Originally Posted by
voodoo_man
I worked UC narc for 2+ years. I have done exactly this more times than I care to remember, I have never been shot at by a LEO in full uniform at a hot scene (several of which I had no radio, no badge, nothing other than a firearm and a bad guy who wasn't doing well). How did I not get shot? I made myself as non-combative as possible and I made sure my situational awareness was at 150%, as it should be in those situations.
"You meet each other around the corner."
I can tell you that if you are in a hot scene that just went live, you will have a few minutes to play around, no LEO (unless he was already there) will get there fast enough, AAR's and stat's already show that.
There was a mall shooting, an off-duty LEO and his preg wife made contact - they did not get shot....why not? (I'll try to find the link, but I'm sure you remember reading about it)
You know how many blue on blue shooting happen where I work? Maybe one or two a year and that isn't because the LEO is off duty and intervenes, it is because the LEO is on duty and never tells radio he's going in on the call.
Most LEO's understand challenged/challenge situations - maybe you get a rookie who pops you, maybe that's the chance you have to take in order to save lives.
It is about willingness in the end. I am not willing to let people die and have the ability to affect the situation. The only way I do not act immediately is if my family is with me. They get to a car and drive away safely then I go back in and handle business, this is why I have a car bag, this why I carry the equipment I do. This is a scenario that I have played out hundreds of times in my mind.
This is where the whole "but the internet said..." rubber really needs to meet the road and get debunked once and for all.
Too many people online are using the "it's not my fight" or "I'll get shot because LEO's are trigger happy and can't differentiate between good and bad guys" line to cover their own weakness or lack of willingness, or lack of preparedness. Not saying you specifically, I am speaking in general terms here.
It is our problem, it is everyone's problem.
Of course people are going to die if good, armed, men do not act to affect the situation, that goes without saying and is tantamount to the left wing saying the situation would have been worse if someone was there with a gun because they "would cause more chaos!" Hell, it's the building block to "gun free zones" essentially.
If you consider yourself a moral and ethical person, someone who can be counted on to do the right thing during the hard situation because your moral and ethical compass always points North, then you cannot turn a blind eye because your safety is at risk. You must act, disregarding your personal safety for the good of the community and your fellow citizen.
It is our responsibility, our burden as the able, the conscious and the prudent.