Sunday, March 22, 2009

Police Go-Go-Go-Go-Die Mentality

Yesterday, Saturday, March 21, 2009, three Oakland, CA police officers were killed and another was critically injured. One of the officers was killed and one wounded when they stopped the suspect, Lovell Mixon, in a routine traffic stop. The other two officers were killed when they rushed into a building where the suspect was hold up. While all the facts are not in, I get the impression that the police were in a hurry to confront Mixon. I wonder whether a little more patience on the part of the police might have saved a few lives. What does it matter if a suspect who has barricaded themselves in a building stays there for a few hours or even days if it saves a few lives?

It appears to be the same “go-go-go” mentality that caused the death of Mr. Grant on New Year’s Day at the BART station. Rush in, rush to do something and rush to kill someone. Maybe a class on adrenaline control or anger management would be good. Clearer thinking is what is needed, not a rush to die.

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