Don't ShooT!..Unless You're the CriminaL

"Every so often you hear of an idea so monumentally stupid you just know it had to have been dreamed up by someone with an Ivy League education."startsCan Tragedy Be Legislated Away?

This is in reference to a bill put forth by New York State Senator David Paterson that would have restricted — to an absurd degree — the use of deadly force by police officers.
"Paterson's bill, which he proposed following the February 2000 acquittal of four New York Police Department officers in the mistaken shooting of Amadou Diallo, would require police officers to use as little force as necessary to stop a suspect's hostile actions or prevent him from escaping.

"...if the bill were enacted, "police officers would be permitted to use the minimal amount of force to [sic] 'needed to stop' a suspect. For instance, according to the bill memo, an officer who is under attack would be required to shoot a suspect in the leg or arm if such actions would stop the suspect from harming the officer or escaping."

"the number of times an officer shoots a person should not exceed the minimal number necessary to stop the person. If one shot accomplishes the purpose, it is neither necessary or appropriate for an officer to empty his barrel."

"...the technical defects of the bill are the least of its problems. Most objectionable is the threat it poses to police officers who would be forced to make the split-second choice between protecting themselves from a violent attack and protecting themselves from a turn in the defendant's chair at a criminal trial. For under Paterson's bill, if an officer were to kill a suspect by shooting him more times than, say, some politically motivated district attorney deemed necessary, the officer could face a second-degree manslaughter charge and a potential 15-year sentence."

"Though Paterson's bill is now history, the mindset that engendered it lives on. He drafted the bill because he was angered by the jury's verdict in the Diallo case and sought a legislative remedy. "I think most people felt the police officers [in the Diallo case] had acted inappropriately," he said Tuesday, "and I wanted try to ensure that such a tragedy would never happen again. While that is still my goal, I realize on reflection that this bill was not the best way to pursue it."

Thus is revealed the politician's impulse — usually the Democratic politician's impulse — to try to avert any type of tragedy or misfortune with a simple stroke of the legislative pen."


While no one sane is condoning reckless and indiscriminate gunplay by officers, many shootings by police officers are acts of courage and even heroism.
Perhaps recruits need to be trained better, particularly when using the Glock semiautomatic handgun, a weapon that requires a high degree of training and skill.

The Glock handgun was meant to serve as an equalizer for police confronting crack cocaine gangs armed with machine guns. The Austrian-made Glock 17 is known for its lack of an external manual safety, which ultimately does make it easier to fire quickly. The pistol carries 17 bullets in its magazine and one in the chamber, tripling the firepower of an ordinary police revolver. And the trigger is much easier to squeeze.
Such a lethal gun demands extensive training which should be enforced religiously by the Department.


Given human fallibility- We all know there will be the unavoidable, unintentional discharges, officers shooting themselves or even other officers accidentally. Police shootings are emotionally charged events, fraught with split-second decision making not to mention- legal difficulties.

Surely that is no reason to tie the Police Departments hands behind their backs.

If the department regulations require firearms training every six months, enforce it. If an officer gets "gun-happy":investigate, and hold this officer accountable.

But by all means don't ask officers to display restraint and discipline in dangerous incidents where drawing their weapons most often means one thing - Survival.



Speaking of the sacredness of human life.. TMH has an in depth analysis of the abortion controversy

To see the video of one of my favorite songs about 9-11.. "Have You Forgotten" check out Liberty Just in Case