Am I wrong on my view?
Depends. I can see a scenario where both approaches could be successful/unsuccessful. LG said it correctly (spit) hindsight is not something taken into account. We can only review what they did and try to figure out why they chose their tactical approach. There is a ton of training for active situations and basically officers are told to confront the shooter rapidly, even to their own detriment. Again, I dont know why they did what they did but Im in no position to judge. Basically, I can understand your views, a layman, but if we take emotion out of it and look at everything, I think you'll remain saddened, but enlightened.
I have a question, do you think all the returning veterans becoming cops has anything to do with the aggressive approach being used these days?
When the **** hits the fan, you default to the level of training that you have mastered. So when police situations break down, are these officers defaulting to a combat approach mindset which utilizes extreme violence of action?
Of course I'm saddened, I'm tired of all the violence from both sides.
I'm not gonna do it. I like you OB, I really do lol
Your premise is skewed. There is not a more "aggressive approach" today. There have always been veterans in the police force. Veterans from far worse wars than the ME wars we've waged. Vietnam, Korea, WW1 and 2. All much more personally violent from a numbers stand point. I would say as military paraphernalia improves so does LE's. Hence "Militarization of the Police Force". A sham, equipment does not make a soldier. The garb worn by 60's era swat teams resembles the 60's military and their tactics.
Not for this.
We expect the police to confront crime. We pay them to do so. We should be very slow to blame them when a kid with a toy gun that was intentionally manipulated to make it look more real is pointing it at people, they react understandably swiftly, and he starts to pull the gun out of his waistband.
That is what they knew. All this Monday morning quarterbacking, from the comfort of a chair and a keyboard, is just not reasonable or fair.
All the complaints I hear from people about this now are some kind of after the fact judgment, based on additional facts that the officers did not have at the time.
I'd say that's debatable. Troops in ww2 weren't on the front lines as long as they are now. That leads to extreme pressure and a paranoia that would be impossible to shake. I have several close friends who have done numerous tours over there and it's not pretty, from what they tell me.
I can't ride with you on the militarization of police. The police are rapidly becoming the standing army the anti-federalist warned us about.
Not a who, but a what. That what was their tactics.
I understand cops don't like to call out other cops, it's cool.
Troops in WW2 fought the Nazi's and Japanese. Some of the most brutal hand to hand combat ever. The deployment times were basically a result of a volunteer army vs a draft. You think a soldier in WW2 had as good of a view or perception of making it home alive vs a soldier in Afghanistan? I'm not in any way margainalizing today's soldier they fought a different war against a lesser opponent and, I might add, rules of engagment that put them in harms way more than it should have.
Your view of this militarization of police is terribly off. LEO's are always reactive, always. This is why we struggle with terrorists. They figure out a way to beat our intelligence and we try to figure out why. The police garb is simply a reaction to society. Plus, it's sometimes free. I honestly don't care how you feel about an officer wearing tactical equipment and neither should anyone else. I can assure you that it's heavy and cumbersome. They don't want to wear it, they need to wear it.
I understand cops don't like to call out other cops, it's cool.
If you agree with that, you have to ask yourself the question. What gave the officers less time?
Also, ask yourself the question, how would a civilian be treated in this exact situation?
I'll say this, at least the soldiers in ww1 and 2 knew who they were fighting. The current conflict actually has no front lines. It's not comparable.
If the equipment is a result of society, violent crime is way down. Why the need for basically a military force?
I take issue with your assumption that this equipment is free. It's not free, it costs the taxpayer millions. Only to have it used against the very same people who pay for the equipment.
All the while, the politicians in Washington are actively trying to render the taxpayer incapable of acquiring the same level of "protection"
It's the cops job to encounter a guy with a gun in the park.... It's not a civilians job to do the same.... The two is not even close to comparable
But these situations happen, it matters not if the person has a badge or not. What would happen to a civilian who shot a kid that has a toy gun? He'd be facing manslaughter charges at best.
The grand juror knows nothing about qualified immunity. Nothing. The facts are presented and a true bill is voted on.