I wonder the same about another incident. One of my DT instructors in the basic agent course used lethal force during a domestic when the dude grabbed a knife in the kitchen.
He didn't shoot him, but rather went hands on since he was an MMA fighter and its what his "lizard brain" was most familiar with. The incident ended when he broke the perps skull open with repeated elbow strikes with resultant brain matter on the kitchen floor.
Completely justified, but I shiver to think what would have happened if it had been a couple years later when the anti-cop media firestorm had ensued. The act of breaking open someone's skull like Ser Gregor Clegane would probably get "exploited" by social media/media these days.
"Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer
Locally we had a cop killer (he killed 3 citizens and two cops in about 10 hours) running around. When found on a motorcycle the LT called out on the air that lethal force was authorized in the apprehension. The motorcycle was PITed at about 35 miles an hour. Officer was commended, is now a sergeant, he had songs written about him, and young maidens lined his path with flowers. Suspect still lives in the state nuthatch. Will likely never stand trial.
I have always been taught that lethal force is lethal force and would not think twice about running someone over that really needed it.
pat
Off topic, but that is odd. Our courts are going the other way. Asking someone in custody for consent to stick a needle in them is coercive. We can only get blood now with a search warrant. The last DWI I had a refusal on was involved in four or five wrecks before he totaled his truck against a fire hydrant. Handed me an AZ licence, which I also ran out of NM, and learned that he was revoked for a prior DWI. Wrote my warrant and affidavit, called the judge and she very slowly and patiently as if talking to a small child informed me that in this county there was no way I was getting a search warrant for blood on a non-felony DWI....Affirmed in my next DWI update.
pat
We’ve been doing blood draws for DUIs for misdemeanors for 30+ years. When you get a DL in AZ it’s part of getting it that you’ll give a chemical sample if you’re arrested for DUI and it’s the Officer’s choice. If you refuse the test you get an Admin Per Se suspension for a year. Then we write a warrant and tell the suspect we have a warrant to draw blood. If the suspect refuses to allow it then draw it anyway using force as needed. If we have to use force you get another charge for disobeying a court order.
Just a dog chauffeur that used to hold the dumb end of the leash.
Yeah, it used to work that way here, same principles, different processes. It changed within the last 2 years. Refusal to give a sample changes the charge to Agg DWI with an administrative one year suspension. I preferred getting blood. Breath was faster, blood allowed us to test for other stuff. Strong investigative skills and good report writing would provide "impaired to the slightest degree", while anything in the blood gave us a chemical to hang the impairment on.
We also cannot testify to standardized clues in the HGN, and that has been case law since before my 21 year career started.
Strangely some wierd NM court rulings have been underscored by USSC from similar cases from different states, sometimes decades later, setting them in stone.
pat
Re: using one's patrol vehicle to hit armed suspects.
A local agency had that happen earlier this year. The BadGuy had controlled substances onboard, likely had significant mental health issues. After the B/G had walked through an apartment complex brandishing a knife, he was stabbing (yes, stabbing not hesitation cuts) himself in the torso. BadGuy also soaked up a significant number of 12ga and 40mm less-lethal projectiles, without success. A crowd was forming on a sidewalk behind the officers, and BadGuy still wasn't complying. Officer asked for permission to use his patrol car as an impact weapon, denied. An officer struck the B/G once real solidly. B/G was back on his feet damn near instantly. After taking another 40mm round, the officer hit B/G with a glancing quarter-panel shot, rather ineffective as well. As the B/G was sawing on his male appendage, a taser use proved effective.
The agency disciplined officer following an investigation. Unknown if it was for using the car as an impact weapon or doing so after being told not to.