@Caw, I’m going to try to answer the question of training a little better. But, before i do, I want to be clear I’m not insulting you or trying to be a dick, in any way. It’s just a tough thing to cover and can come across kind of harsh. Want to make that clear, first.
I’m assuming (and, by all means, correct me if I’m wrong) you never served (LE or military) and have not been involved in an actual critical incident. This is not to disparage you, in any way, bud, I promise. I’m actually glad for anyone who’s never had to deal with the Hell that is a real gunfight.
The reality of training is…there’s no real way to prepare for those incidents until you’ve actually been in one. That’s a tough pill to swallow for a lot of people (my students included). That’s not to say training isn’t important (Again, I teach it. I wouldn’t waste my time if it weren’t weren’t incredibly valuable). The minute your ass is on the line and bullets are flying and adrenaline kicks in and fear takes over, you’re lucky to remember half of the training.
Fine motor skills go (gotta work a safety on a Beretta or a 1911? Good luck). Tunnel vision or hyper focus hijack your senses. Your perception of time changes (It speeds up or slows down. It’s different for different people). You can’t hardly hear (this is stress related. Not gunfire or explosions. Those things don’t help the situation, though).
And that’s just the stress your body is putting you under. That’s not taking into account breaching a door or physically fighting or shielding a non-combatant or victim or administering first aid (to others or yourself). It’s an absolute shit sandwich. And, the only thing that is going to help at all is training (that has been made muscle memory) and having been in it before.
I can teach all the classes in the world, but if the student doesn’t repeat it in their own time enough to ingrain it into their subconscious, it won’t help. And, even then, there’s no guarantee. There is science and philosophy and a million other ways to prepare someone for those incidents. But, rule number one, is it’s chaos, it’s ugly, and there is no real way to be prepared for it.
As a result, there will always be people taking the following week to “Monday morning quarterback” what a police officer or soldier does in a split second reaction. And, that officer/soldier could have all the training in the universe, and still respond the same way. That’s the nature of combat.
Could there be more training? Sure. Could it make a difference? Maybe. But, if all we’re discussing is shooting incidents, they’ll always be messy. The main thing to remember is that police aren’t military. They’re police. For the most part, it’s public service and boring. And, even the military is making it up as they go. It’s reflexive fire and hoping you go home.
I don’t doubt that you respect law enforcement. But, the harsh reality is, no matter what, there’s never enough training. And, as for the Guard, those one weekend a month and two weeks a year, aren’t actually training. They’re usually just sitting around dicking off or playing on a camping trip. I’ve seen it. They aren’t really training for real situations, either.
It’s easy to blame someone involved in a shooting for not handling it this way or that way. And to say lack of training is the reason. But, the truth is, there’s no appropriate way to effectively train for it. You do the best you can with what you’ve got and what’s actually accessible (in your head and sometimes around you) at the time. Training helps sometimes. And, it’s wise to have it. But, there is no sure way of recalling it under stress. And, you definitely don’t want the police to turn into a para-military organization (anymore than they already have).
And, it becomes a factor when dealing with a state budget as to how much training actually helps and how likely it is that it will be used. If your officers spend most days getting cats out of trees, it’s not cost effective to spend to money on having every officer SWAT qualified. That’s why “special teams” exist. It gets really tough to justify this class or that class for the average officer when you have to actually justify it to a city council or governor or what have you.
Hope I didn’t come off like an ass and we’re still good. It’s just a rough thing to explain and tends to sound abrasive. You’re right about engaging with other people. They could use more of that. But, as for violent interactions. It really does come down to doing the best you can regardless of training. That is the nature of violence.
As for your motorcycle friend, he may be a douche. However, threatening a police officer (regardless to how douchey he is) probably isn’t the best way to handle that. Just saying. If he’s willing to break the law, he might be willing to add more charges to his list. Be careful, brother.