The Denver police department has been under fire for a while now for what appears to be an unusually high rate of officer shootings, three just this year. A group called Denver Copwatch was organized in 2001 to monitor the department and push for a series of reforms.
Use of force is a hot topic in the District Attorney race. Local activists have been calling for less frequent use of deadly force:
"There's too much use of lethal force in Denver and too many people getting killed by Denver police officers," said Mark Silverstein, legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado. "I'm sure many of those people were shot in situations where lethal force could be avoided."
So, naturally, when a fellow ran amuck last night, frothing at the mouth, beating on parked cars, and threatening bystanders, police used non-lethal force to contain him. They used a Taser gun.
I can scarcely blame the police, and from initial accounts there appears to be nothing they could have reasonably done to avoid the incident. I do have some ideas about how people should expect police to act.
1. Force, and violent force, is the policeman's ace in the hole. Most police calls don't involve violent action, but almost all involve the threat of force. That includes everything from traffic stops to 'shots fired' calls.
2. Any violent confrontation can turn lethal, in spite of the best intentions of the police officer.
3. Much of the criminal code consists of laws concerning the private action of citizens. Non-violent actions can bring violent responses from the cops. That's the way the law is written, and cops are hired to enforce the law. If you want to decrease the amount of police violence, change the law. Take the laws against victimless crime off the books and police will have far fewer instances when they might feel the need to use force.
Posted by Walter at August 20, 2004 05:28 PM