Discharge a firearm while serving as a cop, no matter the reason, and that's it, you're no longer a cop. Take your toys and go home, thank you for your service.
Yes, you'd fire good people, but you'd also remove any incentive for less-than-good people to act irresponsibly and ensure they thought twice about using lethal force. I'd argue that by far this is the greater good.
I think that if this were the rule, this would be understood going in, and it would be fair. The nature of police service would change. Why should being an officer be a lifetime career?
We ask people in the military to protect us at the risk of losing their lives, why is it so much to ask for a cop to risk his job?
Edit: I'm coming from a military background and the lack of accountability there is disturbing too. I think people with responsibility to protect and/or kill other people should be risking their jobs regularly. Otherwise, there is no real accountability. See here:
> Why should being an officer be a lifetime career?
Because it's an occupation that takes training and experience to do well?
But by all means, if you want a bunch of untrained newbies running around with guns and the legal standing to use them on the citizenry, your idea's a great one.
The problem isn't police using their guns. It's the Blue Wall of Silence when they do.
Therefore, I propose a rule:
Discharge a firearm while serving as a cop, no matter the reason, and that's it, you're no longer a cop. Take your toys and go home, thank you for your service.
Yes, you'd fire good people, but you'd also remove any incentive for less-than-good people to act irresponsibly and ensure they thought twice about using lethal force. I'd argue that by far this is the greater good.