Friday, October 4, 2013

Taking the other side

Yesterday I posted my immediate impressions about the chase and shooting event near the U.S. Capitol.

Today, I'll offer some arguments in defense of police:

It's clear the woman rammed a White House barricade. It's clear she used her car as a weapon (did you see the smashed police cruiser?).

Police had ever reason to suspect a terrorist or a car bomber. And every indication innocent lives might be at risk if the threat wasn't eliminated.

Cops only had limited information, and had to make split second decisions in a situation thrust on them without warning.

Was the outcome pretty? No. Did police over-escalate? Too soon to say either way. Using logic may not sort this one out. It appears an unstable person was hurling wildcards every step of the way.

No comments:

Post a Comment