The NYPD’s new use of force guidelines can be read by cops only one way: avoid, avoid, avoid — or you will be exposed, exposed, exposed.
The guidelines, 16 pages of veiled threats from the top brass, suggest dire potential outcomes for cops, and not just if they engage in wrongdoing.
Instead, the hammer could come down if something just looks bad, like if someone with a pre-existing medical condition dies during a routine arrest.
The unstated and false assumption here is that it’s always better for cops to go slow in highly charged situations.
In fact, taking firm and deliberate control from the start can often ensure a nonviolent resolution, even though the ensuing video may send the police and political establishments running for cover.
Furthermore, cops and civilians can and do die when precious time is lost, something that’s of no concern to the haters who say that cops’ lives are disposable simply because they signed up for the job.