STOP OR I’LL SHOOT!

STOP OR I’LL SHOOT!

 Last week there was a case in NYC where police shot and killed a perpetrator who ran and then turned with a weapon.  This seems to be a fairly common occurrence these days. 

Apparently these days when an officer stops a criminal he yells “Police, please stop committing crime and threatening people or we will have to attempt to apprehend you!”

Now given this command, most law abiding citizens would not move and would allow the officer to question them.  Criminals apparently are not so easily apprehended.  That is kinda what makes them criminals.  Criminals need very specific instructions with very specific consequences for not following those instructions. 

The standard police command years ago was “Stop or I‘ll shoot!”  These instructions were specific and easy to follow…STOP!  The consequences were also clear and specific…If you do not stop, I will fire bullets at your body with the intent to kill you!

With these clear and specific instructions and clear consequences for the failure to obey, an officer’s job was much easier and less open to claims of police brutality.   Did the suspect have a knife or a gun?  Did the suspect threaten the officer?  Was the gun really just a water pistol?  Did he charge the policeman? 

It does not matter.

If the suspect does not stop, he will get shot…no questions asked.

Was this old fashioned police action cruel and harsh?  Not if you stopped what you were doing when you were told to stop what you were doing.  

Criminals today often run when the officer nicely requests that they stop committing a crime and surrender.  These chases are dangerous to the police and to civilians.  When officers simply yelled, “Stop or I’ll shoot” criminals dropped their weapons, put their hands up and surrendered.

How do I know this?  Just watch almost any old movies from the forties and fifties.  It worked every time.

Sometimes handling children works the same.  Children need clear specific instructions with clear specific consequences for not following the instructions. 

“Please stop throwing the ball against the house because you might break a window and that will make me sad” may not get a child to adjust his behavior.

“Stop! Or you will never see that ball again” is generally more effective.

Clear instructions with clear consequences for failure to obey the instructions followed by immediate implementation of the consequences when clear instructions are not obeyed results in respect and obedience.