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When, if ever, should police shoot at moving cars?

The Senate Criminal Justice Committee earlier this year held a hearing on causes of law enforcement officer deaths and ways to prevent them, so I was interested to see a discussion in the Dallas News about whether a law enforcement officer who believes a driver is trying to run him over should shoot at the vehicle ("Police policies on shooting at cars differ," Sept. 4). A criminologist from South Carolina offered this advice that might save lives: "If you've got time to pull and point your weapon," he said, "use that time to get out of the way." The News examines Metroplex police department policies on shooting at moving cars and discovers they're all over the map:Dr. [Geoffrey] Alpert, who studies police use of force, believes agencies should ban shooting at moving vehicles except in extreme cases, such as if an officer has fallen or is trapped with no escape and deadly force is a last resort...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on September 04, 2008 (boomark / email).