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Probability and Possibility
Police officers and sheriff deputies work in a world where possibility takes precedence over probability. There are people out there that will try to kill a law enforcement officer if they can. A shooting incident takes place in a matter of seconds. The second-guessing and misinformation about the decision to use deadly force goes on forever.
The two videos come from incidents in Detroit. The first video is of an arrest a gang member in Detroit who had a federal warrant. His friend who was not involved in the arrest decided to try and shoot one of the arresting officers. Social media posts claimed that the shooter was unarmed.
The second video is of a suspect who stabbed a 77-year-old man at a convenience store over a COVID mask dispute. A deputy found him and conducted a traffic stop.
The videos are graphic.
.
Published in Policing
Arvo,
There is nobody here that wouldn’t like a good joke. The question is whether yours is a good joke. You have the facts in front of you. They are making a felony arrest. His buddy pulls a gun and opens fire at point-blank range. So you think the average cop is supposed to be “the man with no name” and take half a dozen out each with a single bullet from 50 yards away, do you?
Do you believe the facts don’t matter only the narrative matters because that’s what your “joke” implies? If there was no hard evidence (you remember, facts) staring you in the face maybe you’d have an excuse. No way man. You don’t like the facts because they destroy the narrative of your favorite joke. So you ignore the facts and tell the joke anyway and then claim we are too sensitive to handle your special piercing sense of humor.
Knock it off Arvo.
Regards,
Jim
It is my understanding that it is normal to shoot the full clip in these circumstances. If you stop to see if more are required, you might be dead before you can react to the counterattack.
Having lost a friend, a veteran policeman who was ambushed, tortured, and murdered in a hostage situation, I do not begrudge a single shot unless there is clear wrongdoing on the part of the officer. Blue lives do matter. They are precious, and they are often heroes. The Insurrection needs them out of the way for a reason.
Lord bless, protect, and guide each and every one of them.
I remember the story of a handful of policemen in a hallway trying to shoot out an overhead light bulb. Each officer emptied his revolver. Finally one officer got up, walked to the light bulb and unscrewed it.
Added: This was supposedly a true story and not a joke. The article iirc was about training and decision-making under stress.
@jamesgawron
Not quite sure what you thought I was saying.
I hate having to explain the joke, too. But if I don’t tell it right, that’s on me.
A liberal reporter complains that he believes the use of deadly force was excessive with a vaguely worded question. The LEO uses the opening in the way the question was phrased to answer as though the reporter’s question was suggesting that his team did not use enough force. I’m for the LEO and reject the reporter’s premise.
I’d be quite happy with something like that scene in Act of Valor when the two boats come up with Gatlings blazing, in such a situation.
One of the most heartbreaking videos I’ve ever seen was when YouTube thought I was interested in firearms training (I was; I’d been watching certain firearms and ammunition reviews). The deputy had stopped a guy, and after some interaction, the suspect went to his truck and pulled out an M1 carbine. The deputy emptied two clips without hitting the suspect once, and the suspect killed him.
It was awful to watch, and that’s why I’m hesitant to change the subject or make a joke.
I support LE carrying as much firepower as practical into these situations.
Arvo,
Thanks for the explanation. I have always been partial to Gatling Guns myself.
Regards,
Jim
See your Warthog and raise…
Arvo,
Yes, more total firepower but to do the best ground support you need precision. That A10 guy will come in at 50 feet off the ground so fast nobody can touch him (has the armor to protect himself too). He’ll bank and turn on a dime and brrrrrttttt! You are toast.
Regards,
Jim
Ah, the A-10. A gun so great that they built an airplane around it.
I have worked on that plane.
The AC-130.
I worked on part of those, too.
I’m old. And I’ve been busy.
Better than this plane.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVE_Mizar
My favorite flight simulator ever was an A10 simulator game on the Amiga. Having played a dozen others, having a plane that doesn’t fly past the target so fast you get one chance only and so fragile that if a gnat hits the cockpit the plane fireballs. Then get into the A10 with a low, low stall speed and a load out that Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark would envy. The only concern is to recognize when you’ve overstayed your welcome allowing fighter planes to gang up on you. Don’t count on taking out a fighter with your nose cannon and its virtually endless rounds, and if you are down to your last AA missile it’s time to take your crew home.
Sisyphus,
Spoken by a man who knows his A10.
Regards,
Jim
When the Ford Pinto just isn’t ‘splody enough for you.
The end was sad. A bolt that attached the wing strut broke.
The FAA said bad welds.