Learned from reading the Sept. 16 News Tribune that the Red Sea parted, walking on water is normal and all's well in West Duluth! What we didn't learn was what alternative actions Officer Jeffrey Keast could have taken to mitigate a situation before it escalated into death ("Officer cleared in shooting of West Duluth teenager").
A great offensive is nearly always worth 100 defensive scenarios. Knowing your terrain before battle is a must.
You have a 4,000-pound weapon called a car. Do you go backward or do you use your 4,000-pound weapon as a forward deterrent? This means to keep the individual off-balance until you can exit the car and a Taser can be used? In a contest between a drunken individual and a 4,000-pound car, which wins? We are talking basic herding.
The story included great buzz words ("demonish"), reports of taunting by the teenager and orders from police to put the bat down. Thinking on your feet is everything. Training for alternative action must be part of police training. How about, at the outset, pointing your gun in the air and shooting? That could be sobering.
Duluth Police Chief Gordon Ramsay could write an opinion piece called, "Best alternatives in given situations." How do we save lives without using deadly force? You don't win when shooting someone.
ADVERTISEMENT
The teenager, Joey Carl, was a product of many failures in his short life. Many signs of failure were present for so many to see and react. There were few reactions to the long slide to the final act that ended in complete controversy.
Carl should be a textbook story our society's failure. From family to education to neighborhoods to a lack of outreach programs for teens to law enforcement and, finally, to the need for grounding to chart life's course forward, we as a society failed Carl.
Paul Love
Duluth
