do the police train in hand to hand combat?

Question

why do they shoot people that have a weapon thats not a gun or like a gun ?can't they use thier knight stik or taser ,why don't they ???

THIS QUESTION IS NO MEANT TO AGRAVATE THE POLICE and yes i understand the content.

Answer 1

Weapons other then guns like knifes and clubs are supposed to be handled differently. However the best option is to be taken to protect the officer and innocent people standing by.

Answer 2

Hope you didn't pay attention to the first two responses, they're going to mess you up. All U.S. law enforcement agencies have to follow a minimum Use-of-Force continum. This scale is recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court and an agency cannot act in a more aggressive manner but it can make it more restrictive. However, they typically follow what the courts recognize and allow.

In short, an officer is allowed (notice I didn't say required) and trained to respond one level higher in force than he or she is confronted with. For example, you take a swing at the officer then he or she can use a baton, tazer, defensive spray, etcetera.

One common misunderstanding among persons not faced with these issues on a daily basis is the belief that sticks, knives, rocks and other not firearm weapons are not deadly. The use-of-force continuum that I mentioned earlier is based upon the level of threat, not the weapon. A large, fit, young man can present a deadly threat to a smaller, less fit, or older officer. Imagine weight lifter vs. a petite man or woman. Often criminals have much more time to workout than the average officer that has to balance an 8-12 hour shift, family, recreation, education, chores, etcetera.

So, now that you can't consider the weapon you have to consider the severity of the threat or resistance. If the threat or resistance is no more than someone that doesn't want to move then open-hand techniques are ok, meaning joint and extremity manipulation. If however, they try to hit the officer then a defensive weapon is allowed. Remember, one level higher. If the officer reasonably fears a threat could result in death or a grievous injury then the officer can respond with deadly force.

These threats materialize in a matter of tenths of a second. That's why you will occasionally hear on the news that a mentally disabled person was shot assaulting officers. People get livid because the police shot someone of reduced capacity. You have to remember, the officer isn't a psycho-therapist. He or she can't diagnose a mental disease and prescribe drug therapy that will calm the person or balance them out. They have to react to the threat as it occurs.

In summation, they aren't trained to blindly protect themselves at the expense of others, even the criminal. Law enforcement officers have a really strict set of court decisions governing their application of force and have to apply these standards in the blink of an eye.... literally.

Answer 3

Seriously?....

A NIGHT STICK and a TASER are a couple of the many tools we carry. And the answer above about the force continuum is probably the most correct so far...

The number of officer involved shootings is much lower than your question suggests. Infact you are more likely to die after being stabbed than after being shot. If you are suggesting that we "fight" every knife swingin thug - come do what we do.... And quickly you will see that there is a proccess we use to evaluate threats and "neutralize" them as one person put it. Most police officers will never even draw there weapon - let alone shoot and kill someone!

So don't be so quick to judge somthing you don't understand.

Answer 4

Yes they do train in hand to hand combat, but keep in mind that in all police forces (or most) - the officers are trained to place their own safety above that of any aggressive or dangerous person.

In other words ... the police force would rather shoot a man than risk having their officers engage in hand to hand combat. It is usually seen as best to 'neutralize' the aggressor rather than elevating the situation.

Answer 5

Yes, police are trained in hand to hand combat, but as far as deadly force is concerned, situations can happen in a split second, and the officer isn't afforded the luxury of dilly dallying over whether to use deadly force, or not. If he see what seems like a guy going for a gun, he has to neutralize him immediately.If he hesitates, he could be dead.

Answer 6

Yes, they do train in hand-to-hand combat. Their training teaches officer safety as being first and foremost, and there is a use of force continuum that they have to follow.

Answer 7

The nightstick is considered hand to hand, but yes, they train hand to hand. You can't shoot frickin EVERYBODY.