Antiboyscout wrote: ↑Thu Jun 11, 2020 11:08 pmYou can pretend like the early 90's didn't happen, when cops did get stabbed a lot and when these policies got cemented, but it did.
also don't be cute, what is an officer supposed to do if they get maced by a suspect?
What are those statistics on "a lot"? And what possible reason do you think that police in the 90s used de-escalation tactics? Do you remember Rodney King?
And if an officer gets maced, well lets see. Were they:
- Talking
- Walking near the person who maced them
- Sitting
- Kneeling
- Laying down
- Standing perfectly still
- Holding an umbrella
- Near the window of a person's vehicle
If the cop was doing any of those things, then it would appear that it was justified to mace them, and that there's no problems with that behavior.
Maybe escalation tactics aren't the answer.
For de-escalation, the officer now has difficulty seeing. So the last thing they should do is use a gun even if you're a big proponent of escalation tactics.. Bullets have a nasty habit of going through walls, floors, ceilings, car doors, and all sorts of other nearby things that you think are pretty solid until a bullet goes through them. Firing wildly is dangerous to everyone near you, and for bullets, the definition of "near" can be staggeringly long. No few cops have been killed by other cops due to "friendly fire." Unless your tactics literally are "start shooting and fill the air with lead" then don't fire when you can't see is good advice.
So back to de-escalation, the cop should probably retreat to their vehicle, radio for help, and cleanse their eyes as best as possible. At that point they should try to initiate a conversation with the suspect. Lethal force isn't being used here, it's possible (indeed probable) that they're disoriented, confused, and afraid. Given the weapon was pepper spray, it's very likely they mis-identified the cop as a potential attacker. It should be very possible to talk them down without further violence.
If it proves impossible to talk them down, well, the police happen to have gas masks, and the responding officers should have them with them. At that point, a few burly people with masks are at little risk from mace, and can subdue the suspect. That should rarely be necessary. Anywhere from 25-50% of the people who are killed by the police are mentally ill. It's very likely the mace attacker was simply suffering from some sort of trauma or dissociation, and reacted inappropriately. It's obviously illegal (and for good reason), but killing them for it is just fucking wrong.
