And The Bleat Goes On

John Podhoretz weighs in on the furor created when the NYPD dared to shoot at man who was using his car as a weapon against them...

"...the mayor informed the city yesterday that it was not NYPD policy to allow officers to shoot their guns when a car is being used as a weapon against them. He said this in response to the emerging story of the shooting - according to which an undercover police officer found himself in the path of a Nissan Altima being driven by Sean Bell, the man killed in the shooting.

Supposedly, the Altima twice tried to run the cop down outside a seedy nightclub in South Jamaica.

The NYPD may not have a "policy" permitting an officer to fire in such a situation, but it doesn't need a "policy." As my colleague Bob McManus wrote in reference to the Amadou Diallo case seven years ago, "The statute on the use of deadly force by an on-duty police officer is quite clear: It is lawful if an officer reasonably believes his own life to be in danger."

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It's obvious the police felt that their lives were in danger. But, if shooting at a vehicle being used as a weapon is contrary to policy, then they were in violation of that policy. Big whoop. The problem rests with Bloomberg's mealy-mouth manner of expressing what is, or is not policy, and his rush for a juicy photo-op to protest evil guns.

Is it strictly forbidden to shoot at a car trying to run you over? Is it not recommended? Or is it actually not mentioned in formal policy at all, and therefore not part of any protocol to begin with?

As Podhoretz states, it IS policy to use deadly force if your life is in danger, so "try not to shoot at a car" is secondary to survival. Even, "Don't EVER shoot at a car" takes a back seat to saving your own life.

None of this would be a big deal if Bloomberg hadn't raced out to perform a group hug with every American-African on the East Coast at the expense of his constabulary that puts it's life on the line every day. To stand there and tell all of New York that it's fine and dandy to run over a cop because they shouldn't try to defend themselves is...

Fill in the blanks. The man makes me too sick to continue.