Originally Posted by slone130
I wasn't.
I believe you were:
These levels vary depending on who's theory you follow but they are basically: 1. Officer presence 2. Verbal commands 3. soft-hand techniques (grabbing) 4. hard-hand techniques (striking) 5. striking weapons (nightstick) and 6. deadly force (gun). There are other techniques available depending on department policy such as pepper spray, taser, etc. By having these different weapons at our disposal, it gives us much more options than if we were restricted to just one or two. With the potential perpetrator aware that we have these tools available, he, or she, knows that they may be subject to the use of these weapons should their actions justify that usage.
Since we're talking about civilians, let's change "officer presence" to "civilian presence". See how already the expectations have changed. Verbal commands are now substantially less effective. And so on down the line to the point when a gun is produced, surprising the other person. Nobody is surprised that a cop has a gun and that is a large part of their deterrent effect.
People understand that police officers are armed, trained in an escalating chain of physicality, and ultimately only one of a large, well-oraganized force that has the time, resources, and nothing better to do than track down someone who commits assault against one of their own. I can't say the same.