Leaderboard

To wrap up, that cop was stupid and should be fired. To make sure YOU don't get shot by a subpar cop, follow the above tips.

Spend some time on patrol with a police officer and you might understand the situation better. There is no other profession, even being in the military, that puts people at personal risk as much as law enforcement. It's an everyday thing. Not saying that the shooting was justified, but I do understand both sides of the equation. I help train police officers, from cadets to personal protection details, and have learned a lot about police tactics. It's been a real eye-opener, and I realize that while such a response may seem excessive to most civilians; the reaction was one of personal survival more than anything. Hesitation will get you killed in that line of work faster than anything, and there is a mantra in law enforcement that goes "action before reaction." I am also not saying the civilian's move to his vehicle should have been cause for the shooting, but it was sudden and just exactly how was the officer suppose to know he was going for his license and not a weapon? Trust me, there have been numerous examples of the latter, as some of the videos posted have shown. Cops are people too, people who want to go home to their families and children at the end of their shifts the same way we in the military want to go home after a deployment. They also make honest mistakes, like many in the military have done; but not for nefarious reasons. I think that is the case here, and as sad as it is; such incidents occur and will continue to occur on a regular basis. I strongly advise everyone to think about their actions during a police stop, I doubt the civilian who was shot every considered that such a drastic move could be interpreted as a threat but from the officer's perspective it was. It is like one aspect of having a concealed carry license, the law in Texas states that CHL holders have to inform a police officer that they are carrying if asked for ID; but one thing several officers have suggested to me was never to use the word "gun" because that is what officers are trained to yell when they discover a firearm. If a second officer is present, and hears that word; he/she may not realize who said it and react as if it was a warning. I was actually pulled over for speeding in the Jeep (as ridiculous of a concept that is!) a few weeks ago and I simply told the constable I was carrying when I handed him my CHL. I also had my hands on the steering wheel and made no sudden moves during the stop (I did find it odd in the above video that the officer allowed the individual to exit his vehicle, that is not normal procedure). If it had been at night, I would have turned on the dome light as well. These are small things that make a bit difference, as an officer never knows what situation they are walking in to during a traffic stop; and if you honestly put yourselves in their shoes you might understand why they are so defensive to such sudden actions by people!

My favorite is when the war on abbreviations rears its ugly head, but of course you still can't use more than one bullet. Wordsmithing at its finest. We do it to ourselves.

Wouldn't it be "chr'd phx egl brd"?

Not at all--hence why I said that this pretty bad, that I hope the cop never gets to be a cop again, that it's good the man is recovering, and that the cop deserves a nice prison sentence. Forgot to add that I hope the man gets a monetary reward for his suffering. I was very clearly insinuating that when a cop is asking you for something, it's smart to not make any sudden movements, especially without letting them know what you are doing first. It's kind of like saying 'but I had the right of way' when driving...and then you get hit by a car and put in the hospital. Yes, you were correct, but you still got hit and are now in the hospital when you could have just let the other car in front of you. The cop was very much in the wrong, however, if the man had shown his hands and asked if he could get it the car for his ID then I have a feeling none of this would have happened. So there's being 'right' and then there's also understanding the situation. The best is to be both at the same time.

Twenty years ago this story would be about a cop bravely defending himself society by killing some guy who lunged at his weapon. Thank God for dashboard cams, now let's get body-worn cameras on the police at all times.

Yeah, this one is pretty damn bad. The good news is that he'll most likely never be a cop again, and even better news is that the man who got shot is recovering. This all being said, there's still a lesson to be learned: If you're going to comply with a LE's directive (if you don't feel you need to then that's a totally different discussion, depending on the situation), it's a good idea to announce any of your movements...just like flying a crew aircraft, communication is key. So if you need to get into your glove box to pull out your registration, tell them that first. I am by no means giving this cop a pass (I hope he serves a nice sentence), but at the same time just because I'm not being aggressive towards an officer while making sudden movements, doesn't mean I want to get shot. Just my $.02 Here are a couple examples of people not being so innocent when being pulled over. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ililCtp0Bk

They need people to put up the UAV TFRs every day.

LFA7 is legit (anyone who has flown in England knows what his name means). He's gotten some great shots in the Mach Loop.

I see what you did there...

"Where are your planes, and can I go there and count them?"

"I agree with what you're saying, but..." Discuss the context of the situation. Don't grab the mic and say: "I'm gonna let you finish, but..." and show a black guy in Oregon shoot at a trooper. In the context of SC, you've come to the aid of a trigger happy black-fearing trooper. Times are changing. Yesterday, this action would have been administrative leave. Today, it is unpaid jail time with an uncertain future. That's the point. To make sure I don't get shot by sub-par cops... is your point, because you'd like to downplay what is happening in the USA right now.