> One of the things that stuck out at me was the huge amount of hours they spend training to "not" shoot, and learning how to de-escalate situations.
I think that the likelihood of civilians being armed in the US is a lot higher than in Germany, so I can imagine why American cops are a little more paranoid. I've seen cops put a hand on their gun as they approach suspects, which I think is part of the training here.
I wonder how many cops in America get killed in line of duty compared to Germany.
I don't want to argue with anyone, but I've always felt if police officers were given better training, and maybe required a bit more than a high school diploma, say an AA in psychology; we wouldn't have these posts? By better training, I mean less paramilitary emphasis?
I'll admit, I'm tired of the endless pullovers--for no reason other than driving an old car, or out past 10:30 p.m.
I'm tired of the Revenue Collection(that's not their fault! We need to tie income to violations in the United States, or lower fees altogether?) A rich man get a ticket--he tell the wife at dinner. A poor man gets a ticket; it just might be the last straw?
I'm just tired of being scared when they are around!
I don't think things are going to change for a long time. All I rely on is dash cams at present. No need for spending more than 20 bucks at Amazon? Those cheap ones work, and last a long time. Buy two--in case one breaks? I had on going over a year now. I haven't been pulled over since? Maybe I don't do out like I used to, or they see that little screen flip down?
When I was growing up in LA in the 80s, several family friends were cops in rougher areas like Hawaiian Gardens, etc. I recall hearing multiple times that engaging with violent force was discouraged because they never knew what kind hellfire was going to erupt. They proceeded with extreme caution and did not act like warrior cops. If there was any doubt, they backed way up.
Now, I'm well aware of the sins of LAPD in that era, but with regard to use of violent force and this damned finger-on-the-trigger mentality, I really feel like this has been a post-2003 evolution in tactics. It wasn't always like this. I don't remember being nervous about getting shot during a traffic stop. Hell, I can even recall two distinct occasions where SWAT was deployed to my house because I had hit the emergency button on my phone (rediculous, I know). In those cases, guns were drawn, but they weren't aimed and extreme caution was taken.
Kinda funny. I was about 10 and after the button was hit, it went on speaker and dispatch was listening for ~10 minutes trying to figure out what was going on.
The vast majority of U.S. guns are in private collections and don't kill or threaten anyone.
The U.S. doesn't have a gun problem; we have a violence problem. If one magically made every single firearm disappear tomorrow, the murder rate would still be ridiculously high, because we'd still be finding ways to murder one another.
And highly restricted. People are not allowed to carry, concealed or not, unless they are on their their way to and from hunting, for example. At home they have to be locked up in a safe. And so on.
I think that the likelihood of civilians being armed in the US is a lot higher than in Germany, so I can imagine why American cops are a little more paranoid. I've seen cops put a hand on their gun as they approach suspects, which I think is part of the training here.
I wonder how many cops in America get killed in line of duty compared to Germany.