This cop got it right.

[femmedem]

"Hagan arrived, James Trinks, 50, was inside the store with a bandanna over his face, Davis said. Hagan had drawn his gun, but Trinks — 6 feet tall and weighing 260 pounds — charged at him, swinging a full liquor bottle, Davis said. Hagan, he said, holstered his weapon and dodged the blow."

http://www.courant.com/community/manchester/hc-manchester-lucky-1202-20141201-story.html

I like to see stories like this publicized so that people perceive this as normal.

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Many cops do the right thing

Thanks for posting.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Many years ago my father used to say...

"If Mrs Smith bakes a pie, it's not news. It is news if she smashes it over Mr. Smith's head."

We just don't get to see that much of the ordinary that's not in our own lives. Thousands of cops just doing their jobs without horror or heroism just doesn't register.

And, it can get pretty boring for most people.

[Nye Bevan]

3. My guess is that incidents like this happen all the time

but do not tend to get much publicity.

[logosoco]

4. I do think most cops do the right thing, or at least not the wrong thing.

I think what has come to the surface and can't be ignored anymore is how when one cop does a bad thing and none of the good cops say it was wrong. That is a huge part of the problem. Why aren't there more of the good cops stepping up and saying "yes, my co-worker did the wrong thing".
All of the cops on the force in Ferguson, from the captain down, and then the court system, swooped in to cover for what one person did wrong.

I have worked with kids and pets my whole life. When we had a person who was putting them in danger or not doing the job well, we stepped up to the bosses.

[Zen_fighter]

5. Thanking law enforcement

I am glad he was able to arrest without a major incident. Easily could have gone the other way and I don't judge the officer. If you charge at an officer of the law you may well be on your last charge. Armed or not (officer can't be sure) he has the right to stop you with lethal force and I am okay with that. People are foolish to assume that events like this don't happen every day. At the same time, the officer should maintain his right to defend himself if he feels threatened. That right includes lethal force. I am thankful for law enforcement. They are humans and sometimes they don't get it right. I will not be judging an officer if they are feeling threatened and they shot and kill. I am thankful they are around to serve and protect.

[IBEWVET]

6. If Mr. Trinks was black..

would the outcome have been the same?

[Zen_fighter]

8. no way to know

I hope it would have the same outcome. I have no doubt that we could find instances that a minority charged a officer and did not get stopped by lethal force. Don't get me wrong, I have no illusions that race can't play a part in lethal situations. My concern is that concept is being lost in heightened passions over Ferguson. The argument among many people is was the shooting justified. That is missing the larger concept of underlying racial divide that exists. I am a liberal white guy in a small town in a conservative state, county, etc. Being white I am privileged to conversations that I would rather not hear...

[Baitball Blogger]

7. Well, consider the headline:

"Cop DOESN'T kill suspected perp"

Yeah, kind of stands out.

[femmedem]

9. Now that I'm home from work, I'm able to clarify my o.p.

When I said I'd like to see incidents like this perceived as normal, I meant we should not find it acceptable or normal when a cop shoots someone, even if that someone is large and lunging at them.

If enough stories like this are published, we will someday expect cops to have the skill and courage to subdue people using nonviolent or less violent means. And cops will expect it of themselves.