I would simply say that America has always had guns. Cops have always had guns. The problem, or change, is that more people in the streets have guns and people are less respectful of the police. That disrespect creates a greater tension and need for heavier handed policing, and the cycle continues. I had dinner with a friend whose cousins is a cop and whose brother is a DEA Agent. He said the things being screamed in their faces in these “peaceful protests” is the kind of thing that, in any other circumstances, would get you a slap and fired in the spot in any workplace.
The level of abuse aimed at police officers simply doing their jobs is unbelievable. Now, do I agree that George Floyd was killed by the police officer in question? Absolutely. Send him down for life, no problem. However, let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water. George Floyd didn’t deserve to die for it, but he was NOT a victim until he stopped breathing. Until then, he was a criminal who was going to jail...a place to which he obviously didn’t want to return!
Policing in America is hard. Brutal policing should definitely be dealt with severely. However, the level of public agitation of the police is at a level that is also vastly different than in the UK. As some of you know, I’m a gun owner, government trained, and I have a distinctly different respect for law enforcement than I had. I’ve seen videos where police have been murdered by trying to de-escalate, give the benefit of the doubt, and one guy who had just returned to service after a long inquiry into a good shooting, during which he was publicly castigated. He waited, and waited and waited, trying to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, even after multiple commands to comply and make the situation safer...shot dead, in cold blood, and the guy just drove off.
I’ve also seen multiple videos of the same situation and how quickly a simple change can turn deadly. Guy pulled over, told to stay in his vehicle. Guy gets out of his pick up truck, which has a rifle mounted in the back window (perfectly legal!). Cop tells him to get back in his truck. Guy approaches cop, cop pulls weapon. Guy gets louder, starts walking back to his truck shouting I’ll get my paperwork (Drivers license and car registration). Cop loses track of the guys hands. Shouts commands to show him his hands, while guy shouts that he’s getting his papers.
At this point, cop is looking at guys back, can’t see his hands (overshirt flapping around in the wind) and man is approaching the open drivers side door. THE MAN HAS BEEN COMPLETELY NON-COMPLIANT TO EVERY SINGLE COMMAND AND IS DOING WHATEVER HE WANTS TO DO. Meanwhile, cop has gun drawn, but is NOT in control of the interaction.
At this point, man quarter turns into his pick up cab, reaches in to his right, back still facing the officer, grabs something and swivels quickly to face the cop with his right arm extended: Gun or black leather wallet with DL and Reg???
Cop now playing you bet your life...
Never had control of the interaction. No reasonableness standard would allow him to shoot the guy, even though he is completely non-compliant, originally advanced on the Officer, then retreated with loss of eye contact on his hands, then reached into his vehicle for “something,” then pivoted at the officer with arm outstretched...is a bullet heading his way or is the driver presenting his wallet?
If the officer takes the position that he needs to wait and check to see EXACTLY what is in the man’s hand...and it is a gun being fired...he is dead already.
In short, based on the time it takes for the man to grab, turn and extend his arm, IF the man has grabbed a gun and is turning to shoot him, the officer needs to fire his own weapon BEFORE KNOWING WHAT IS IN HIS HAND!!!
We saw both situations play out and even during simulations, even when you KNOW at least one of the events is going to present a weapon, you are fucked!! You literally have to GUESS CORRECTLY, otherwise you are being accused of murder or signing your own death warrant!!!
So..
A) You wait and it is actually a license and registration.
B) You wait and you’re shot dead at close range.
C) You don’t wait and you shoot him before he gets his shot off on you. He dies, you live.
D) You don’t wait and you shoot him as he hands you a black wallet with papers and you’re prosecuted.
Only ONE of those is even remotely preferable outcome, while THREE OF THEM ARE NEGATIVE OUTCOMES....YOU HAVE A ONE IN FOUR (25%) CHANCE of a positive outcome from any such encounter, and in two of them someone gets shot, and even if it isn’t you, you can expect to be prosecuted, lose your life savings trying to save yourself from life in prison, and ruining your family life forever!
COMPLY, COMPLY, COMPLY...RELAX, RELAX, RELAX...
The officer hones in on YOUR VIBE. Tense, nervous, not following commands, twitchy, moving around, can’t see your hands, window not down, dark in your car, etc, etc, etc...
Stop, lower your window, turn in inside light, hands either out of the window or on top of the steering wheel, palms open, completely non-threatening stance...DO NOT LEAN OVER TO THE GLOVE BOX!
Help the cop and help yourself. Your being pulled because you’ve committed a crime, so don’t think that simply complying should beat the ticket. However, complying, DE-ESCALATING THE EVENT FOR THE OFFICER, and it will greatly help the outcome, and helps the officer be significantly more relaxed. He will appreciate that you have made it easy for him and the threat level drops to 1 out of 10. Lean over to the glove box for your paperwork before he has approached and asked for it and YOU have escalated the event to a 5 out of 10 before a word is said.
There are two sides to how any police interaction goes. Both sides have the ability to de-escalate and both sides SHOULD TRY TO DE-ESCALATE. Unfortunately, that means public compliance with officer commands until he feels safe and in control of the interaction. Do anything to escalate and th Officer starts to feel the threat and things can go bad from there, to include calls for back up, you being classed as a threat, and a strong possibility of removal and handcuffed until the police can be certain there is no further need to neutralize any perceived threat.
Again, one man’s experience and opinion. Like arseholes, we all have one and I’m sure you have your own on mine.
Lastly, during my first full up shooting simulation, I was asked how many shots I had fired when faced with a shooter. I said “3, no 4, because I remember shooting him while he was on the ground as he lifted his head while the gun was still in his hand.” Watched the replay...shot him SEVEN TIMES, 6 before he hit the ground and once on the ground!!! And, the question was asked just a few minutes after the shooting and a quick debrief of why I took the shot when I did, why I didn’t take an earlier shot, or wait, etc... As the adrenaline started to decrease, he casually asked “So, how many times did you shoot and how many times did you hit him?” I was dumbfounded when I watched the replay! I thought I had taken 3 “individual” shots, then 1 more while he was on the ground. Each shot had actually been a double tap, which was an automatic response which we had been trained to do, but it literally felt like one shot.
I tell this story only because until you have faced a gun, and shot to save your own life (even in a simulation), it really is almost impossible to imagine the tension, adrenaline rush, and how you would personally react. For most actual police officers, they go their whole careers and never fire their weapon in anger, so it isn’t a sensation with which they’re familiar, or necessarily an adrenaline shot they recognize and can easily counter. Just sayin’
