News release via US Newswire:The Law Enforcement Alliance of America is calling the recent fatal shooting of a knife wielding man in Antioch, Calif. the nation's "first real TASER death" and that the ACLU of Northern California is to blame.Let's look at the facts here. Dittman charged a number of police officers with a knife. Given the situation, the police did the only thing they could have done. Would a TASER have saved this man's life? Probably, but that doesn't mean the ACLU is to blame for the man's death.
News reports indicate that Antioch, Calif. police officers were called to the home of 27-year-old Scott Dittman. When Dittman, armed with a butcher knife, allegedly lunged at the officers, he was shot and killed. Facing an armed and dangerous subject, police officers are entirely justified in using lethal force.
The death of Scott Dittman is exceptionally tragic because of the absence of alternatives available to the police officers on the scene. The Antioch police department has TASER less than lethal devices, but news reports quoting police officials suggest the department had suspended the use of TASERs due to the legal and political issues. A controversy LEAA believes was stirred up by the ACLU of Northern California when it issued a misleading and dangerous "study" on law enforcement use of TASERs late last year.
Sadly, the death of Scott Dittman was a predictable consequence of the dangers of letting the ACLU and politicians meddle with police safety and training. In December, LEAA produced a report on the dangers of the ACLU "study" and the ACLU recommendations for police training and policy, stating, "Such baseless regulation will handcuff police officers on the street by giving them fewer options for survival in potentially deadly confrontations -- a dangerous result for police officers, the public they serve and the suspects they encounter."
LEAA's predictions about the dangers of the ACLU "study" have come true in Northern California in only a matter of months. While the use of deadly force may be justified in the line of duty, law enforcement officers prefer to have as many choices as possible to prevent having to take a human life. Public safety and officer safety is best served when law enforcement tactics are left to the experts and not politicians or special interest groups like the ACLU. The death of Scott Dittman is a tragic testament to this reality.
This is another situation where good people are trying to lay blame for a bad situation on the wrong people. Don't get me wrong, I think the ACLU's position on TASERs is ridiculous; but let's not forget who is really responsible for this man's death.
Scott Dittman is responsible for his death. Actions have consequences. The ACLU didn't wield that knife, Dittman did. And he is the responsible party in this case.
