“As for the cops, I think they were probably pushing the envelope on this one. But, that’s the nature of their job. If they don’t they could end up dead as one does every 60 hours. Perhaps they over-reacted some but I think they genuinely thought the car could have bad guys in it. So, Based on what we know now, I support the cops on this one.”
Instead, a lot of innocent people have ended up dead and hurt, because cops choose to be so scared. I for one am tired of innocent people paying the price for cop safety. This isn’t Robocop, and it isn’t Iraq.
DON’T AIM GUNS AT PEOPLE WHO HAVEN’T OFFERED THREAT. It reduces the odds of an accident or jumpy trigger finger. If that costs a cop his life, he is paid to take risks to protect the innocent. Don’t like the risks? Don’t take the job.
Wow!........excellent post/reply!
Let’s dissect it just a skosh further:
1. Your comment/first sentence second paragraph about “instead a lot of innocent people....” I agree with TOTALLY.
2. Your second sentence about “innocent people have ended up” I agree with TOTALLY.
3. But, your sentence about “don’t AIM guns” I don’t agree with IN ALL CASES! For example, a bank robber coming out the front door of a bank. That said, aiming guns at the lady with 4 kids in the car was inviting another disaster. The question is WHEN did they know SHE was not a HE and therefore not the perp they were looking for. I don’t know.
Your statement about “Don’t like the risks don’t take the job” I have said in several previous posts myself, or words to that effect. I think that statement applies for example to the cop that drove up and shot the little boy dead (recently) because he had a toy gun! Or the one that shot the 90 year old man recently.
There is only one answer and that is that these cops that kill people or wound them and are outside of THE LAW as determined by a jury and a judge and prosecutor and defense lawyer should go to jail. Each case is different. Thank god these Texas cops did not open fire.
I kind of take back some of the first sentence of the previous paragraph. Some of these dog shootings (probably 90%) clearly indicate MORE TRAINING and better recruitment/screening is needed. The same goes for PEOPLE shootings. Too many of them are not within policy or the law and defy common sense totally.