Bad Ideas in Action

Such an idea could only come from a New York Democrat:

Sen. David Paterson is pushing a bill that would require cops to shoot to wound, rather than using deadly force - drawing outrage from officers.

The bill also would create a new provision for second-degree manslaughter that would be reserved specifically for an officer who "uses more than the minimal amount necessary" to stop a crime suspect.

Paterson, who is on Eliot Spitzer's ticket as lieutenant governor, has reintroduced the bill twice since first sponsoring it in 2001, refusing to let it die.

In a memo urging its passage, Paterson wrote: "There is no justification for terminating another's life when a less extreme measure may accomplish the same objective."

How exactly does a police officer make the split-second decision to use appropraite force when the lives of civilians, victims, or officers is at state? Is there a rash of killings by police officers in New York that I am not aware of that justifies this law? Even if there were a rash of these killings, police departments have internal safeguards and procedures in place to deal with those situations. It is why any police officer involved in a shooting goes on administrative leave right away . And there are already laws against to prosecute police officers who go beyond the law.

When the choice is between siding with public safety officers and siding with criminals, always take the officers who have chosen to put their life on the line day in an day out.