Re: Guy Gets Zapped – Cops waited too long.

[James Goolsby]

Ha! We just watched this in briefing the other day. Yeah… he screams like a little girl.

You make a couple of excellent points.

First, according to the FBI, the absolute primary indicator that a suspect intends to fight (other than just flat out attacking, of course) is failure to comply with verbal commands. The theory being that if they’re not going to listen and follow directions then they have no intention of going peacefully anyway.

Two, they waited WAY to long to deal with this and it could have gotten ugly in a hurry. I think it’s safe to assume that at this point no one has patted dude down for weapons. When he turned his back on them and started toward the street, he could have “spun and gunned” and it would have been a mess. In defensive tactics I teach all my students that if they have not resolved a situation within 15 seconds or less, their use of force is not high enough. In this case, he was clearly resisting so, as you pointed out, he should have been shut down in around eight.

I hate to say it, but in today’s age of cell phone videos and law suits, we have become much too afraid of dealing with a confrontation before it becomes dangerous. But, as the saying goes, I’d rather be tried by twelve than carried by six, so I’m going to do what it takes to keep myself and my partners safe and let the chips fall where they may. As Rory Miller once said, “They’ll eventually let you out of jail, but a coffin is forever!”

Stay safe, guys!