Comments on: When to use deadly force? Good question

By: Tim Anderson

Tim Anderson — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:39:17 +0000

Outstandingly illuminating thanks, I’m sure your trusty audience would likely want more articles similar to this carry on the excellent hard work.

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By: leehallfae

leehallfae — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:48:04 +0000

Good question and a good answer by Brian O’Neill.

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By: BlaineCGarver

BlaineCGarver — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:38:51 +0000

Sometimes I think that if the bad guys had a reasonable expectation of being hurt while plying their trade, they might pick another line of work.

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By: geeterpontiac

geeterpontiac — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 00:25:38 +0000

Good piece.

Along the same lines (law enforcement) you might gather some info on how our law enforcement agencies view people taking videos of their activities.

Many of us would love to heard what they have to say.

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By: OlderGuy

OlderGuy — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:56:54 +0000

Well done, sir. In discussions I’ve heard many people express thoughts and ideas about what police/military should or should not do that have been so heavily tainted by the unreality of TV. I often hear people talk about shooting guns out of hands – something that is almost impossible for even the above average marksman. But it’s easy to do on TV when you’re shooting blanks, have a special effects crew backing you and have the opportunity for multiple retakes. Let’s not even touch people’s expectations of DNA/fingerprint tests in 5 minutes or less.

I look forward to your future articles.

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By: Whatever1214

Whatever1214 — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:13:23 +0000

Scott0962…. I suggested this topic for Brian to explore. I did not ask him to explain why police were not trained to shoot a weapon out of someones hand, I asked him to explain why they don’t. I spent 10 years in law enforcement and was, at one time, an instructor at the police academy. I know why police don’t shoot to wound or use warning shots or try to shoot a weapon out of someones hand.

After any story in the TNT about a police shooting there are always comments from readers asking why the police did not shoot to wound or shoot the gun out of the guys hand. I thought it would be informative if Brian went into detail and explained the reason for the training.

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By: yid

yid — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:50:17 +0000

Dear Brian,

I understand. My point was, in some cases, the ability of LE to use their communication skills to end confrontations in non-violent fashion seems to have decreased as the technology for less-lethal, (but, still possibly lethal) options have become available to officers.

Thank you for your thoughtful writings.

Best,

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By: Brian O'Neill

Brian O'Neill — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:00:01 +0000

Yid,

If I had gone into great detail on this scenario it would have been a 5000 word dissertation. I was trying to answer the shoot-don’t shoot question, and I feel a tangent into verbal commands could have been distracting from this point. Verbal commands would be an important part of the scenario, but so are many other aspects I left out for the sake of brevity.

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By: yid

yid — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 19:06:22 +0000

Brian, in your scenario the verbal commands for the suspect to, “drop what was in their hand” was complied with by the suspect. Why were no follow-up commands given to, “get on the ground” so the suspect could be handcuffed to minimize the chance that lethal force had to be used?

Do you believe that one of the tools Law Enforcement uses is communicating with the public, including suspects has been overlooked in this scenario?

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By: scott0962

scott0962 — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:56:56 +0000

Someone actually asked why police aren’t trained to shoot weapons out of suspect’s hands? That’s just mind boggling.

My response would have been something along the lines of: “I suggest you turn off the television, put down the video game controller, take off the 3D movie glasses and get to a firing range and learn how to shoot a gun then sign up for some shooting competitions so you can begin to understand the difference between Hollywood special effects and reality!”

Your answer was much better, Brian.

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