Quote:
Originally Posted by lightfighter
properly handled, that incident(the traffic one), will result in a more fully trained officer. We dont consider an officer "fully trained" for 4 or 5 years. If your reaction was to demand limits on officers acting in an off duty capacity for traffic infractions, or to insist that he be punished in a meaningful way, like a short unpaid suspension, then I would agree. but fired, for doing something he is trained to do, having appearantly forgotten he isnt in a marked car? extreme.
you dont fire an investment broker the first time he loses money. If you terminated people for errors, even major ones, you would soon have only transitional employees.
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Lightfighter, let's say you were that biker and I were that cop. If you were carrying a sidearm and I jumped out of my car with gun in hand and came at you, how long would you wait before drawing down on me? How long before firing? Would you reholster as soon as you heard some stranger say "state police" or would you keep a bead on him and demand to see a badge?
I open carry on my bike occasionally and exactly because drawing from concealment in full riding gear can take a while. Obviously, only criminals and cops carry guns in MD, so the cop had some reason to believe he'd face no armed resistance. But still, he was egregiously wrong for not ID'ing himself instantly. That behavior could have gotten him shot in a lot of other places.