Doctor questions BART shooting

http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2011/08/29/doctor-questions-bart-shooting

BART cops don't seem to be able to deal with people who are agitated or mentally ill without shooting them:

While I had seen him agitated before and while I can't speak to all of his behavior, I never would have described him as threatening in such a way as to warrant the use of deadly force. We often have to deal with agitated and sometimes even violent patients in the hospital. Through teamwork, tools and training, we have not had to fatally wound our patients in order to subdue them.

I understand the police are there to protect us and react to the situation around them, but I wonder why the officer who shot Charles did not aim for the leg if he felt the need to use a gun, instead of his vital organs. I wonder if he possessed other training methods to subdue an agitated man with a knife or bottle.

I feel this situation quite deeply. It is hard to watch our civil servants (police) brutally handle a person and their body when I spend my time and energy as a civil servant (physician) honoring the dignity of that person, regardless of their race or social class, their beliefs or their affiliations.

**Opinion**

I feel the same way and have expressed it in the past. It doesn't take a doctor to tell you that an officer of the law should adequately be trained to deal with distressed individuals in an effective manner. An individual under the influence of alcohol, dealing with the many hardships of being homeless, many times, doesn't pose a significant threat and should be dealt with accordingly (meaning not using excessive force, i.e., a life-threatening weapon).

The same could be said for Oscar Grant. It appears from the video evidence, that they held him and his friends there for way too long and instead of resolving a relatively simple issue, they further incited or encouraged it. This may have been done in hopes of justifying their actions or for lack of being able to resolve the issue properly. Either way it's unacceptable!

Lastly, law enforcement officials are here to serve the public and are compensated for their efforts via tax payers. It's their job to protect and serve us effectively, and our job to hold them accountable when they don't do such; so I encourage those out there who may remain mute on such issues to step up and be more outspoken because the same tragedies could happen to you, a friend, or a loved one.