http://tapinto.net/articles/mock-shooter-drill-held-at-west-orange-movie-thea
"the drill was funded by a $240,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security"
I would like to do more research into how much and what kind of training people need to become police. Is this additional training really necessary? I checked out the Basic Course for Police Officers (link posted below). A quick read through the table of contents shows me that police already receive training on how to use their weapons.
http://www.state.nj.us/lps/dcj/njptc/pdf/Basic-Course-for-Police-Officers-BCPO.pdf
Also, how often is it necessary for police to shoot and armed person? The mayor of West Orange seems to think it can happen any time:
“Unfortunately this type of situation, where there is a shooting in a movie theater, is unpredictable. It has happened in real life and it can happen again, which is why it’s so important to train and prepare our first responders,” commented West Orange Mayor Robert D. Parisi.
So he prescribes a solution to the problem of mass shooters: train the police more. But for such a "solution" to work, police would have to be crawling around everywhere (moreso than they already are), just waiting for the mass shooter to appear, and more than likely killing more innocent blacks and latinos than an actual mass shooter would kill... It doesn't sound like the Mayor really thought through his solution. Or maybe he has other ideas, such as controlling the poor and disadvantaged!
But back to situations where police "have" to shoot armed people. Mass shooters is probably the most common example given by pro-police people because they are terrible and unfortunate tragedies that receive a lot of media attention. Even the mayor uses the mass shooter as an example for why police should shoot someone. Once again, more research is necessary, but it is my speculation that mass shooters are generally white and have mental health issues. Would it help to pay more attention to mental health care to prevent mass shootings?
How much training do police receive about when NOT to shoot or attack someone? In the section titled "legal requirements of arrest" there is one section detailed "use of force." I might be overlooking something (correct me if I am), but that is the only heading that suggests when NOT to shoot someone. Everything else seems to be about how to attack people.
I do not think it is a coincidence that the Department of Homeland Security is providing these grants at this time, when protests over police brutality and racism are escalating. When it is necessary to control the population and crowds.
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My final point (and my way of relating this to MSU):
http://tapinto.net/articles/west-orange-police-film-segment-for-montclair-sta
Is it a coincidence that the MSU TV show "carpe diem" chose to highlight the police and their mock shooter training, while ignoring the nationwide problem of police shooting unarmed, often black or latino men? As thousands across the nation are protesting against the unpunished killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner and many others; as it has become main discourse to discuss the question of race in these incidents... MSU's TV station chooses to ignore this problem, even within a "liberal" framework.
Does it matter? Who watches MSU TV? Perhaps the audience already has their opinion of the problem.
However, it is my opinion that MSU TV is being a part of the problem by not connecting its stories with wider community issues. This copies a precedent set by the more widely used media which limits the public discourse.
