From the Chicago Sun-Times
Cops now allowed to shoot drivers?
Calling all cars!
July 29, 2009
BY MICHAEL SNEED Sun-Times Columnist
Sneed hears Police Supt. Jody Weis has issued a new deadly force police policy, which is scheduled to go into effect this weekend.
• • To wit: Chicago cops will now be permitted to shoot at drivers or passengers in cases of felons fleeing in motor vehicles. (Weis' policy advisers recommended the change.)
• • The upshot: Proponents claim it helps protect cops.
• • The buckshot: Critics claim the new policy is "ridiculous" and the liability to the City of Chicago could be astronomical.
• • Translation: "Officers were allowed to use deadly force to prevent death or great bodily harm to themselves or another person, but it didn't allow them to use force to apprehend a fleeing forcible felon," said a police source. "If confronted by an oncoming vehicle, officers were simply told to get out of the way, unless they were put in great danger," added the police source.
Some child is going to be killed by a police bullet...I can see it now.
This is a riot waiting to happen.
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3 comments:
Yep I can see it too.
Laws in many (if not most) States already allow police to shoot fleeing felons... known universally as the "Fleeing Felon rule". It has been around for years. Although most jurisdictions don't officially allow it. The fleeing felon rule has been curbed in most places, due to public opinion.
The fleeing felon policy is designed to give officers more leeway when dealing with suspects who just committed a serious felony (the same day for example), such as murder, kidnapping, assault, rape, terror attack, etc...and are on the run.. Or to deal with dangerous, armed escapees.
It was not necessarily designed to be an excuse for police to shoot suspects who happen to have a felony on their record and who decide they want to be uncooperative. These are two different scenarios...(a common misconception about the policy). I don't know for sure which situation Chicago was attempting to deal with in their policy change.
But I agree...this is probably not the best Public Policy.
You wrote:
"Some child is going to be killed by a police bullet...I can see it now."
But what about all the teens and 20 somethings in Chicago (esp. minorities) who are shot everyday by people who look like them???? The Black on Black violence situation is an exponentially bigger threat than Police.
The number of people who will be impacted by this police ruling will be a very small few....if any at all. But you know when you turn on the news tonight... you will hear about more Black vs. Black violence in the windy city.
I would just like to see Black folks pointing their rage and concern where it should really be directed.
Honestly.... which is the bigger threat to you?
[Thanks to the computer cafe's and computer labs at Webster University and Washington University... I can still find a way to blog].
AI,
what have most of the riots from the Black poor been about?
jobs...
no...
perceived police misconduct.
years of police harrassment with no accountability for the police...
now, the police kill an ' innocent' child...which will happen..
it's a powderkeg, man...you know that.
i don't take Black crime lightly.
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