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That’s the question asked by the Virginian-Pilot’s Gary A. Harky in a September 1st piece. The most interesting parts come from those behind the badge.

Police are trained to respond to others’ actions. That puts them at a disadvantage, said Mark Schuster, public information officer for the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office.

“When you confront an individual, you don’t know what is going through their head,” he said. “They have the advantage.”

Harky also features Corinne Geller, spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police, who deflects blame from her office by explaining that departments create their own policies. At the end of the day “police may use deadly force to protect their life or the lives of others.” All officers need is a

“reasonable belief,” which would “cause an ordinary and prudent person to act or think in a similar way under similar circumstances.”

Read the Viriginia State Police Use of Force Policy here: opr-05-01-use-of-force-1 (pdf)