Home > Thinking Right > Archives > 2006 > November > 23
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Don’t make me a cop.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When police shoot and kill a 92-year-old woman, as they did Tuesday night in Atlanta, the protest contention is that cops over-reacted. It’s a tragedy, no doubt. But if they had the right house, it’s hard to think that law enforcement officers anywhere in the country would have reacted any differently, no matter their training or professionalism. When officers are taking fire, the natural and trained response is to shoot back until the firing stops.That the shooter was a 92-year-old woman who may have been frightened and confused adds to the tragedy, but — again — if police had legitimate reason to believe drugs were being sold from the house, it’s hard to find fault with their procedures.
I wouldn’t be a cop nowadays. I read stories about run-of-the-mill arguments in restaurants, night clubs and on street corners where most of those involved produce guns and marvel at how seemingly routine it’s become to carry weapons. Or I read stories like the one about the raid on three houses in Gwinnett County where agents seized $9 million in meth and coke — and three guns, including an AR-15 rapid-fire rifle. The streets are dangerous and while officers can be guilty of over-reacting or reacting inappropriately, a slow response can be deadly.
FBI crime data from September documents what our reading of the newspapers lead us to believe: violent crime is increasing. The Justice Department announced on Wednesday that it has selected 18 cities, including Atlanta, to study for clues as to why rapes, murders, robberies and aggravated assault are on the rise, up 2.2 percent from last year, and the first increase in violent crimes since 2001.
The solution? Drug treatment is certainly a part of it. But I relish the day when on matters of destructive personal behaviors, like bringing children into the world without a mother and father in the home or gun-toting and drug use, opinion leaders including the church, entertainment industry, and the media react just as they have to the problem of smoking. Meanwhile, treatment, enforcement and prisons chase the symptoms — sometimes with tragic consequences.
