Well; on the plus side, if you ever have to deal NYlakesider"s situation ........ you've at least made it out alive !!!!!



Not to be argumentative;this is a very thought provoking thread...........................some thoughts:

These types of situation are full of SNAFU's just waiting to happen...............the rules don't go away or get suspended just because the crowd is bigger.......

Note: my Dad was a Police Officer and involved in at least one shootout (with Bank robbers)..... bottom line I/we want everyone to go home safely to their families.

I agree the ''reasonable man" standard will apply to everyone conduct, police and civilian alike....... what a jury considers reasonable may vary between a 20 year old , me a fit 64 year old; and some here who are well into their 70s..... " I don't think "slamming [his] creaky old bones on the ground" (the Poster's words not mine) to the point of causing injury (and damages which is what will trigger a civil suit)would not, in most cases, be found reasonable unless the person is resisting.

As a First Responder one may also need to think about folks that may have limited vision due to lost glasses or contacts....... or maybe more likely are hearing impaired; or simply frozen by fear; causing one to not be immediately responsive to verbal or hand directions.

Adrenalin and fear on all parties involved will most likely have a negative impact on the situation. Most likely, IMO the question of "was it reasonable" will get before the jury....... well after the heat of the moment has passed............................

In Pa. IIRC about 7% of the population (over 21) have "Licences to carry". If the event/incident is not in a gun free zone...... as a Police Officer (which I'm not)I should have an expectation that one or more legally armed civilians may/will be present.

Given that the presence of a legally armed citizen is foreseeable. For the Officers responding here;have your Departments developed protocols for you to follow? Or is there "a gap" in your training..... that could leave you making it up as you go... and possibly be left hanging in the wind by your command/political structure. A lawyer representing his/her client; would have a duty to his client, to exploit a perceived training gap.

Edit: most civilians ( except for students with active shooter/ALICE Training) won't have any training in what to do or how to respond;

Finally in this day and age; watch out for cameras....... I was surprised at the number of student videos that came out of Fla during and after the shooting on the 14th

Be safe out there! and lets hope we never find ourselves in that situation.