Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

Not really true either. Yes, a cop needs to feel like he/she or someone else is in immediate danger. But it also needs to be a reasonable feeling or, what a reasonable person would feel in the same situation. In that sense, it is not different for everyone. It's based on past case law and any new case needs to pass previous muster. Officer Slager thought his life was in danger when he shot Walter Scott six times in the back at twenty paces during the worlds slowest escape attempt. He "articulated" as much in the police report which was total bs and based on what all similar reports are supposed to say. He could not have described the event accurately and expected any judge to believe him.



I don't know. I don't really expect cops to fight people with screwdrivers all the time. A taser would have been good. But I can't say it's a good idea to have a general policy that goes something like, if you think you can take him...