The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Guy chases burglar outside and shoots him away from the house.

MLeake · July 4, 2009, 01:00 PM

Just look up a couple of high vis incidents in NYC, last month, and Orlando, last year. Off duty officer in NYC and plainclothes UCF cop in Orlando got killed by brother officers, who saw men with guns "menacing" others; in both cases, shooting officer claimed the decedent didn't comply with orders to drop weapons.

Don't know if such orders were really given, or if orders were given and not heard, or heard but not comprehended. One of the interesting problems that ties into "fight or flight" is that the body responds physiologically by amping up vision and amping down auditory clues. Not sure how this occurs, but it was taught both in psychology classes when I was in college, and in flight physiology classes in the Navy. Personal experience has borne this out, especially when teaching students in airplanes - the more stressed they get, the less they respond to verbal commands.

So, assuming one is amped up, chasing a bad guy, with weapon displayed (let's assume one isn't intentionally menacing or pointing, but one's SD weapon is a shotgun, so it can't be concealed during pursuit), what happens when an officer happens across the chase?

Again, personally I have no moral problem with the concept of the pursuit, and would abide by legal restrictions in the area. But, tactically, pursuit could be a really bad idea, and it should be extremely justified in one's mind before one attempts it.

July 4, 2009, 01:00 PM	#186
MLeake Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: Outside KC, MO Posts: 10,128	BG mis-identification Just look up a couple of high vis incidents in NYC, last month, and Orlando, last year. Off duty officer in NYC and plainclothes UCF cop in Orlando got killed by brother officers, who saw men with guns "menacing" others; in both cases, shooting officer claimed the decedent didn't comply with orders to drop weapons. Don't know if such orders were really given, or if orders were given and not heard, or heard but not comprehended. One of the interesting problems that ties into "fight or flight" is that the body responds physiologically by amping up vision and amping down auditory clues. Not sure how this occurs, but it was taught both in psychology classes when I was in college, and in flight physiology classes in the Navy. Personal experience has borne this out, especially when teaching students in airplanes - the more stressed they get, the less they respond to verbal commands. So, assuming one is amped up, chasing a bad guy, with weapon displayed (let's assume one isn't intentionally menacing or pointing, but one's SD weapon is a shotgun, so it can't be concealed during pursuit), what happens when an officer happens across the chase? Again, personally I have no moral problem with the concept of the pursuit, and would abide by legal restrictions in the area. But, tactically, pursuit could be a really bad idea, and it should be extremely justified in one's mind before one attempts it.