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| Shoot Me! |
I cover use of force pretty extensively in the book, but I've got so many
of these, I could write a book on just this. What has always amazed me,
and what you will come to learn, is how stupid and irrational people can
be. Let's get started on this. You're on patrol on a clear summer day,
and you receive a call for a residential burglary in progress. The
dispatcher tells you the burglar is breaking through the back door, and
there's a woman and a small child inside. As you turn into the alley,
you spot a guy running out of one of the houses in the block. This has
got to be your man, because, when he spots you, he really takes off. No
lights and siren here. He cuts down a narrow alley, and the foot chase is
on.
You're young and in good physical condition, but the suspect is also
young. You never lose sight of him as you close to about 15 to 20 feet
behind him. It quickly becomes evident to you that this chase will end
when one of you wears out. Your suspect is not stupid, for he's listening
to you as you give your dispatcher, and other police officers who are
searching for you, your location. Every time he hears you give a
location and direction, he changes direction. This marathon goes on for
about six blocks; until, you chase him into a school yard. The school
yard thing is no big deal... remember, it's Summertime, and school is
not in session. It's just you and him. You ran it out of him, and now
he's leaning forward with his palms on his knees as he gasps for air.
You're not in any better shape, but you're the cop, so you can't be as
obvious about your discomfort. His back is to you as you look him over
closely. He's wearing a polo shirt and slacks, so any bulges indicating a
concealed weapon would be evident. Additionally, while you were
chasing him, his arms were always swinging. If he had a gun, one hand
would have been close to his body to control the weapon. Back-up police
officers are on the way, so you just want to get him on the ground until
help arrives. You pull your service pistol, and you tell the guy to lie
down on the ground. With his hands still on his knees, he does a duck
walk turn to face you. You repeat the order for him to lie down. You'd
think, as tired as this guy is, he'd have no problem with lying down.
Instead, he stares at you for a few seconds, before he stands upright.
He rolls his head from side to side as he keeps looking away from you.
You've got a good look at him now, and you're certain he has no
weapon. You're also certain that the guy is becoming agitated.
Suddenly, he slaps his chest twice with the palms of his hands and
shouts, "Shoot me... shoot me! Go ahead... shoot me!" Before you can
reply, he starts walking toward you, slapping his chest and shouting the
"shoot me" thing over and over. Can you believe this guy? What kind
of person would be this irrational? You'll learn that a lot of people are
this irrational.
I wasn't about to let this idiot ruin my day. As he took his second step,
I holstered my gun while simultaneously drawing my nightstick from its
ring with my other hand. I took a batters stance and said, "Come on."
It turned out he wasn't a total idiot. That stick stopped him cold in his
tracks. He had taken a calculated risk that I wouldn't shoot him while
correctly calculating that I would put him down with that stick. Now,
think about what you would have done if you'd been in my place. What
if the two of you weren't pretty evenly matched physically? What if the
guy was a lot bigger than you?
This story gets even better. This guy didn't actually commit any crime.
Yes, he did kick in a door, but it was his door attached to his house. His
wife called the police, but she neglected to tell the operator that the
burglar was her husband. You say, "Oh, domestic violence!" Not
exactly, there was no assault. There was an argument, because she'd
locked him out. When she told him she'd called the police, he ran from
the house... a real dangerous husband, this one. I told you he took a
calculated risk that I wouldn't shoot him, but, on the other hand, he
could have been saying to himself, "I'll show her... I'll get this cop to
shoot me."
of these, I could write a book on just this. What has always amazed me,
and what you will come to learn, is how stupid and irrational people can
be. Let's get started on this. You're on patrol on a clear summer day,
and you receive a call for a residential burglary in progress. The
dispatcher tells you the burglar is breaking through the back door, and
there's a woman and a small child inside. As you turn into the alley,
you spot a guy running out of one of the houses in the block. This has
got to be your man, because, when he spots you, he really takes off. No
lights and siren here. He cuts down a narrow alley, and the foot chase is
on.
You're young and in good physical condition, but the suspect is also
young. You never lose sight of him as you close to about 15 to 20 feet
behind him. It quickly becomes evident to you that this chase will end
when one of you wears out. Your suspect is not stupid, for he's listening
to you as you give your dispatcher, and other police officers who are
searching for you, your location. Every time he hears you give a
location and direction, he changes direction. This marathon goes on for
about six blocks; until, you chase him into a school yard. The school
yard thing is no big deal... remember, it's Summertime, and school is
not in session. It's just you and him. You ran it out of him, and now
he's leaning forward with his palms on his knees as he gasps for air.
You're not in any better shape, but you're the cop, so you can't be as
obvious about your discomfort. His back is to you as you look him over
closely. He's wearing a polo shirt and slacks, so any bulges indicating a
concealed weapon would be evident. Additionally, while you were
chasing him, his arms were always swinging. If he had a gun, one hand
would have been close to his body to control the weapon. Back-up police
officers are on the way, so you just want to get him on the ground until
help arrives. You pull your service pistol, and you tell the guy to lie
down on the ground. With his hands still on his knees, he does a duck
walk turn to face you. You repeat the order for him to lie down. You'd
think, as tired as this guy is, he'd have no problem with lying down.
Instead, he stares at you for a few seconds, before he stands upright.
He rolls his head from side to side as he keeps looking away from you.
You've got a good look at him now, and you're certain he has no
weapon. You're also certain that the guy is becoming agitated.
Suddenly, he slaps his chest twice with the palms of his hands and
shouts, "Shoot me... shoot me! Go ahead... shoot me!" Before you can
reply, he starts walking toward you, slapping his chest and shouting the
"shoot me" thing over and over. Can you believe this guy? What kind
of person would be this irrational? You'll learn that a lot of people are
this irrational.
I wasn't about to let this idiot ruin my day. As he took his second step,
I holstered my gun while simultaneously drawing my nightstick from its
ring with my other hand. I took a batters stance and said, "Come on."
It turned out he wasn't a total idiot. That stick stopped him cold in his
tracks. He had taken a calculated risk that I wouldn't shoot him while
correctly calculating that I would put him down with that stick. Now,
think about what you would have done if you'd been in my place. What
if the two of you weren't pretty evenly matched physically? What if the
guy was a lot bigger than you?
This story gets even better. This guy didn't actually commit any crime.
Yes, he did kick in a door, but it was his door attached to his house. His
wife called the police, but she neglected to tell the operator that the
burglar was her husband. You say, "Oh, domestic violence!" Not
exactly, there was no assault. There was an argument, because she'd
locked him out. When she told him she'd called the police, he ran from
the house... a real dangerous husband, this one. I told you he took a
calculated risk that I wouldn't shoot him, but, on the other hand, he
could have been saying to himself, "I'll show her... I'll get this cop to
shoot me."
The way people think...or don't think
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| Copyright © 2006 - 2008 - Barry M. Baker - CareerPoliceOfficer.com |
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The man I confronted in the story above had
no weapon. But...what if he'd been armed with
a gun or a knife? Should I have shot the man?
At what point should I have applied deadly
force?
Police Author Lieutenant Frank Borelli
answers these questions for you as well as
anyone can. However, your decision to apply
deadly force will always be your decision...and
your decision alone. Go to Frank's article
linked below, for you can never get too much
help on this subject.
no weapon. But...what if he'd been armed with
a gun or a knife? Should I have shot the man?
At what point should I have applied deadly
force?
Police Author Lieutenant Frank Borelli
answers these questions for you as well as
anyone can. However, your decision to apply
deadly force will always be your decision...and
your decision alone. Go to Frank's article
linked below, for you can never get too much
help on this subject.
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