Shoot to Kill

The IACP, an association representing 20,000 police chiefs in the U.S., has authorized shooting suspected terrorists in the head. This is a change in the Rules of Engagement as currently supported. To quote Monty Python: "...And there was much rejoicing."

We're sure this will provoke some frothing outrage from the ACLUand other groups, and we think that debate is always healthy, especially given the recent shooting of a Brazilian-born immigant on a London subway. However, in the opinion of the stand-in writer of this blog, if you're wearing a bulky overcoat in mid-summer, acting suspiciously, and decide to run from the police into a public transit system that has had 7 bombings in 3 weeks, don't come looking for sympathy. At the same time, here in America, if you're a terrorist, you're probably in more danger of getting mugged on certain subways than you are of being shot by an overzealous cop.

We hope that law enforcement staff in the U.S. can stay alert and learn from recent events in London and elsewhere. We hope that the U.S. Intelligence Agencies can gather and analyze information fast enough to prevent further attacks on U.S. soil. But on another level, we hope there are thousands of police officers down at the gun range, practicing aiming for the big gourd.
To end with anoher quote, this time from the Hill Street Blues desk sergeant:

"Let's do it to them before they do it to us."