If Asia Can, Why Can’t We?

https://boingboing.net/2019/01/21/using-pikes-to-confront-and-im.html

“Let’s think about ways to handle these incidents without having to use deadly force!”

I ran across the above video which shows some Asian people (China?), possibly mental health workers in white coats. Later they are joined by police while restraining (without use of deadly force) a disturbed man on a crowded street. Note that the suspect is threatening them with a machete-like blade.

Having watched numerous uses of deadly force by our police, I was pleasantly surprised to find what I have been advocating all these years seems to be possible — that police can develop less-than-deadly ways to handle disturbed persons with cutting or striking weapons.

Yes, if police in this nation can control and take a weapon-wielding suspect into custody without taking his life, why can’t we?

Here’s an assignment: Be creative and develop a way to control knife and club-wielding suspects without taking their lives!

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Note: Earlier I had posted this video regarding how London cops (some with trash can shields) took a large, knife-wielding man into custody without taking his life. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mzPj_IaMzY

A Later Note: Since this was published, the Chinese police have joined in on evidently developing “less-than-lethal” methods of containing and arresting persons with weapons other than firearms. I have argued all these years about the importance of our police developing such methods and not using deadly force to contain them. Here’s the latest from police in Fuyang city in Anhui Province. Note the use of clear plastic shields and the forked pole which can also be seen in the above video. (Thanks to colleague Larry Hessler for alerting us to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V_zcnpsLDM&feature=youtu.be. Let’s think about ways to handle these incidents without having to use deadly force!