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I would like to know why Portland police in these situations always shoot to kill.  Why not shoot to disable (for example, by shooting the  presumed "bad guy" in an arm, leg, hand, or foot?  If these men and women are highly skilled marksmen, I don't see why this would be a problem.

I would hope that Chief Sizer will consider this a top priority question to ask herself as she tries to improve police responses to requests for help.

In my own case, while I appreciate all the good things the police do, I -- who am white -- would hesitate to call the police if, for example, someone broke into my house.  I fear things would get out of hand and somebody would be killed -- perhaps me.  It's happened before, and if the policy on firearms use doesn't change, it could happen again.

Many years ago, when I lived in Norway, the police didn't carry guns, and they seemed to do a fine job of protecting the public.  It's naive to think that could happen now, but it would be a good exercise to consider what --  besides guns -- could be used to diffuse dangerous situations.

posted 3 years, 3 months ago
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