Footage of American police officers shooting individuals who are unarmed, or armed only with blades, has sadly become all too common. What adds to the tragedy and anger is the fact that other tried-and-tested approaches are available to deal with many of these situations without loss of life.
The shoot-first instinct that seems so pervasive among many US police is in stark contrast to law enforcement tactics in other countries. British police, for example deal with a
large number of edged-weapons attacks but
almost never open fire (they don't generally carry guns). Just as there are countless online videos of trigger-happy US police, there are numerous
recorded examples of UK cops intervening in violent situations without firing a shot.
In one 2014 incident, for example, Albuquerque police attempting to arrest a mentally ill man for "illegal camping" opened fire on him with assault weapons when he drew a tiny blade at a great distance from the heavily armed officers. Their
approach is summed up by the fact that they then handcuffed him as he lay dying on the ground. A good contrast is a 2015
video of officers in Corby, England wresting a knife from an attacker using only pepper spray and batons at close range.
Comment: One tactic not mentioned: Weeding out the pathological types to keep them from joining the force in the first place. However, considering that police are simply tools of the state and
enforcing control is their job, this will likely not happen.
Comment: Maybe the support Daesh receives from their French
foreign fightersintelligence assets is paying off!