A very surprising report was issued by a group of Canadians investigating a police shooting in 2004. In it, officers were cleared of any wrong-doing in the death of 26 year-old man who charged them with a knife. The surprising part of the report was that the group recommended that front-line officers be issued Tasers. Being pro-Taser is dangerous water these days, especially in Canada.
The best part about the report was the emphasis on de-escalation. The de-escalation theme has been getting lots of run lately, and for good reason. I completely agree that an officer’s first concern when encountering angry, disturbed, emotional, or otherwise out-of-control people should be not to increase the tension but to attempt to decrease it. In other words, rather than going straight for the Taser like so many guys are doing these days, make an effort to calm people down first. If that doesn’t work, then you start looking at compliance-inducing options.
Posted by Excessive Use 