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Recently,
in an area on the West Coast, an inordinate number of
police-officer-involved
shootings have taken place. As a result, several suspects have been
fatally injured. Newspapers in
the area, quoting local "community activists," have editorialized that,
with all these shootings
by police, "any citizen" could find himself dodging police bullets, for
no apparent reason at all! Responding to the newspaper editorial, a Los
Angeles Deputy District Attorney, who is obviously
community minded, submitted a five point plan. The plan is designed to
assist citizens, who might otherwise be randomly shot by police, in
staying
out of the path of police bullets. The newspaper never printed it, but
I thought you might appreciate it, even if they didn't.
"I've
devised a five point plan to help citizens avoid being shot by police.
This plan may not
prevent all shootings, but very few will take place when the plan is
rigorously adhered to. So, here
are the rules:
-
DON'T
COMMIT VIOLENT CRIMES. I know this seems elementary, but this rule is
lost on many. They do the crime, get shot, and then wonder how it could
possibly happen. They whine that it is so unfair. Well, Slick, violent
crime, like jumping in front of moving cars, is just a high risk
occupation, and, in case you missed it, committing violent crimes make
police officers think you may not be a good person.
-
If you
ignore rule No. 1, and the police do confront you, DON'T RUN
AWAY FROM THEM. I know it's hard to believe, but that may make them
think you're guilty of something. Hiding in bushes or closets makes
some cops (mostly older ones) very nervous. They might even foolishly
conclude that you're up to no good!
-
If
you disregard rules 1 and 2, and the cops catch up with you anyway and
inform you that you are under arrest, DON'T MAKE FAST MOVEMENTS WITH
YOUR HANDS. I know it sounds silly, but grabbing a shiny beer can, a
dark colored wallet, or one of those snazzy and real looking replica
guns may make police officers mistakenly believe that you are about to
hurt them.
-
If
you disregard rules 1, 2, and 3, and manage to get what looks like a
deadly weapon into your hands, DON'T POINT IT AT THE COPS. We all know
that you're basically a nice person, but that may be lost on the police
officers confronting you. In their paranoia, they may even believe they
need to protect themselves.
-
If
you disregard rules 1, 2, 3, and 4, DON'T BE ASTONISHED IF THE COPS DO
NOT INSTANTLY TURN INTO YOUR PERSONAL CONFIDANTE. They may be too
preoccupied to realize that you're normally a splendid person and that
you're just having a bad day. They may be too preoccupied to see that
when you point a weapon at them in a threatening manner, it is just
your way of crying out for help. We both know that the whole problem
can be traced to the fact that your mother didn't breast feed you, but
some police officers are so cynical they just don't see it. So, there
you have it.
If you
really apply yourself and obey even some of the rules listed
above, I bet you'll avoid the vast majority of police gunfire."
Cheri
Lewis
Deputy DA
Los Angeles, California
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