# Should police face criminal charges for mistakes?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-police-face-criminal-charges-for-mistakes/570900>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [February 10, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-police-face-criminal-charges-for-mistakes/570900 "2011-02-10T15:42:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-police-face-criminal-charges-for-mistakes/570900/21 "2011-02-12T01:02:40Z")

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> [@Grateful-UnDead](#):
>
> Could the dope dealer successfully argue “self defence”?

Well, assuming the argument isn’t rendered moot by the dead guy’s buddies blowing the homeowner away…

[Such a case does exist in Quebec](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_Parasiris), with an acquittal for the resident. Homeowner, with his wife and children in the house, opened fire on perceived invaders, killing one officer and wounding another.

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**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-police-face-criminal-charges-for-mistakes/570900/22 "2011-02-12T03:08:44Z")

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> [@spark240](#):
>
> The _alternative_ is innocent people being killed by police who shoot too soon, and I don’t believe that is tolerable in a free society.

Do you not live in the United States? This happens and is tolerated regularly in the US.

Hell, here in Las Vegas, we’ve never had a police shooting that _wasn’t_ ruled justified or excusable. Not even when they shoot an unarmed man who is holding a basketball, or when the SWAT team shoots an unarmed man clothed only in shorts who is prone on the ground and surrounded by SWAT officers armed with automatic weapons. Not even when it’s an unarmed guy who turns out to be a different guy than the officer claimed when he got a warrant signed.

All those cases happened here within the last 12 years or so, and every one of them was “tolerated”.

The police have _carte blanche_ to shoot and kill you at any time, for no reason whatsoever. All they have to do is say later “I thought he made a movement that might have been for a weapon” or “I thought he might hurt me or someone else at some later time” and BINGO! the officer is given a pat on the back and sent back to his job where he can continue to kill people with impunity.

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