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His response reminds me of Officer Ken Lam, the Toronto Police officer who opted not to shoot the van suspect despite the fact that he was within a few meters o

by colmvp 8y ago

His response reminds me of Officer Ken Lam, the Toronto Police officer who opted not to shoot the van suspect despite the fact that he was within a few meters of the suspect. In America, it's highly likely the officer would've used his gun.

aarongough 8y ago
Not to mention that the suspect really appeared to be attempting to provoke the officer into shooting him by brandishing something dark and acting like it was a firearm (was a cell phone I believe). The officer's response was very restrained which I think is a good thing.
Waterluvian 8y ago
More about Ken Lam: https://globalnews.ca/video/4168807/const-ken-lam-toronto-police-officer-who-didnt-shoot-is-ex-engineer https://globalnews.ca/video/4168807/const-ken-lam-toronto-po... 1st generation Canadian who retired from being an engineer of 14 years because he wanted to do more for his community directly. I know this is just one example but I think this contrasts just so strongly from all the police officers who join up for very different reasons. He reminds me of the officer in this story who quit the CIA to become a beat cop because he believed it allowed him to make a far greater difference: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/05/07/the-spy-who-came-home https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/05/07/the-spy-who-ca... (This is a must read, by the way) How do we get more officers like these?
- spydum 8y ago
  Raise better children, and pay living wages, basically.
  - craftyguy 8y ago
    In addition: be more selective in choosing who gets to be a police officer, hold them accountable for their actions, and hold them to high standards. I get the feeling that a major deterrent for folks who genuinely want to be a police officer to help their community is that there are many in the organization who view their role as an extension of the US military.
DoubleCribble 8y ago
There's such a low threshold for the police's justified use of deadly force in the US, that Ken Lam's restraint was almost unbelievable for this 'merican.[0] [0]https://twitter.com/boyermichel/status/988492132636913665?lang=en https://twitter.com/boyermichel/status/988492132636913665?la...

by colmvp 8y ago

aarongough 8y ago

Not to mention that the suspect really appeared to be attempting to provoke the officer into shooting him by brandishing something dark and acting like it was a firearm (was a cell phone I believe). The officer's response was very restrained which I think is a good thing.

Waterluvian 8y ago

More about Ken Lam: https://globalnews.ca/video/4168807/const-ken-lam-toronto-police-officer-who-didnt-shoot-is-ex-engineer https://globalnews.ca/video/4168807/const-ken-lam-toronto-po... 1st generation Canadian who retired from being an engineer of 14 years because he wanted to do more for his community directly. I know this is just one example but I think this contrasts just so strongly from all the police officers who join up for very different reasons. He reminds me of the officer in this story who quit the CIA to become a beat cop because he believed it allowed him to make a far greater difference: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/05/07/the-spy-who-came-home https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/05/07/the-spy-who-ca... (This is a must read, by the way) How do we get more officers like these?

spydum 8y ago
Raise better children, and pay living wages, basically.
- craftyguy 8y ago
  In addition: be more selective in choosing who gets to be a police officer, hold them accountable for their actions, and hold them to high standards. I get the feeling that a major deterrent for folks who genuinely want to be a police officer to help their community is that there are many in the organization who view their role as an extension of the US military.

DoubleCribble 8y ago

There's such a low threshold for the police's justified use of deadly force in the US, that Ken Lam's restraint was almost unbelievable for this 'merican.[0] [0]https://twitter.com/boyermichel/status/988492132636913665?lang=en https://twitter.com/boyermichel/status/988492132636913665?la...