# Toronto Attack - Police Arrest Suspect; Police Professionalism Appreciation Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 24, 2018, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043 "2018-04-24T14:04:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/1 "2018-04-24T14:04:08Z")
I don’t see any previous thread (if one exists, please forgive this one). As you probably have already read, there was an attack in Toronto in which 10 people were killed. No known motive as yet. However, one thing that really struck me was how well the cop who finally confronted the suspect arrested him - without a shot fired, even though the suspect had just apparently murdered a bunch of people and was telling the police he had a gun, and was waving some object around as if it was a gun. Obviously, going for suicide by cop. Instead, the cop simply refused to take the bait and forced the suspect to surrender, without any violence. Great work by that policeman. All caught on the ubiquitous cellphone videos: https://www.cbc.ca/i/caffeine/syndicate/?autoPlay=true&mediaId=1217631811707 Nice to see the police in our town doing their job so courageously and professionally. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/2 "2018-04-24T14:27:20Z")
The guy isn’t black, that’s why. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/3 "2018-04-24T15:06:15Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > The guy isn’t black, that’s why. Don’t you mean, ‘the cop is Canadian’? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/4 "2018-04-24T15:07:53Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Don’t you mean, ‘the cop is Canadian’? Yes, that too I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/5 "2018-04-24T15:08:42Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Nice to see the police in our town doing their job so courageously and professionally. I’m glad the situation resolved okay. But I must admit that the officer did make a few fundamental mistakes. > [@Slash1972](#): > > The guy isn’t black, that’s why. That’s a reasonably racist comment. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/6 "2018-04-24T15:14:36Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > That’s a reasonably racist comment. not even arguably It may be right or wrong, but saying cops shoot black men unnecessarily is in no way a racist statement. A comment isn’t “racist” just because it mentions race. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/7 "2018-04-24T15:17:16Z")
The police officer showed bravery and admirable restraint. It probably helps that in Canada, fewer people have handguns to begin with so there police have less reason to fear armed suspects. The guy said he had a gun but what he was waiving around didn’t look like a gun to the officer. Also, the officer may have surmised that if the suspect’s goal was to be shot in the head and he already had a gun, he wouldn’t have asked the officer for help to accomplish that goal. In the end, the officer made the right decision. It would have been completely understandable had the officer shot the suspect though. That’s a tough, pressure-filled situation to be in. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/8 "2018-04-24T15:17:55Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > That’s a reasonably racist comment. I fail to find any definition of “racist comment” that would include my post. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/9 "2018-04-24T15:18:49Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > I’m glad the situation resolved okay. But I must admit that the officer did make a few fundamental mistakes. What mistakes did he make? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/10 "2018-04-24T15:18:54Z")
You know what? It’s just not worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/11 "2018-04-24T15:24:38Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > not even arguably > > It may be right or wrong, but saying cops shoot black men unnecessarily is in no way a racist statement. A comment isn’t “racist” just because it mentions race. I don’t want to derail - but whether it is racist or not it is kinda insulting to this particular cop to assert he’d have reacted differently to a Black suspect. It impugns his professionalism, at best. Given we’ve just seen him behave with admirable professionalism, I’d say we have no reason to assert that. Unless of course there is some reason to suspect this particular cop is himself racist. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/12 "2018-04-24T15:40:07Z")
I greatly approve of this officer’s successful de-escalation. I know that plenty of cops in the US are great at de-escalation, and I hope that it continues to grow in usage until it’s ubiquitous. Kudos to this officer, and others who perform their duties as he does. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/13 "2018-04-24T15:40:34Z")
We don’t really have the same racial dichotomy here in Canada. Do we have racists? Sure, every country does, but overall race is not much of a cultural issue here. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/14 "2018-04-24T15:47:21Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > We don’t really have the same racial dichotomy here in Canada. > > Do we have racists? Sure, every country does, but overall race is not much of a cultural issue here. That’s…not what the nonwhite Canadians I’ve heard from have said. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/15 "2018-04-24T16:11:20Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > The police officer showed bravery and admirable restraint. It probably helps that in Canada, fewer people have handguns to begin with so there police have less reason to fear armed suspects. The guy said he had a gun but what he was waiving around didn’t look like a gun to the officer. Also, the officer may have surmised that if the suspect’s goal was to be shot in the head and he already had a gun, he wouldn’t have asked the officer for help to accomplish that goal. In the end, the officer made the right decision. It would have been completely understandable had the officer shot the suspect though. That’s a tough, pressure-filled situation to be in. These cops deserve credit for being level headed in this kind of highly charged situation. Not to take away from their correct actions, it wasn’t all that long ago when Toronto police officers killed a slight, mentally disturbed young man on the Spadina streetcar. He was holding a small pen knife and isolated on an empty tram. That was an uncalled for over-reaction by the police on the scene. That kid should not have been killed because he never actually hurt anybody, nor was he a serious threat to the police on the scene. Ironically, this happened a stone’s throw away from Toronto’s largest mental hospital. One hopes the current incident is the result of changes in training and policy subsequently instituted by the Toronto Police Department. If so, kudos to all. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/16 "2018-04-24T16:23:16Z")
OK, it was the second post, but 23 whole minutes before crying racism? You guys are slipping. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/17 "2018-04-24T16:27:06Z")
There was training/retraining held after that streetcar incident. I’m glad to see that it may be working. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/18 "2018-04-24T16:57:54Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > OK, it was the second post, but 23 whole minutes before crying racism? You guys are slipping. > > Regards, > Shodan I was reading the “Worst movies ever” thread and couldn’t get here fast enough. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/19 "2018-04-24T17:38:46Z")
The difference is likely due to better training in Canada plus the lack of expectation on the part of Canadian police officers that they can kill with impunity and never face consequences. In the US, the minute that a cop feels afraid of any threat, real or imaginary, he will empty his gun into someone’s body and know that he’s going to get a paid vacation for his trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043/20 "2018-04-24T17:48:32Z")
I saw reports today where people who know the driver were shocked that he even could figure out how to drive the van, he had problems understanding how a steering wheel works. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toronto-attack-police-arrest-suspect-police-professionalism-appreciation-thread/813043.md?page=2)