re: Alton Sterling shooting - discussion thread

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Yeah, people get such a fair shake in court

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Well, they do have Judy White.

And, we can't help someone who is dead.

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I see what you're saying. Why not just comply?

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The guy was looking at serious jail time with an arrest, if the reports are to be believed. To go in assuming he would just comply is how cops end up getting killed.

It's situations like this that help me understand why police officers react to potentially deadly situations the way that they do. Sometimes it may be way over the top, but other times it saves their lives.


ETA: Not to mention they were informed the suspect had a weapon and I'm sure were given a description of what he was wearing. They were on edge from the moment they pulled up, and understandably so when dealing with a suspect they believe is armed.

Maybe the police should stop going into these high crime areas and let the hood rats work it out for themselves.
Maybe go in and give them guns so they can meet out the type of justice they want. Then they won't have cops to blame anymore.

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do y'all carry this belief to all forms of government?

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Do you think people resisting arrest is a good choice? Do what they ask and if they are wrong fight it in court. How the hell does fighting a police officer make any damn sense?

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Taking him to the ground in that fashion with the location of the gun on his body still unknown seems like an unnecessarily dangerous move. I'm not sure what SOP is in that situation, but I'd be surprised if this was it.

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What option do they have? Ask him to pull the gun out of his pocket at which point he is a fraction of a second from being able to kill them?

Taking him down and controlling his hands is probably the best option. As for trying to get to the gun first, that's a bad idea, because then you have a gun that then creates a struggle for a loaded gun. The idea is to get him on the ground with the gun still in his pocket, get him cuffed, then remove the gun.

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I mean yea, if you have a gun on you, you better comply. But out of self interest. Not because you know those mother frickers are ruthless, like the one poster implied.

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well a cops threat is only going to hold water if they are actually legally able to backup their threats when you have people in a tussle match on the ground with guns involved. Zero Tolerance. Sorry about your luck.

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Do we know how long the confrontation lasted before he tackled him? I assume the started by asking him to remain calm, drop down on the ground or put his hands on his head. IF they knew, or even had reason to believe he had a gun, and if he wasn't complying with their verbal commands (which it appears he wasn't) then attempting to tackle him to the ground and cuff him may have been the best and most reasonable course of action at the time. They got him to the ground, they just were not able to cuff him quick enough.

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I also wonder why they rolled him on his back after the takedown? The officer in the front had his knee on Sterling's head/neck and had him on his side next to the car. I can see the pros and cons of his back and his stomach, but again, I wonder what the standard operating procedure is in that situation.

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The alternative is to keep giving him verbal commands until he either complies, takes off running, or reaches in his pocket.

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If he hasn't brandished the weapon yet I sort of liken this to a high speed chase - perhaps the best course of action is the one that keeps the situation as mild as possible. You certainly cannot let him escape, but as I said earlier, the take down took things from 0 to 100 instantly. It is plausible that was the right call, but I believe it is worth discussing and learning from going forward.

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but this kind of attitude is what leads to the "comply or die" issues

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The frick it is. This pos should have complied. There is no fricking question.

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People shouldn't comply out of fear of deadly force from an officer for being disobedient.

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This guy didn't die from some hot head cops.

It doesn't make sense but it doesn't mean you should fear that you will be killed.

And as I've said before, I think this shooting is justified and the cops will get off and rightfully so.

My point is that non compliance doesn't necessarily mean you should fear for your life. Sometimes someone with mental health problems isn't going to comply. Or someone with too much to drink. Or someone on drugs. Non compliance =\= deadly force.

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I also wonder why they rolled him on his back after the takedown? The officer in the front had his knee on Sterling's head/neck and had him on his side next to the car. I can see the pros and cons of his back and his stomach, but again, I wonder what the standard operating procedure is in that situation.

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I doubt they rolled him onto his back. In that situation, they are trying to get him on his stomach, hands behind his back. I'm sure he was trying to get off of his stomach.

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If he hasn't brandished the weapon yet I sort of liken this to a high speed chase - perhaps the best course of action is the one that keeps the situation as mild as possible. You certainly cannot let him escape, but as I said earlier, the take down took things from 0 to 100 instantly. It is plausible that was the right call, but I believe it is worth discussing and learning from going forward.

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They may very well have done that. The only video we have seen starts well into the exchange.