Police shooting hostage-takers

[tr027 0]

Should police be allowed to shoot hostage-takers who posess a deadly weapon, in order to save the hostage?
Example: the recent double homicide by stabbing in Boston.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/31/sibling.stabbings/index.html

"The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it. " -John Galt from Atlas Shrugged, 1957

[Andy9o8 2]

They already have that authority.

[rushmc 23]

If they threaten the them? Yes, right betwee the eyes

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[SkyBastard 0]

Respect my Authoritai!

Dude #320
"Superstitious" is just a polite way of saying "incredibly fucking stupid".
DONK!

[Andrewwhyte 1]

Yes BUT, no excuses if they miss and hit the vic; NONE.

[TomAiello 26]

Quote

They already have that authority.

Just because they have it currently doesn't mean considering whether they ought to have it or not is a bad idea.

-- Tom Aiello

Tom@SnakeRiverBASE.com
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[Andy9o8 2]

Quote

Quote

They already have that authority.

Just because they have it currently doesn't mean considering whether they ought to have it or not is a bad idea.

Agreed. And just because I advised him that police already have that authority, when the OP doesn't make clear whether he already realizes that, doesn't mean that I'm suggesting that considering whether they ought to have it or not is a bad idea.

[wayneflorida 0]

I like how this standoff turned out even if not really a hostage situation.

http://current.com/items/88881655/sniper_shoots_gun_out_of_suicidal_man_s_hand.htm

[JerryBaumchen 1,468]

Hi Andrew,

Quote

Yes BUT, no excuses if they miss and hit the vic; NONE.

That very thing happened here in Portland, OR a little over 10 yrs ago. The hostage was a 12-yr old boy and the police officer simply missed the perp and killed the kid.

Bad all around but no charges against the officer.

I think there were some new procedures put into place for police officers after that.

JerryBaumchen

[steve1 5]

There was a similiar incident in Montana, years ago. There were no Swatt trained people then. This was a small town and the local sheriff tried to handle things.

A bad guy had a pistol pointing at a pilot of a small plane. They were preparing to take off. The sheriff had his hunting rifle and he decided to take this guy out. He made a bad shot wounding the kidnapper. At the same moment, the bad guys pistol went off wounding the pilot.

The sheriff lost re-election over that fiasco.

I think it all depends on the situation. I feel only competent people, with a lot of training, should be allowed to pull this off......