[decimon]

Police training can make all the difference. Despite all the stuff that makes the headlines, the NYPD is usually a professional outfit.

Several years ago I took advantage of a Memorial Day to catch an afternoon nap in my NYC apartment. Didn't last long as there came a pounding on my door. I groggily went to the door and called, "Who's there?" "Police!" was the answer. Dubious, I cracked the door to see two young officers (both black if that matters). They had a report of a woman screaming in my apartment. I'd have right them welcolmed a woman in my apartment but there was none as was confirmed by my neighbor who stuck his head out to see what was going on. That settled the matter.

The cops were professional. They spoke to me normally. They positioned themselves apart to protect themselves as best the layout allowed. They had their hands rested atop their guns, ready to draw if necessary but not threatening or begging accident.

If the call they'd responded to hadn't been a hoax then they'd have faced one of the diciest situations cops do face. But they handled things professionally and did not themselves become the problem. Leastways, that's how I see it.

[Oztrich Boy]

Your suspect may be armed (you don't know yet)

Right. They knock on the door. They do not announce "Police. Open up". Which means they are expecting the legal homeowner, not the burglar, to be on a position to answer the door.

But that doesn't matter. Like everybody not wearing the uniform, he's "the suspect".