I was a police officer in Columbia, Missouri, for 3 years where I was under fire once and arrested a burglar at a gas station armed with a hatchet in the night. I faced gangs / demonstrators a few times and a few people who were very dangerous felons. I drew my pistol and readied the shot-gun in a few dangerous situations but never fired. Just facing my guns was always enough to defuse the situation because they knew that I was prepared to fire if necessary. I carried mace on my belt but never used it. I did "whop" a couple of guys with my night stick with no serious physical harm other that a few cuts and bruises to them. It really seems to me that the cops of today tend to be bullies and thugs who shoot just because that they think that they can get away with it and they believe that it makes them look "macho". Over half of the police officers in the USA didn't have what it takes to graduate from high school; they have equivalent certificates instead (GED). I think that psychological tests should be administered before hiring and that non-high school graduates should not be armed to begin with. It's not that I believe that people with a GED are necessarily lesser people but that their mental capacities are not such that they should be making life and death decisions. The educational requirements and psychological requirements for cops are far too low to allow them to carry weapons and make such decisions. The pendulum is swinging in the right direction at present, thanks to mass demonstrations, but it has a long way to go to reach common sense. The decision about whether or not to shoot should be based upon "do you HAVE to shoot this person" and not "just because I can."
I was a police officer in Columbia, Missouri, for 3 years where I was under fire once and arrested a burglar at a gas station armed with a hatchet in the night. I faced gangs / demonstrators a few times and a few people who were very dangerous felons. I drew my pistol and readied the shot-gun in a few dangerous situations but never fired. Just facing my guns was always enough to defuse the situation because they knew that I was prepared to fire if necessary. I carried mace on my belt but never used it. I did "whop" a couple of guys with my night stick with no serious physical harm other that a few cuts and bruises to them. It really seems to me that the cops of today tend to be bullies and thugs who shoot just because that they think that they can get away with it and they believe that it makes them look "macho". Over half of the police officers in the USA didn't have what it takes to graduate from high school; they have equivalent certificates instead (GED). I think that psychological tests should be administered before hiring and that non-high school graduates should not be armed to begin with. It's not that I believe that people with a GED are necessarily lesser people but that their mental capacities are not such that they should be making life and death decisions. The educational requirements and psychological requirements for cops are far too low to allow them to carry weapons and make such decisions. The pendulum is swinging in the right direction at present, thanks to mass demonstrations, but it has a long way to go to reach common sense. The decision about whether or not to shoot should be based upon "do you HAVE to shoot this person" and not "just because I can."