Posted on 07/29/2009 1:01:00 PM PDT by envisio
The Chicago Police Department has instituted a major change in policy regarding the use of deadly force.
Effective next Monday, police officers will be able to fire their guns under circumstances where they previously could not.
The new policy, from police Supt. Jody Weis and confirmed by WBBM Newsradio 780 Wednesday morning, allows police officers to shoot at fleeing vehicles if the driver or passengers are suspected of committing a felony.
The old policy allowed officers only to shoot at vehicles that pose a threat to them or others, such as if the driver were trying to run down the officer.
But now, officers need not be under attack to open fire.
What if there are innocent people in the car?
I see, so we could just eliminate those costly courts and let the police do the entire job. Great...
They should also advertise it far and wide.
“You run from the police in a car, you will be shot at”
I am sure they would take that into consideration before shooting......
“suspected of committing a felony”
WTF?
Double WTF for Chicago cops.
I hear gunshots near me and try to get the hell out of there, and a Chicago cop gets to start busting caps?
I hope they really define “suspected of committing a felony” better. The cop better WITNESS the felony, a VIOLENT FELONY, before resorting to the CPDs unusually low level of training and restraint.
More than likely they will unload their magazines and miss. Hard to shoot under pressure.
That's correct, piss on the Constitution.
This will be a field day for attorney payoffs by the tax payers.
This will policy will be changed back, probably in less than a year.
So the ROE’s for the Chicago Police are now more lax than those for US forces in Baghdad?
Yep, thats right.
Done.
I am a retired Illinois State Policeman. Whatever the new directive states, this action constitutes a use of deadly force, and therefore must be consistent with the SCOTUS ruling in Tennesee vs. Garner.
Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. 1 (1985)[1], was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that under the Fourth Amendment, when a law enforcement officer is pursuing a fleeing suspect, he or she may use deadly force only to prevent escape if the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others. IOW, it must involve MORE than the simple commision of a felony.
In my experience their safety habits are atrocious and their marksmanship skills even worse.
How on earth would they know?
Glad to hear that. Hope the Chicago PD trains to that.
LOL.
Exactly what I was thinking.
And in CHICAGO, of all places.
I think it is more of an attempt to redefine the policy to meet CURRENT PRACTICES.
Thank you, sir.
If a man starts running with a chainsaw towards a pack of people, that would be grounds for deadly force.
Same thing for a man careening his car toward traffic.
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