The claim of course is “officer safety”. But I’m beginning think that the cops involved are mentally unbalanced. Either they are in a constant state of irrational fear or they just like to shoot things.
There’s a video on YouTube of a cop who knocks on a motel room door and announces “police”. The resident opens the door peacefully, and little dog trots out. The cop immediately shot at the dog (but missed).
That is pretty much the state of things. Power without accountability corrupts absolutely, and it doesn't help that many police are fairly unstable to begin with. Toss in steroids, and you end up with a really bad mix.
One might reasonably ask the question “who wants to become police officers?” Here’s a job where they give you a gun, a badge, the lawful authority to order people around, plus as an added bonus, sovereign immunity.
Could it be, is it even possible in principle, that some bad actors might to drawn to such a line of work?
Oh, but that’s ok, because police departments have a record of instantly letting bad actors go or even criminally charging them when officers are abusive. Oh wait, they don’t? Well, still, other good officers routinely speak up when they see misbehavior on the part of others. Wait, they don’t? And there’s a strong “Blue Wall of Silence”?
Hmmmm