Path: utzoo!utgpu!lsuc!ncrcan!hcr!jim
From: jim@hcr.UUCP (Jim Sullivan)
Newsgroups: tor.general
Subject: Re: Toronto Police
Message-ID: <4744@hcr.UUCP>
Date: 24 Jan 89 17:28:53 GMT
References: <157@aimed.UUCP> <4674@hcr.UUCP> <89Jan23.093655est.38021@neat.ai.toronto.edu> <4742@hcr.UUCP>
Reply-To: jim@hcrvax.UUCP (Jim Sullivan)
Distribution: tor
Organization: HCR Corporation, Toronto
Lines: 35

In article <4742@hcr.UUCP> paulg@hcrvax.UUCP (Paul Gooderham) writes:
>In article <89Jan23.093655est.38021@neat.ai.toronto.edu> derome@neat.ai.toronto.edu.UUCP writes:
>>In my uderstanding, the policemen (man?) shot in the back of
>>the car. Perhaps, this was not self-defense. We will see what 
>>the justice has to say.
>
>In my understanding, the police shot at the *tires* of the stolen car
>and that a ricocheted bullet struck the young driver.
>
>If it is police procedure to stop a stolen car fleeing from the scene 
>of a crime by shooting at its tires and if someone is killed by
>accident, then no charges should be laid.  Of course a case
>could be made to change police procedure.  Unfortunately, I
>am not familiar with the details of police procedure.

From what I've read about this case, it is not police procedure to ``shoot
out the tires'' of a car.  I does seem to me that some cops are a little
gun happy.  In the Lawson case, the police should have arranged for some
backup and then used the police force to track and apprehend the criminals.
What if Lawson did not realize that the police was chasing them?  His
passenger claims that he was not aware that the police were after them.
I'd hate to think that the police shoot first and fill out the forms later.
What if the police made a mistake and fingered the wrong car?  What if that
was me or you in that car?  Wouldn't you want the police to 1) Identify
themselves and 2) Explain the charges?

I can't help but think about the gentleman in Sarnia who was shot by the OPP
assault team due to confusion.  The OPP though that he was a ``criminal'',
armed and dangereous, and he thought they were someone attacking his house.
Apparently the police did not identify themselves, despite his repeated requests
for identification.  A tragic error. (on both parts, the OPP for not identifing
themselves, the gentleman for taking the law into his own hands)

Jim Sullivan
No Guns No Butter, both can kill you!