Assisting an officer

In the state of Idaho it is legally appropriate for an individual to step in and assist another individual or an officer who is being attacked. Last month there was a shooting in Moscow. A man killed his wife, then went down to the police station and started shooting. An officer lost his life and another officer was injuried. One of the things that I am bothered with is there was a guy from a college nearby who heard the shots and ran to help. When I first heard this I thought, "Good for him, it's nice to hear people assisting officers when they do not have to." I was under the impression that he was not far from the scene. I have come to find that this individual was actually so far away that he had to hop on his bike and ride down to where the shooting was happening. Now I am all for someone assisting officers, but in my opinion this young man's actions were unnecessary and I also feel it caused more problems then needed to be. This young man did get injuried. Officers that he went to assist ended up having to put their life's in even more danger to help the injuried man. Don't get me wrong, I understand that it is part of an officer's duty to protect others and to help save lives, but I feel that these actions by this man were not appropriate for the situation that was present. I would have understood if he was nearby, like on the street as it was happening, but to be that far away, grabbing a gun, riding your bike down to situation, I just don't see the "hero" aspect and feel that it wasn't a benefit to the officers or the situation.

So now that a simple point has become long winded, I am curious as to how officers feel about citizens helping in police situations and when you feel a citizen should remain out of the way.

Have a safe and wonderful day!

Peace, Love, and God Bless

Amber D. Curtis