On Sun, 18 Apr 2004 03:35:55 -0500, "Don Harstad"
wrote:


"Mutts" wrote in message
.. .

Wouldnt a cannon on a police helicopter solve a lot of
problems for law enforcement?

Is it possible to put a round right through the engine block
of a suspect fleeing and stop them from killing innocents?
Seems like that kind of accuracy is possible now isnt it?

When those guys were robbing the bank in LA, seems like
it would have been an easy shot to make from a helicopter
even without a cannon.

Whats up? public outcry or something?

Discharging a firearm toward another is considered deadly force. The use of
deadly force is very restricted, and understandably so. Simple traffic
violations have never been considered to justify the use of deadly force.

Regarding the bank robbery, the use of deadly force from a helicopter might
have been justified, but the circumstances might not have been conducive to
its use. Too great a chance of injuring a bystander, for example. I
certainly don't have enough knowledge of that particular event, but I have a
feeling that just about every alternative was being considered.

The use of a cannon by police would be entirely too risky.

On the other hand, there were times when I would have welcomed a chance to
call in an air strike. grin

Don H.

Also imagine how much this would *cost*-- not just the helicopter,
but the training, which I imagine would be rather intense . All
this for a system that would almost never be used, and would provide a
continual drain on the police force.
At least in California, there is already some law being pushed to
drastically limit the rights of officers to initiate high speed
chases, so you can see the likelyhood of them getting permission to
blow up a fleeing car.

If you wanted a more realistic and doable idea, I would suggest
passing some form of law that would expidite the ability of the police
to request military help in a situation where they're outgunned. If
it's bad enough that you need a helicopter gunship, you'd be better
off calling for people who practice all the time in using htem.