A personal worry: What is standard police procedure in this case?
To our good friends–
The police officer who was shot Friday died yesterday morning. There is a great deal of eulogizing going on in our community and among the police community, as well as hero-naming. Yet I have a concern, a worry, that all might not be as it is portrayed. The worry is this: the police officer was off duty and apparently on a date. The two of them were approached by someone who had a gun in what was described as a robbery attempt. The rest is unclear; police spokesmen have said the police officer followed police procedure. There was an exchange of gunfire and both the officer and the assailant were hit and hospitalized. The policeman pushed his date out of the way taking three bullets. My specific worry: did the procedure require he pull his weapon to stop a robbery attempt? Did this escalate what could have been a mere loss of a wallet to a loss of life? Was he killed as much by the policy as by the bullets? Could the policy be examined to see if the use of weapons of life destruction can be limited?
Is there anybody out there who could tell us what the “standard” police procedures are in these situations?
:- Doug.
