Police and Rendering Help: What Would Do?
By Gregory Kielma
Would you help LEO knowing the consequences? Let's take a look
If a police officer is alone and fighting a person, how do I let the officer know that I’m there to help him/her and not make him/her think I’m going to attack them?
From an Avid Reader of The Blog: What Would You Do?
He or she will be focused on the fight. If you KNOW you can be some help, just dive in. Grab an arm or other flailing appendage and help control the person. Do not pull a knife or gun unless it’s clearly already a deadly force situation. Now is not the time to figure out how to use the 9mm that you bought to carry but have never shot.
I would also add one caution though: it’s not without risks. You could be hurt or killed doing this, and you’re on your own when it comes to paying your bills. |
In addition, you could end up sued. It happened to a friend of mine. 2am at a lonely country gas station. Deputy pulls over some guy likely high on meth, they get into it. The guy is clearly about to get the better of the deputy and is pulling on his holstered firearm. So, my friend got the meth dude from behind in a full nelson and took him to the ground. They stayed there until more deputies arrived. He was never on top of the guy and never put a mark on him. Deputies arrived, it took four taser hits and five cops to get the guy in handcuffs and in a car.
Three months later, the guy found an attorney and sued him for a million dollars for excessive force. And yeah, he included my friend on the lawsuit. So, he had to hire an attorney and pay a lot of money before they finally let him out of it.
The moral of that story is that if you are ever inclined to help in that situation, it’s best if you just hop back in your car and make like it never happened once they have it contained.