"Why didn't they just shoot him the leg?" or "Why didn't they just shoot the gun out of his hand?"

Or do something that doesn't break the law as the public sees it, but breaks the laws of physics.

Years ago when movies were just coming out the American Medical Association offered their advise to studios so motion pictures would give a more accurate image of the practice of medicine. The doctors at AMA knew a movie, if it gives out wrong information, can mislead the general public on the capabilies of the medical pofession.

Unforunltey law enforcement doesn't ahve a similar influence in the monie making industry. See the Lethal Weapon series, Die Hard series, The Fugitive. All entertaining to one degree or an other, but not an accurate reflection of police work and use of force.

Sorry, cops don't shoot someone and are back on the street the next day bragging about it. Generally they must take time off by department policy while the event is investigated by the department, it's internal affairs office, the district attorney's office and in many agencies a police oversight board. That doesn't even count how the state or the feds may come into this.

Here is something put out by the Eugene OR Police Department that is a bit more accurate on the use of force.



I really like the point made about video cameras. Back to Rodney King. The whole video showed a lot, such as King getting up after being taxed twice and struck multiple times. And as the jury in the original state trial said, the use of force was justified. The federal government said the officers had violated his civil rights and two of the four officers (if memory serves) were convicted. But going back to the video. Waht was shown over and over on TV, movies, news reports, etc. The use of a baton to the head. That was deadly force and it was not justified.

However, that was what the media and Hollywood focused on. I remember an episode of L.A. Law where Blair Underwood was just jogging and arrested for no reason other than he was black. And in the mind of Hollywood liberals, cops only stop black people because they are black. Well, this episode was written and shot in the time between the King arrest and the initial trail of the officers. Part of the show was Underwood's character using the video tape in his defense (of coruse he was not guilty). But do you think this may have been a case of someone with a chip on his shoulder? And it may have been an attempt to play off the public's reaction to the video or even to influence potential juries?

This is a video that gives a more realistic look at the use of force and is definitely worth a few minutes to watch.

Thanks to the producers of this film for making it and to Big City Cops for posting it on Facebook.