Quote:
Originally Posted by kane
In the US we are a culture of violance and a country that is saturated in guns. Danger can be around any corner. Around 120 cops are killed on the job every year so there is a real danger to the job. That is why I ask. You likely grew up and live in a place with a different culture.
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We have one of the highest gun densities per population in the world, but yes, the culture is differently in every way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kane
Please tell me how you would have acted before the situation developed. He pulled over and got out of his car. The guys stopped walking and he asked them to take their hands out of their pockets. What more could have been done?
Again, the guy was being cooperative. How could they have done things differently to keep the situation from developing? Should they have just ran in the room, tackled him to the ground and kicked his ass? In 1 second he went from being cool to attacking them.
BTW police are trained normally to shoot to kill. If you wing the guy in the leg he can still shoot and kill you.
When you see that there are nearly 400 people killed by the police each year, most of them are situations like this where you, yourself, admit you would have used force.
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First of all, I preferably wouldn't be alone in the first place. In your first example it would have been a matter of speed from the moment I see something "shiny". Maybe I would be fast enough, maybe I wouldn't. Having upper hand (having unholstered gun) I would enforce my command to have hands up in the air.
In the second case I would have done the handcuffing so that he has little change fighting back, and even if a fight would occur, acting before he gets his gun (you know, "martial arts").
Around here police is trained to inflict minimal injuries (regarding the situation). Sometimes it means shooting to death, other times shooting to leg, etc.