> One long-lasting byproduct of the Rodney King riots: cops mostly no longer carry batons. <
Excellent point. A baton (with which I’ve had some training) is a great tool for poking, pushing back, and swatting.
Unfortunately, too many cops decided to use their batons as a blunt instrument, as a baseball bat. So bye-bye to a great, non-lethal weapon.
There are some bad cops. But it's a necessary evil. Otherwise, it'll be anarchy. We are already seeing that in California.
Fortunately, I don't live in a blue state.
The underlying problem in the encounter is she didn’t really think the cop would do anything serious to her. All he had was a gun, and she didn’t think he would shoot her.
At home, in addition to guns, I also keep swords. An unarmed intruder may doubt that I would shoot him. He WILL NOT doubt that I would stick him if he advanced at me.