| If the power to use deadly force against | | | | themselves. It is difficult to imagine sending a police |
| perpetrators were removed there would be few | | | | officer out into the streets armed with only stun |
| effective methods of control for police officers. Like | | | | guns, pepper spray, tear gas, and rubber bullets, to |
| it or not, we live in an increasingly violent society, and | | | | face criminals that are armed with all kinds of guns. |
| it is the level of violence that often defines what | | | | As a matter of fact, it not only seems ridiculous to |
| action is appropriate for a police officer to use. Other | | | | do so, but rather criminal to do so. |
| methods such as rubber bullets, stun guns, and tear | | | | If police officers were required to fight crime with a |
| gas are interesting alternatives, but it seems as if | | | | few mild mannered tools, there would be far fewer |
| nothing would be able to replace the use of deadly | | | | officers due not only to the fact that many more |
| force. Sometimes deadly force is the only method | | | | would die in the line of duty, but many would elect to |
| that seems appropriate given what an officer knows | | | | never become officers in the first place. Certainly, it |
| about a situation. For instance, if a suspect had a | | | | makes sense to arm officers will all of the tools |
| hostage, of what use would rubber bullets, tear gas, | | | | mentioned above so that, when deadly force is not |
| or a stun gun be to police officers to secure the safe | | | | mandatory, the officer has an arsenal of other |
| release of the hostage. None of those methods | | | | methods with which to deal with a suspect, but it |
| would be immediate enough to render the suspect | | | | also makes sense to arm officers with the same |
| impotent before he or she could harm the hostage. | | | | weapons that the criminals have; and that means |
| Deadly force, as an immediate alternative, is both | | | | guns. An officer's use of deadly force is seriously |
| difficult to gauge and immediately effective. | | | | restricted to the point where, especially with the |
| Taking away an officer's option to use deadly force | | | | media making national presentations of police |
| is not viable in today's world for all of the reasons | | | | shootings of suspects, there is little chance that an |
| listed above and many more. There are so few | | | | officer would even try, let alone get away with, |
| options available that would produce an immediate, | | | | using deadly force in a situation that did not |
| albeit violent, result, that to take away the use of | | | | absolutely call for it. Therefore, it makes sense to |
| deadly force would transfer a significant amount of | | | | allow, if not encourage, the use of deadly force for |
| power to the perpetrators of crime. Additionally, | | | | well-trained and reasonably aware officers. |
| there are too many criminals who have guns | | | | |