such an unbelievable sense of entitlement it is shocking.
I am sure some of you have had the misfortune to interview some of today recent grads for a position. Most seem to expect 6 figures and to run the company in 2 years regardless of the fact that they have no useable skills or problem solving ability.
There is a reason why there is so much pressure to increase the foreign work visas.
When I was last working in the US, our company hired mainly engineer from Germany. We paid them more than they could get in Germany and they were happy for it. Our recent grad American applicants were asking for nearly 50% more.
And I have the solution. (Score:2, Interesting)
He said it was a result of him being frustrated and tired of being bullied.
Sue the school district. That's how you shut a bureaucrat up - lawsuits. Because HIS boss will be scared shitless of HIS job. And his boss more than likely reports to a politician.
Kids, that IS how to deal with it. Don't suck it up. Don't get violent. Becuase sucking it up or getting violent just hurts you and allows the bullies to get away with it. (And for all of you who think that bullying made yo a better person, you are full of shit: you either weren't truly bullied, you are in denial or you had some incredible support from friends and family at the time (you were around Saints!) I was told that is was part of growing up and to suck it up - very bad mistake.
Get a lawyer and go to college for FREE and have money left over for a nice house - all paid for by taxes of the bullies parents and everyone else. After all, bullying IS a society problem and what better way to get back at society than lawsuits against what ends up being the taxpayer.
Vengence is green backed up by a court order and sheriff's deputies!
Are you serious? (Score:1, Interesting)
How do you define "fallen dramatically"?
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/17/us/violent-crime/index.html [cnn.com]
Seems to me that America still has WAY more crime, violent crime especially, than other 1st world countries.
http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2012/october/annual-crime-in-the-u.s.-report-released [fbi.gov]
A threat is a threat (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Really? (Score:4, Interesting)
The solution is to either reduce the number of police, or to refocus them on community policing and crime reduction rather than "making arrests".
Of course... I would suggest concentrating the surplus officers in the higher crime areas, and have a higher density of patrols in those areas, wherever those happen to be statistically speaking; and promoting community policing.
Also.... some of those officers could be reassigned from policing the streets to Internal policing; that is monitoring their colleagues for possible wrongdoing; or standing by to assist colleagues, BUT doing other useful work for the people in the meantime --- other useful work such as gathering field data on the streets for research or government planning purposes; outreach programs -- just being present somewhere in uniform or with their car to be "visible" as a friendly reminder to the public to follow the law; in various places, such as around or visiting bars; not to make arrests, but to go around reminding potential patrons about the law; just either through friendly conversation, or by standing about in a place visible to as many people as possible.
They can also put surplus officers on a task of using their brain to think outside the box, and investigate the possible existence of more complicated criminal schemes; such as the fraud involved in Banks misstating the value of their mortgage bonds and credit default swaps leading up to the housing crisis.
The school admins and police are insane (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Really? (Score:3, Interesting)
It really is sad because it's not the profession itself, it's how it's done (in the US at least).
Re:Really? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Solidarity (Score:5, Interesting)
CRIMINAL CHARGES
I'm wondering exactly what law he broke... Really, he had no weapon - just a phone. The next thing you'll hear about is some kid being arrested because he gave a dirty look at someone, because surely he was "thinking" of killing somebody.
I hope a false arrest charge is brought against those responsible for this waste of public resources.
Re:Really? (Score:4, Interesting)
Unfortunately, a teacher also saw this harmless joke. The kid was arrested and expelled from the entire school district.
Re:Will be?? (Score:3, Interesting)
That's not arrogant that's somebody that lives in the US and knows how things work. In order to get a decent job they expect you to have 3-5 years of experience doing the job and that's for entry level positions. I highly doubt that you had to put up with that bullshit when you were entering the workforce.
Around here $30k a year would barely cover the rent along with the bare necessities. The average rent around here comes out to over $12k a year. Want a car? You're looking at an additional $6k or so a year. Even the bus costs $1200 or more a year.
It's arrogant people like you that perpetuate the notion that things aren't bad as they are. Wages haven't kept pace with inflation and gains in productivity in my lifetime. It's all well and good to complain about the current generation being "greedy" but when people are being asked to work harder and harder for less and less, then perhaps it's time to acknowledge that bending over isn't resulting in any improvements.
Re:This (Score:4, Interesting)
Surely a school authority's responsibility is to punish transgressors and protect victims?
In a prestigious private school, I reported my bullies, and I was sentenced to detention (my report was considered a confession) and the bullies (it was a group) all agreed that nobody in the group did anything, so without proof, they were let off without even a warning. They got worse after that.
The problem isn't the government or unions, it's the parents and schools. A very very conservative private school was worse than when I was at public school, so it's not a union or liberal/conservative thing.
St. Mark's School of Texas, if anyone's wondering.