tnems7 said:I also think the crowd behavior was "sick". They agitated the situation and didn't come to the aid of the officer. In Nashville, I believe someone would have either tried to deescalate the situation or intervene to help the officer, but that does depend upon the area of town.
I think that the crowd behavior was "normal," given the circumstances. It would be great if people had stood up, but individuals in groups seldom do that, instead they feel camouflaged and supported by the group to act out, That's even discounting the human inclination to not get involved.
There gets to be a point also where we as cops need to do a little cost/benefit analysis of what we are trying to accomplish and whether or not the price might be a little to high. Pride will lead us to do things that the little voice in the back of our head tells us aren't smart. If a troop doesn't have the ability, tools or assistance needed to solve a problem, odds are it's just going to get worse.
As for backup, who knows? There are plenty of places where backup is over 50 miles away, and maybe off-duty and asleep in bed. Some guys are also slow to call in for help because they think it looks weak.