There has been a brouhaha in my town over a recent incident where a man with a garden implement was surrounded in his own front yard by three local deputies during a domestic call. The man was killed by one of the deputies when he brandished the hoe or pitchfork or whatever at another deputy. I'm sure the officer was acting within his training, even though I'm struck that three LEO's couldn't subdue one person on open ground without killing him.
After the D.A. ruled the shooting 'justified'it was revealed that the department has had Less Than Lethal options for two years, but was only training and equipping shift supervisors to use them. Can't understand the logic here; seems if a line officer is qualified to carry a sidearm, then they should be qualified to carry a Less Than Lethal option. I wrote a letter to the Ed of the local paper, and lo and behold, the Police Association called me and to my surprise are posting my letter in their trophy case at the barracks; seems the line officers have been asking for Less Than Lethals for quite a while.
I'm not one for causes or zealous pursuits; I don't believe in confrontational activism. I do think the seed needs to be planted with Law Enforcement that Less Than Lethal Policies need to be integrated into everyday routine and line officers need to be trained and equipped. If anybody has the ear of local law enforcement, give them a copy of this and plant the seed.