Delete comment from: The War on Guns
I wasn’t there and wasn’t wearing the officer’s shoes. I very well understand that the average citizen has no idea how to conduct himself when stopped by a police officer. I also understand that the average citizen doesn’t realize that a traffic stop is one of the most dangerous contacts an officer can make. The officer rarely ever knows who he has stopped or what activities that individual may have been involved in just prior to the stop.
After saying all that; I was involved in more traffic stops, felony stops included, than I can remember. There were times when the driver of the vehicle looked around and stared up the barrel of my sidearm or shotgun. When I sincerely believed I was making a felony stop I took proper procedures to protect myself as well as the citizen(s) I stopped.
I was always aware of the fact that I may have stopped an innocent person and often, that was the case.
I get the feeling that the officer in this case did not take into consideration that he may have detained people who were not involved in criminal activity, and that he let his emotions control his actions.
I learned early on that emotions will often cause an individual to react in an inappropriate manner.
Sad thing – once the trigger is pressed there’s no way to stop the bullet.
[W-III]
Jan 12, 2010, 9:01:51 PM
Posted to We're the Only Ones Unfortunately Incidental Enough