Annie
Diamond Member
- Nov 22, 2003
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Most police are very poorly trained. BART cops in the SF Bay area are notoriously poorly trained. So much so that officers will never call them as back up. This Sgt. has changed his story and that is never good. He either royally screwed up and is trying to cover it up ala Mehserle, or he is having second thoughts about the shooting and changing his story to try and make himself sound better. Either way it is a telling change in his story.
I don't know about 'most' police. I know about those around me. Here they hold a BS in police science or they were MP's in military. The departments spend about $100k in training each for first 2 years and they are never alone during that time. So yeah, there are some that are let go, but I'm fairly confident with those on the street.
With that said, if any of them were making a call and shooting their gun, much less killing someone, there would be a very detailed report. Hopefully we'll get a better picture down the line.
They are taught how to be cops which emphasizes paper work. I am talking about tactical and situational awareness. That takes extensive training that is not taught (other than a one day tactics class for the vast majority) to police officers.
The kind of training I am talking about is put on by Gunsite, Thunder Ranch and a whole host of other specialised training facilities. Police officers will rarely be reimbursed for taking that type of training.
Most cops look at the gun as just a simple tool on their belt. It isn't. It is the most powerful tool they carry, and its misuse leads to pain, anguish and death. They are not trained in its proper use no matter how many will say they are.
I feel that ALL police officers should be required to take at least one of those classes a year and yes, I would happily pay more in taxes to cover that expense. It will pay for itself quickly in reduced lawsuit payouts.
you don't know what you are speaking about. Lost all credibility here in my eyes.