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While watching some Cop show there were a few stops where citizens would stop and help and officer subdue an unruly suspect. How many of you would do that and for you LEO out there how many of yall would want help of that nature?

I would help in a HEARTBEAT. I have been jumped from behind with 50 ppl standing around and not one of them helped me out. I know what its like to need help and not have it.

I would help also.

But I see this situation as very fluid. Up until the LEO is in trouble, someone else stopping would just be a distraction (usually unwelcome), something else he thinks he has to control, and would probably ask you to move along.

By the time he's in trouble, there's a very limited time to help. I doubt anyone would fail to stop under these circumstances.

Then again, I may be totally off base.

It ought to be a law that able bodied citizens stop and render aid to an officer in distress.

asleepatthereel wrote:It ought to be a law that able bodied citizens stop and render aid to an officer in distress.

then come the definition of "officer in distress".

sometimes its not always clear cut.

Only if I was wearing a CHL badge.

casingpoint wrote:Only if I was wearing a CHL badge.

Well dang it there went my morning coffee flying back out of my mouth and onto my keyboard .

I know I would. If I'm driving 60 and I see an officer getting into it with someone on the side of the road I'm locking my brakes up.

If it was obvious that the officer was in distress or needed help, you betcha

Wildscar wrote:While watching some Cop show there were a few stops where citizens would stop and help and officer subdue an unruly suspect. How many of you would do that and for you LEO out there how many of yall would want help of that nature?

My CHL instructor was an LEO, and he noted one of the reasons he, as a cop, supported CCW was, "if I'm getting my butt stomped at the side of the road, I like to know there's people who can stop and help me out..."

While I certainly agree with the concept of helping out ANY LEO who needs it, I rather expect that unless he/she is
really in extremis, the reaction is not going to be positive for a couple of reasons. Human nature, and as reinforced
in most LEO cultures is that "I don't need your help, I can handle it, I am a police officer, you are only a civilian."
Additionally, most officers in big city departments have had ingrained into them a distrust of the citizenry.
Not so much "us against them" as it is 'trust no one except a fellow officer' . Rest assured that if I am asked for
help or the officer appears to have lost control of the situation, I will do what I can.
Until then I will observe and remember, and let the officer do his job.

First off it all depends on the situation. I will also point out that my holster has no active retention so grappling with a suspect will not happen in my case as its a quick way to loose control of a weapon. Carrying where I do (IWB) and considering that grabbing an adult around the waist is the best way to pick them up from a vertical base means that a suspect is likely to discover my weapon. Once they know of it then there is a fight for the control of your weapon and if you loose all kinds of bad will most likely happen.

I think the general consensus here is that while we wouldn't thrust ourselves into an unneccessary situation--aka: trying to play pretend cop--we would all lend a hand to any LEO in need. The people you see just standing around in videos on the news, Court TV, etc. trying to NOTHING make sick to my very core. I don't know if anyone has seen the 20/20 special report "What Would YOU Do?", but Google it. Footage upon footage of people doing nothing to defend others. Sick, sick, sick.

rgoldy wrote:Rest assured that if I am asked for help or the officer appears to have lost control of the situation, I will do what I can. Until then I will observe and remember, and let the officer do his job.

Im not saying pull up behind the cop while hes writing a ticket or anything like that. I was mainly talking about driveing down the road and you see a COP with no back up wrestling with another person. I know there is a slight change of that ever happening but its stil a chance.

On the video I saw last night a man just found out that his wife was cheating on him and was drive crazy. when the Cop tried to pull him over he decided to take his anger out on the LEO. While the office was wreastling with the suspect a retired LEO saw this and locked up his brakes and swun over from the other side of the HWY to help. Then about a 30 second later they where still having and issue when another citezen that is what we would call a big boy basically came over and lliterally sat on the guy. I was rolling on the floor when I saw that. But its those kind of instance that I am talking about. I tried to find the video of it but my yahojitsu is off today.