In regard to the recent article “A Matter of Life and Death” I reject the idea in the article that police should leave someone who is under the influence, violent, and armed at their home if they are alone. As a citizen of the county, I ask the police not to back down from that but to do what they can to restore order and preserve life, understanding that sometimes that might not happen.
The bigger issue the article discussed is less firearms training for officers. Training is not a zero-sum game. It is not like you do firearms training therefore you do not learn de-escalation. That is a weak argument and dangerous for all of us. Also, having been a shooter (I was an Army Green Beret. I have a couple of combat tours), I can say that shooting is an attritable skill, meaning it degrades with lack of practice. Cops may have to shoot someone between other people. Most of us hunt but if we miss the deer between the trees, it is only a lost bullet. Now add people standing behind the target and windows. Add other people. Everyone in the situation has an influence on its outcome.
Ask yourself this: When the cop pulls his gun do you want the officer very proficient at shooting or would you accept someone at the bottom of his or her game? Will you accept the cop saying, “my bad, I had to blow off the range time for de-escalation training?”
What if we opened up an in-patient rehab center here or expanded in-patient mental health in this county? What if we citizens own the problem and the solution? The cops will help us.
Joe DeCree
Whitefish