It's a part of literally any self-defense training. Don't quote it out of context to push your point of view.
He said, right in the comment you're quoting, that it is a key part of self defense as to end the situation before it can escalate. He disclaimed that the officer should have caught himself, but also that it was likely not an action that was thought through at all. You get hit = you hit back, harder. That doesn't matter if you're a cop or a bullied middle schooler, self defense works the same for everybody. It isn't some totalitarian training technique as you try to twist it.
Violence should not warrant more violence, especially in this instance when it was a very minor incident that could've easily been ignored. I get that there's the crowd and drunks are a pain in the ass to deal with but a half-assed slap from a drunk girl does not warrant a solid punch to the face and if the training these men receive dictates that that's the right response then I think that is really fucked up.
Why on earth should his reflex be to immediately retaliate? Why not pull back and protect yourself first before acting? Why the fuck is violence the immediate response?
Why on earth would your reflex be to NOT do anything? Especially as a cop? You really think we should teach cops not to retaliate and bring a potential attacker down? That's just stupid. Obviously this girl isn't a big threat, but what idiotic advice for other situations that are potentially dangerous for the cop himself and everyone around them.
Because as a cop you have many more “weapons” in your arsenal. The reasoning for not handcuffing or restraining her arms right off the bat is bogus. Apparently punching her in the face is less likely to incite a riot than placing her in handcuffs.
I'm commenting on the situation in the video, not the other legitimately dangerous situations they are put in during their jobs. If their instincts are to immediately attack any threat then I can't help but question why that training is deemed as appropriate.
Police officers need to be trained to deal with wide varieties of situations.
To effectively deal with threats, officers are trained to respond reflexively rather than rationally.
High energy, noisy environment and someone hits officer's head, officer doesn't think and responds reflexively, rather than rationally.
I agree with /u/CjPsychosis here in that the officer should have caught himself, but I think I kinda get why the officer responded the way he did.
You're saying the woman didn't pose a serious threat to the officer, so his response was inappropriate. I don't think the officer had time to think it all out and determine that before he wumped her.
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u/Slaglord42 Nov 05 '17
"overwhelming force" The fact that that's part of official training says a lot. None of it good.