>How does that relate to my argument? I do not know about you, but when
>I see someone walking with a .357 in my neighborhood, I feel much better
>when that someone is a cop rather than a kid. Matter of personal taste,
>I suppose.
the woman who was harassed by the cop in her home, investigating her rather than the kid, doesn't agree. nor does the guy who the kid killed because the cop was busy worrying about the woman who called 911 than he was about a kid carrying a gun. the first thing he told the woman, btw, was that no one could know for sure if the kid was carrying a gun.
>As far as your death stats are concerned, they miss the point
>altogether, because they do not show the probability of encountering a
>potentially lethal situation. Are you implying that cops face lower
>probability of encountering potentially life threatening situations
>than other occupations do?
yes, see the bls. they compile _rates_ between occ. to compare. the rate for cops is 11 per 100,000. for other occupations is four times and more. check it out!
>BTW, I am not at all surprise that not that many cops are killed on the
>job- after all they are, or at least supposed to be, professionals
>trained to handle dangerous situations. Higher death rates may
>undermine that assumption, and that would be really scary.
>
>Clarification - I used the term "domestic call" in a loose sense -
>implying any call to a private residence, including not just domestic
>violence but all other disturbances as well. Some of the figures that
>you posted (such as ambush, arrest situations etc. would fall under that
>rubric).
in any case, the numbers still don't worry the claim that they face an incredible danger of death. they are more likely to die while stopping someone for a traffic violation.
Cop bashing in that situation is
>counterproductive, silly, and infantile -
no one's cop bashing. as i pointed out, i have several friends and relatives who are cops.
it's occupational and structural, not about individuals.
kelley