What other job gives you this kind of entertainment?

[greg72982]

The political climate here. The department has had a number of officer involved shootings, a couple pretty shaky. There's been a media frenzy about it for several years now and they no longer differentiate between the fully justified and the eye rollers. Right now nobody wants to be in the headlines for shooting a 61 year old woman.

Besides, I don't know what the old lady looked like, her size, etc. The officer probably didn't see her as that much of a threat even with the cleaver. Had it been full size younger male, it probably would have ended differently.

But a lot of us older, retired guys have wondered about the training today. They seem to be shooting people here not just as a last resort, but whenever they could. There have been several where that had us scratching our heads. One guy just got canned for what at the time seemed odd to me and other old cops. The media went wild over it. Most cops are starting to develop a "bunker mentality". Hopefully, no one will be too hesitant when push comes to shove.

The way i have been taught there are many dead cops who didnt shoot when they could have.

To me 61 isn't too old to slice me up with a meat cleaver, and I sure as hell am not gettign paid enough to be someones chopping block. Add the obvious mental illness and that is even more dangerous. That thing on my right hip isnt just for show.

As with anything though it all depends on the situation. I'm not saying I would have shot but that meat cleaver sounded WAY too close for comfort. Guess it shows the different in old style thinking and new style...

ETA: I'm surprised shootings are on the rise there. I would say it's the opposite now. Guys are afraid to shoot these days thanks to lawsuits...

[retdetsgt]

Guys here aren't afraid of lawsuits. The city covers them and pays the damages. Getting sued was never in the forefront of my mind. Being held as a scapegoat and tried for murder was.

There was another article in the paper today, apparently the old lady surprised him when she opened the door and he really didn't have time to react. They drew their guns and she became compliant after standing in the door raging for a little bit.

The real problem here is they've turned all but the most dangerous mentally ill out on the street in Oregon. There are literally hundreds walking the streets of Portland who are delusional and unpredictable. The do gooders assumed they could keep taking their meds (they didn't) and conservatives were fine with saving the money. Unfortunately, police are left to deal with them. Then they are criticized by "mental health professionals" who equate their contact with mentally ill in sterile, clinical setting with the police's dealing with them on the street at two in the morning.

You can bet this old lady will be given some meds and released back into the community within days.

[Trip]

Yep, lucky she didn't end tits up.

Wow, a cop who speaks in Tango Uniform terms. LOL. On a serious note, this story puzzles the hell out of me.

[retdetsgt]

Wow, a cop who speaks in Tango Uniform terms. LOL. On a serious note, this story puzzles the hell out of me.

Happens here all the time. The fact it was a meat cleaver made it a story. As I said, the streets are full of the mentally ill.

[Trip]

Happens here all the time. The fact it was a meat cleaver made it a story. As I said, the streets are full of the mentally ill.

But it's also disturbing to hear how far she got with the cleaver and is still alive. Since none of us were there, it's hard to know all the intangibles, and what was going through peoples' heads, but that sounds like an amazing amount of restraint. Perhaps she chopped pretty slowly with it and they didn't really feel threatened.

Anybody watching the last miner come up in Chile? That foreman was quite a hero.

[retdetsgt]

No, I think she was pretty fast, but it was quick, no damage and she didn't try again. She surprised the officer and he didn't see it coming or he probably would have shot. Sometimes you can just watch the scenario play out. I've done that more times than I can count rather than shoot although it was legally justified.

[Trip]

No, I think she was pretty fast, but it was quick, no damage and she didn't try again. She surprised the officer and he didn't see it coming or he probably would have shot. Sometimes you can just watch the scenario play out. I've done that more times than I can count rather than shoot although it was legally justified.

Wow, that's fascinating insight, RDS~

[greg72982]

There was another article in the paper today, apparently the old lady surprised him when she opened the door and he really didn't have time to react. They drew their guns and she became compliant after standing in the door raging for a little bit.

Makes much more sense now...