Excaliber wrote:If officers ordered every motorist stopped for very minor vehicle and traffic offenses like this one to keep their hands in sight, there would be a sharp increase in complaints from the public and lots more stops that escalated into verbal and physical confrontations.jamisjockey wrote:Suspect pulls gun on cop, cop returns fire. NSFW language in the video
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-a ... 002e0.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Complacency kills. Really looked like the officer was slightly complacent in dealing with the suspect. For him to have his gun out that quickly, he must of had his hands out of sight. The officer should have made sure he had his hands in plain sight, and was really lucky.
Lesson for the ChL holder? Watch the hands!
On the other hand, not doing so makes it possible for a stopped motorist who exhibits no other warning signs to initiate a surprise firearm attack on an officer. On every stop, each officer must be prepared to react instantaneously to deflect or evade an initial attack and change from courteous inquiry to using deadly force, as was the case here. This officer's outstanding performance in this regard clearly saved his life.
Each stop is different.
Each one involves a judgment call.
Each judgment call has to be right.
An officer only has to do this without making any significant errors a few thousand times during his career.
This is just one of the many joys of police work.
Its a tough, tough job. I'm not belittling the officer in the least bit.