Comment by ummonk | Hacker News Reader

Comment by ummonk | Hacker News Reader

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I'm talking about when someone decides not to confront potential criminals because they might get sent to prison for killing someone when they accidently usetheir pistol instead of a taser.

Look, I'm no fan of the police, and often find myself in disbelief when police officers are acquitted (or not indicted) for what can only be described as murder. But the Oscar Grant shooting was clearly a mistake, and whether or not the officer should have been convicted, that kind of conviction will definitely put a damper on officers' willingness to confront people.

  accidently use their pistol instead of a taser

In the situation, with Grant fully subdued and compliant, Mehserle had no business using either.

It was similar to the Rodney King beating in the sense that after King was fully subdued and compliant, Koon and Powell continued to hit him.

> I'm talking about when someone decides not to confront potential criminals because they might get sent to prison for killing someone when they accidently usetheir pistol instead of a taser.

I mean, same idea. If a police officer is not confident they can dependably discern the difference between a gun and a taser, BART is definitely safer without them.

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