Tucson police condemn use of photo of slain officer on punk album cover

[GirlInBrown]

Tucson police condemn use of photo of slain officer on punk album cover

By Alexis Huicochea
arizona Daily star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 01.14.2009


Police call the actions of a local punk-rock band disgraceful after they chose to use a photo of slain Officer Erik Hite to promote their music.
The album, titled "Kill a Cop for God," bears an Arizona Daily Star news photo that shows a wounded Hite lying on the ground with two officers administering aid.
Hite died after being shot by a gunman who led police on a crosstown chase last year.
The Star did not give the group, dubbed Awful Truth, permission to use the photo, Managing Editor Teri Hayt said.
"It's a violation of copyright, and we have not, and would not, give permission for this photo to be used in any way," Hayt said. "We have communicated with the band to take the necessary steps to get the image removed from sites that display and sell it."
A song on the album also pays tribute to "the cop killers" and mentions John Montenegro Cruz, who killed Tucson police Officer Patrick Hardesty in 2003, and David Delich, who is accused of killing Hite.
Awful Truth singer David Stine said the album was put out in December. Its cover was meant to be "dark humor," he said.
Stine said he does not apologize to anyone it may have offended.
"It's a pretty serious picture, and the topic itself is, too," he said. "It's really dark humor, and as much as anybody else, we don't particularly like cops, so we made a song about it."
Capt. Clayton Kidd, Tucson police chief of staff, said he did not find anything humorous about the way the photo was used.
"What part of an officer giving his life is humorous?" Kidd said. "I ask for the community's support in recognizing this is an absolute disgrace to Officer Hite, who gave his life defending our community.
"While they may have certain beliefs that they want to express, the venue in which they expressed it is disgusting, and I'm outraged."
Contact reporter Alexis Huicochea at 573-4242 or ahuicochea@azstarnet.com

[GirlInBrown]

RIP....Officer Hite

Here is the Officer down link from O/R from back in June

http://officerresource.com/forums/sh...ight=erik+hite

[JLK]

may a flesh eating bacteria start at their balls and slowly spead to the rest of their body.

[BigDawg]

May they be slowly dismembered by a serial killer while they scream for help.

[Wolven]

Unreal. I hope the bastard(s) need us some day badly...hope the responding officer drives slow and can't find his location.

[Ace]

Humor? Fuck them. What the hell kind of person can find humor in this...

[IndianaFuzz]

I would hope for the family and dept to sue the shit out of them, but you know this piece of shit band that NO ONE has ever even heard of probably doesn't even have a dime. F*ck them. I trust if the band lives in that area that they will become quite familiar with the local police........

[Terminator]

Humor? Fuck them. What the hell kind of person can find humor in this...

I agree. What a bunch of low life pieces of shit.

[Ducky]

Disable any and all capability they have to dial 911, then let the thugs know it's open season on those idiots.

[CTR man]

The album, titled "Kill a Cop for God," bears an Arizona Daily Star news photo that shows a wounded Hite lying on the ground with two officers administering aid.

Stine said he does not apologize to anyone it may have offended.

"It's a pretty serious picture, and the topic itself is, too," he said. "It's really dark humor, and as much as anybody else, we don't particularly like cops, so we made a song about it."

I've got news for you, Mr Stine. God doesn't like killers either, especially ones that go after HIS peacekeepers. In fact, HE tells us in his commandments "Thou shalt NOT kill." You need to go and read a Bible some time before you really do something stupid. Otherwise you will get your just rewards along with all the other cop killers out there. For I can assure you that the place were you will be going will not be Heaven if you keep up this nonsense.

[10-42Adam]

There's a special place in hell for those lowlifes...

[Odd]

I, respectfully, suggest masking or moving this topic to a non-public area so Google, etc, won't give them the attention they are so obviously seeking; especially from those who least wish to give them benefit from their, evil and publicity grabbing, use of the photo.

May they live to regret this choice.

[TXCharlie]

That is the same generation as the little punks who spoke at the funeral of a friend's suicideal kid last year...

One of them recounted how hilarously funny it was that the dead suicideal kid threw a fish against the concrete on purpose, and watched it twitch around until it died, and how much fun it was to be with him when he did things like that.

Everyone in the church looked at them in shock. You could hear a pin drop.

I can imagine every one of those little ass-wipes putting that poster up in their bedrooms.