I was at the Law of Self Defense website, where a commenter using the handle YERONIMUS PRETORIUS said:
You’re demanding perfection in an imperfect world. Where should the cops have stood in that situation, right out in the open where they would have been shot? You’re confusing prudent behavior with suicide.
What chapter in the police training manual, or where in the Peelian principles does it teach police officers to use children as shields? Remember how we slammed Hamas and Iraq for building military headquarters in the same buildings as hospitals and schools?
If police officers honestly feel that it is appropriate to hide behind children and use them as human shields, then I don’t want to hear another cop EVER tell me how brave they are or how they risk their lives. In fact, I would rather that we have no cops at all. Pussies.
In no conceivable way should any US police officer hide behind an occupied vehicle, thus making that vehicle a target. Most parts of a vehicle only offers concealment. Only the engine block and the meat-bags (people, large animals) offer cover.
ReplyDeleteThe officers should have moved away from the occupied vehicle to a better option, or, if no good option available, sucked it up and exposed themselves to protect the civilians.
And hiding behind cover or concealment is not the best way to handle active shooter situations. Over and over, it has been shown that officers must move towards the shooters. Whether it's a school, or an airport tarmac or terminal, or a situation like this. Bad guys shooting? Move to the target. Bad guys not shooting, then good guys can cower and do the whole hostage thingy. But not if the bad guys are shooting. Advance under fire and engage. That cuts down the number of non-involved civilians getting shot.
What is it about the Broward and Miami area that just screams 'screw-up' to law enforcement agencies?
Every one of those threats to actual public safety who hid behind women and children need to be charged for deliberately endangering the lives of innocent bystanders. This isn't some poorly planned missed shot with a bad backstop that hurts someone innocent, this is deliberate conduct to put innocent people in harm's way and should NEVER be treated as anything other than a criminal act.
ReplyDeleteOfficer, if you want to wear the hero mantle, you have to get between the bad guys and the citizens you're sworn to protect.
ReplyDelete