The police should assume citizens are peaceful unless the circumstances prove otherwise. So what if the truck was actually stolen? Do thieves routinely engage in gun battles with the police? Not likely.
I’m not saying police should haphazardly go about their business, but why resort to violence when it isn’t warranted? We keep reading about SWAT teams that burst into the wrong homes, police shooting at people unrelated to the crimes (for simply being in the wrong place or being dressed like the suspects), etc.. How many of these situations could be peacefully resolved at less risk to all involved?
I tend to agree. There are about 60,000 police assaulted by civilians and about 1200 of those involve firearms.
I think they should adopt the same rules of engagement our must abide by, do not fire unless fired upon.
About 20 years ago I was very nearly shot in the back of the head with a 12g by the cops. In their defense, I did perfectly match the description of an escaped convict who had in the last 24 hours killed a cop and two civilians.
However, if I’d made the wrong move when they stuck the shotgun against the back of my neck, they’d have had a real mess to clean up in the convenience store.
There are a lot of bad guys who do not want to go back to prison and will do whatever it takes to avoid being taken alive.
“I’m not saying police should haphazardly go about their business, but why resort to violence when it isn’t warranted?”
They shouldn’t BECOME the hazard to innocents. These days though, it is any excuse to draw the penile extension. But let someone point a gun at them, and they go ballistic.
A SWAT cop did that a while back. Pointed a gun at a woman through her kitchen window. She freaked out and ran, thinking she was under attack. Especially when foul mouthed guys started yelling at her. She had grabbed a gun. The piglet actually had the gall to tell her he didn’t appreciate having a gun pointed at HIM, after he had already freely pointed one at her.
FR rules don’t allow me to respond to officer Dumb##@ as he deserves.
This is what LE has become. Little different than good old Red Coats.