First, let’s start with something that is indisputable, and no one has said it better than Charleston (SC) Police Chief Luther Reynolds. “There is no department in this country that doesn’t have the room to get better,” he declared.
If you ask Martinez which “first” he’s most proud of, it’s getting his entire fleet of marked patrol vehicles outfitted with ballistic panels and glass from Hardwire. It came after several NYPD officers were shot and killed while sitting in their patrol vehicles in less than three years.
The plaintiffs’ attorneys found a new angle of attack. They went after the company over how it marketed the Bushmaster AR that was used by the killer. They claimed the marketing was crafted to appeal to young men and glorified its capability for violence. The Connecticut Supreme Court bought that argument and ruled 4-3 in 2019 that the plaintiffs could sue
Legally, any use of force by law enforcement must be objectively reasonable, but we should also consider whether it is necessary.
After I shot someone on duty, alcohol, drugs, and other self-destructive behaviors nearly killed me…then I sought help.