"Why Cops Kill"
#1
"A charitable explanation for why cops kill is that certain actions by suspects (running away, or resisting arrest, or reaching into the squad car to grab a gun) may trigger the rage circuit to fire with such intensity as to override all cortical self-control. This may be especially the case if the officer is modified by training and experience to look for danger or biased by racial profiling leading to negative expectations of certain citizens' behavior."


http://www.scientificamerican.com/articl...cops-kill/



This from a publication known for it's responsible reporting about scientific studies. Could be. Reading the entire article makes me wonder if the author(s) aren't looking at this from a very narrow point of view. But, it's a least one explanation of a troubling thing so often reported in the news these days. 


Food for thought, but I can't help but wonder if this science ignores some of the other social behaviors of modern life that police must deal with. 


EDIT: I don't know why the URL won't activate. Maybe Scientific American restricts the use? Whatever, if you are interested and have time you can type the link and get the full article. 
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#2
Maybe this link will work

http://www.scientificamerican.com/articl...cops-kill/
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#3
A charitable explanation for why cops kill is that certain actions by suspects    reaching into the squad car to grab a gun) may trigger the rage circuit to fire with such intensity as to override all cortical self-control


No kidding?? Laughing   "rage circuit"? Yeah OK


 "The ongoing rash of police using deadly force against minority citizens"



prejudice still percolates in the minds of a few cops in a handful of pockets of American society (nothing like 50 years ago), it does not explain the many interactions between white police and minority citizens that unfold without incident every year or the thousands of cases of assaults on police that do not end in police deaths (49,851 in 2013, according to the FBI)






So which is it an ongoing rash of police using deadly force against minority citizens....



Or a few cops in a handful of pockets of American society
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#4
(07-03-2015, 11:50 AM)tvguy Wrote: A charitable explanation for why cops kill is that certain actions by suspects    reaching into the squad car to grab a gun) may trigger the rage circuit to fire with such intensity as to override all cortical self-control


No kidding?? Laughing   "rage circuit"? Yeah OK


 "The ongoing rash of police using deadly force against minority citizens"



prejudice still percolates in the minds of a few cops in a handful of pockets of American society (nothing like 50 years ago), it does not explain the many interactions between white police and minority citizens that unfold without incident every year or the thousands of cases of assaults on police that do not end in police deaths (49,851 in 2013, according to the FBI)






So which is it an ongoing rash of police using deadly force against minority citizens....



Or a few cops in a handful of pockets of American society

Yeah, I wouldn't know "rage circuit" from a blown fuse or chicken soup. 

But, the ENTIRE article does rise some interesting points about how the brain works and that our reactions are not as simple and easily understood as we (lay people) might think. The author is, after all, a scientist and has some credibility. 

My argument with the guy would be that while he may know a lot about the brain, he may not be all that tuned into social problems and especially how cops must deal with every kind of person our society runs by them. 

Still, I thought it was curious and interesting enough to post. So I did. 
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#5
Here's a novel idea. How about just complying with an officers orders and stop resisting? Take it up with internal affairs if you think your were treated unjustly afterward. Pretty simple and no one gets shot. Nawwwwww........
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#6
(07-05-2015, 09:07 AM)SFLiberal Wrote: Here's a novel idea.  How about just complying with an officers orders and stop resisting?  Take it up with internal affairs if you think your were treated unjustly afterward.  Pretty simple and no one gets shot.  Nawwwwww........

THE answer. Simple, and effective. 
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