re: Auburn Police Shoot Mentally Ill Woman

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And a 36 year old woman getting hit with a taser is not really a "maybe"... She'd need to weigh about 300+ pounds before there would be any real concern that the taser wouldn't stop her, unless the problem is aim

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You fail to include time and distance.

There are just way too many variables here for anyone to say that a taser was the correct choice.

I don't think it's too much to ask of a Police Officer, sworn to protect citizens to disarm a person with a knife without killing them.

It's pretty disturbing how cavalier a lot of the people in this thread are about taking another person's life.

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I don't think it's too much to ask of a Police Officer, sworn to protect citizens to disarm a person with a knife without killing them.

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You should start a Police training company. I promise you that you will be rich when you provide this training effectively so that it's successful in the field.

First though, what is your acceptable failure rate? Different police forces are going to want to know that number so they can calculate the costs of officers dying from knife attacks?

They are going to want to know if instead of using a gun will perps now just use a knife because they know a copy can't shoot you if you have a knife.

There's some work to do but you will get rich if your numbers are attractive.

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Yeah I am pretty sure these same folks would have a different opinion if this had happened to a wife sister mother or daughter of their own.

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And I'm pretty sure these same folks would have a different opinion if they were face to face with a deranged woman with a knife.

Yeah well according to what was reported so far is that there were multiple officers on the scene at the time of the shooting , and if "multiple" officers wearing bullet proof vests can't handle a single female with a knife then they are in the wrong profession.

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They are going to want to know if instead of using a gun will perps now just use a knife because they know a copy can't shoot you if you have a knife.

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Straw man. I'll bite though.

No one is saying that a cop can't use a gun in this instance, but I think it's illogical to state that we shouldn't expect anything different. We should expect more from a L.E.O. If this was a normal citizen and a crazy person, then yes I believe we could expect some level of someone getting shot. But I'm sorry, you can't convince me that a trained Police Officer shouldn't be able to diffuse this type of situation without someone dying.

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Is that vest gonna protect your major arteries, neck, face, testicles?

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frick yeah. Give the officer a spoon and he'll have that knife out of her hands in no time flat without a scratch.

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GTFO. Tell me where in the definition of deadly force it says that the persons mental state is a determining factor in the level of force used.

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When did we get into semantics about the definition of "deadly force?"

Deadly force is a conclusion that should be reached after factoring in all pertinent information, not a response philosophy.

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I used to stand security for nuclear weapons transfers. I've had just a little bit of training in the use of deadly force.

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Apples and oranges. In your situation, literally any threat could and should be viewed as extreme because you're dealing with literally the most dangerous weapons on the planet. That's not the daily job of a cop.

This logic represents a fundamental flaw in the attitude people (and often cops themselves) have about law enforcement. They are not meant to be a militaristic organization, the first response of which is use of deadly force.

They're a supposed to be a life preserving organization... which is why the motto is "protect and serve."


We can argue this all day. But it's interesting that people are okay with abuses/misuses of power at the local level (where it affects them most).

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ots of folks have opinions about cops. Most of these folks have never done the job. But hey, it looks easy so it must be.

I prefer to wait to have the facts before we indict the criminal or the cop. Many don't agree with me.

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Like I already said, I'm normally a cop supporter. I'm waiting for all the facts as well. Everything I've said was in direct relationship to the guy saying we shouldn't expect a cop not to shoot someone in this situation. I completely disagree with that notion. Cops for the most part should be held to a higher level of expectation than the average citizen, they are here to protect us. I don't think it's a stretch to expect a cop in most situations with a knife to not shoot someone. They should at least have the proper training to neutralize a 36 year old woman with a knife without shooting her.