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Please state your police training & the academy you attended.
If the only people who are allowed to question police methods are police themselves, we have transitioned from a democracy to a literal police state. That doesn't mean that the police are always or even ever wrong when they use force, but they are ultimately serving citizens, not the other way around.
Why do people think that the police are mental health specialists? Clearly this kid had mental issues. The parents seem like they just wanted him to 'sleep it off'. You can't 'sleep off' the idea of committing suicide. It sounds like the parents knew he was suicidal because it sounds like they had been through this before with him threatening to hurt himself.
Sorry, but the police have to respond when they get a call like that, and if someone is threatening to kill themselves, they can't just get in their cars and drive away. The police didn't kill him. He killed himself. End of story.
These parents should have gotten their kid actual help sooner.
Some police do receive training in mental health issues. In Austin, TX they have a CIT--Crisis Intervention Team--that tries to respond to issues that may involve someone in a mental crisis. It was instituted after police shot and killed a man who was in a psychotic crisis, not understanding what they were dealing with. We can't expect police to respond absolutely perfectly in every situation, but the CIT is a step in the right direction.
A snowflake who grew up in a sheltered environment is going to have a tough time when they come face to face with reality. Some can deal with it, others can't.
I have a 26 year old son. If he had a bad breakup and was depressed over it and said, "Just leave me alone for a while", I would LEAVE HIM ALONE FOR A WHILE. Eventually he'd get hungry, come down to get food and that would be that. I think the ex-girlfriend called the cops on him just to p*ss him off. It's the PARENTS calling the cops that baffles me. How did they think it would end? Once the cops arrive, they have their protocols to follow. Don't like that ? Don't call 'em.
A suicidal guy in an upstairs bedroom begging to be left alone.
That just screams 'Planning to ambush cops!' ...
How do you know that it wasn't an ambush.
I'm sure NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia thought it was going to be just another average day at work before some idiot walked up to her Police van and shot her in the head on July 5th.
The point is the cops never know who or what they will be facing when they answer the 911 call.
I dunno if the cops did the right thing in this instance. But thats a load of crap you just posted. They do have a choice and there is no need meet every threat with deadly force. Lots of nations have the exact same problems and yet you see them trying to do their jobs, save lives and serve the people. Our cops have become way to quick to pull out the "toys" and go overboard which directly results in more deaths.
"A load of Crap" ? Did I ever say that the cops have a need to use deadly force every time they are met with a threat?
This case had a terrible outcome but imagine how it could have been worse and it does happen.
What if the depressed guy was armed and instead of killing himself (which I don't condone) he took his anger out on his family then hopped in the car and drove to his ex girlfriends home or place of work and shot up the place?
How many innocent bystanders would have to be gunned down for him to feel justified and then in a fit he either kills himself or starts shooting at cops who then put him out of his misery.
This kind of stuff is happening with more frequency and society demands that the Police we pay for stop dangerous people.
What if the Police just let the guy go and he did go on a rampage? The police and town would be sued.
There is a fine and dangerous line that Police walk everyday. I don't blame them for being a bit quick on the draw.
Your source that LEOs are facing ever increasing threats? LEO's job is safer than that of a taxicab driver. A taxicab driver is twice as likely as a cop to be murdered on the job. Of course that's probably because we don't allow taxicab drivers to preemptively shoot their customers, if they "perceive" the customer is a threat. If taxicab drivers were shooting their customers over "perceived" threats, I have a feeling that people would get a little "unhinged" about that too.
It's the militarization of the police. Plus, the guy said he'd shoot anyone who came upstairs to get him. That's what escalated the police response.
Agreed, police culture has become very paranoid. They think literally everyone is out to get them, soon we'll have cops shooting babies in strollers because, you know, the 9 month old baby could be a member of Black Lives Matter and planning to pull out an Uzi and spray the police car. It's absurd. Look, policing is dangerous ... I get that. But the cops are basically declaring everyone who isn't a cop as the enemy. There's too much of an "us vs them" mentality. The police are turning themselves into an occupying army instead of law enforcement agencies.
I also recognize that tactical units have a place in policing. That said, I think they are way overused. I fear we are seeing the hammer and the nail theory in action. Also, the police have too many rifles and military gear. There are apparently some agencies that will issue every single officer with a rifle. Again, the hammer and the nail. In my local agency only patrol supervisors + 1 designated car per precinct will carry a rifle. Maybe 4 or 5 officers per shift per precinct (there are 7 in total). Then they have Emergency Services (ESU) for heavier firepower and tactical operations. I think that's a reasonable approach.
Actually even his parents admit that "the guy said he'd shoot anyone who came upstairs to get him"
If I was the decision maker and it meant losing an officer or letting Jr blow out his brains......bye bye Jr
An excellent point about this extemely sad story but what I don't understand is, aren't local police trained to deal w threats to their lives? Frankly, I thought it was part of the job and that they were trained and in vests? SWAT team for 1 suicidal person in a bedroom with a gun? Overkill IMHO with apologizes for the pun. OF COURSE he is going to threaten harm others if someone wants to take his gun away that he's clutching to. Most people do, especially of that age and male.
I tried to access this related link in comments but it's not working- all blocked out. Maybe my phone. Can anyone else see it?
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