Masterful1 Wrote:Or....  When the police tell you to STOP and GET ON THE GROUND......  Don't run, and then pull a gun on them... even acting like you have a gun, especially in the dark, can get you KILLED... The officers put their lives on the line every day and have a right to defend themselves in the execution of their duties....  Getting arrested if you have done nothing can be worked out later, that's what lawyers are for... Getting your ass shot off when it could have been avoided is just idiotic...

True, but in general there seems to be a problem with police officers in the US who like to pull the trigger. Don't know about this case, we don't know whether he was armed or wheter they thought he was armed.
But it's pretty much rooted in US society. The latest decision from the Supreme Court about strip searches says a lot.

Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders:

Quote:"Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders, 10-945 (2012), is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that officials may strip-search individuals who have been arrested for any crime before admitting the individuals to jail, even if there is no reason to suspect that the individual is carrying contraband."

The case:

Quote:Albert W. Florence was riding in a BMW sport-utility vehicle in New Jersey driven by his wife with their three children when she was pulled over for a traffic offense.[2][3] The officer looked up Florence in the police computer database and discovered an outstanding warrant issued in Essex County. Florence had paid the fine, but the computer erroneously listed an outstanding warrant.[3] Florence was placed under arrest in Burlington County and spent six days in jail before being transferred to Essex County's jail. At both jails, prison guards "conducted a visual inspection of his body, instructing him to open his mouth, lift his tongue, lift his arms, and then lift his genitals."[3] Florence went before a judge and was quickly released from jail.

It's basically a freedom to strip search for law enforcement.