I was thinking about what Rashida4Prez said, "Where TF are THESE cops at?" I think I know. I think that these kinds of cops are the ones who don't make the headlines because they didn't mistake a gun for a taser or something. These cops are here, we just can't tell because they do their job so well, nobody recognizes them for it.

The US police force are trained as a para-military organization. They know how to use guns and tasers, they don't know how to communicate and de-escalate a situation. Their sense of authority is enormous; "I'm a cop and I'm the law. Whatever I say happens. " But that doesn't work when you're dealing with person who is in a psychosis. Add their insufficient training, the systemic racism and the fact that you can't join the police force when you're too smart, to this cocktail and you know why these incidents keep happening. On the very same moment one cop was found guilty of murder, 2 cops killed another unarmed black man.

YASSSS WE NEED MORE OF THIS GUY

It's obvious to me that the police are so unaccountable for their actions the police chief simply doesn't think he needs to put any more effort into his lying. We absolutely need to change our policing system to root out people like this police chief who clearly doesn't give the faintest crap, or even enjoys, the fact that his men are just a gang of murderous thugs. In essence, this police chief is at the very least an accessory to murder.

The incompetence of those police officers cause a human life. It’s not worth having officers who can’t handle the heat of the moment out there.

I agree with several points made by the police officer and responding posters. Unless you KNOW you are going into a situation where the offender has a gun, you need to use lower-levels of intervention first. Drawing your gun in the first instance should NOT be your go-to action. If you can't stand the pressure of these kinds of situations and are wont to make a mistake like confusing your gun and taser, you need to find yourself a different job. Better psychological screening and on-going training would also be a good thing for all (especially US) police officers.

Every time I hear a cop say, "I was scared," I wonder what the hell they are doing being in the police. It's wonderful to hear a policeman stand up and say the same. It's men and women like him who are the only ones who can change the culture, and certainly not chiefs who say things like, "She was reaching for her taser."

I knew I shouldn't have read this goddamn post. This just absolutely ruined my day. Since it did, I'll start ranting. Why TF would cops sign up for being a cop if they're that mentally impaired? Why TF are some cops so damn retarded? WTF is wrong with americans and their prejudice against "colored" people? White trash say that they are superior when over half the world isn't even white. Screw the cops, they're even worse than trash. Don't get me wrong though, there are good cops out there, but some of them are just too cowardly to face the corruption in AMerica's law system. America is a so-called land of freedom, where literally anyone can do anything they want as long as they have power. We are literally still wild animals.

It must be nice to be so perfect. EVERYONE makes mistakes even him. Some mistakes can end a life. The question is do we want the police to be slower on the shoot which will kill a LOT more of them. If so you will see MANY less qualified people becoming cops.

After this incident happened, I asked my dad who had trained to be a cop,but didn't join the force did this excuse about taser/gun confusion make sense and he said no. I think I already knew that I just wanted the opinion of someone who actually had held a gun in his hands. Tasers and guns have very different weights and in the case of that lady cop, the taser was bright yellow in color. I agree with everything that this officer says, but I know he is going to be in trouble for speaking up.

In a society where the average joe has a gun, the criminals have guns and the police have guns. These 'mistakes' are always going to happen.

The difference in design and placement should be foolproof. Never underestimate fools.

Hopefully this will not impact his career given that good cops in the past have faced certain consequences for saying the right thing.

I wrote that many tasers actually do look and feel like guns, and the recourse for unspeakable incompetence is to be fired and sued. I was down-voted heavily and told that the police never face such consequences for such incompetence. No-one bothered to Google the case to find out that officer, Kim Potter, had quit, is now beinng charged with manslaughter and that in just about ANY case you've heard about, the city settled for many millions of dollars... or that Tasers, including the one in question, actually DOES look like a handgun. And since the OP claimed you should know which hip your gun is on (very true), I'd also point out that in this case, the officer wasn't wearing her firearm. (I'm a little incredulous that she left it in her car.)

While a lot of the points on here are correct, this case was misreported. When the confrontation happened, it was dark, and the man looked like he was grabbing for a weapon. Them pulling a weapon on him was understandable. Though yes, they shouldn't have used a gu

Watch him get fired for having common sense

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Something tells me he's not gonna be popular on his own police force.

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The problem is that Taser DOES make weapons that look and feel like guns. WHY? Because they make it feel more like you're executing someone when you use it? Also, yes it is horrible, gross incompetence under any circumstance to allow yourself to confuse your pistol for your Taser. Gross incompetence is dealt with lawsuits, firing, etc. The officer has already quit, and believe me, there will be an 8-figure lawsuit. The question is whether the officer has committed murder, not incompetence.