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LAPD's Punch & Judy Show
Some updates since yesterday...
After the day cooled down...
LAPD's blog was updated and the commenters have taken sides.
It gets Federal
The FBI is now looking into the video: LA Observed | CNN
Power to the Tube
At 4 pm on Thursday, the video on YouTube had been viewed just under 4,000 times. At 11:15 pm, the video had been viewed just shy of 27,000 times. As of 12:30 pm today, the video has been viewed 155,959 times.
The story led CBS2 and ABC7's 11 o'clock news. It was the second story on NBC4.
The ACLU told the LA Times that "the fact that this incident [from Aug. 11] only came to light after being posted on a popular website dramatically illustrates how far we are from that ideal and that police reform still languishes."
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What are Distraction Punches?
While some call it excessive force, some call it a distraction punch:
The purpose of distraction is to take the opponent’s mind away from the technique that you propose to use. Distraction can be oral. ("Look, it’s Halley’s Comet!" said a child in a famous TV ad, just as he swiped the other kid’s food.) It can be tactile – pinching prior to escaping a lock or kicking to the groin prior to attempting a wristlock are tactile distractions. Or it can be throwing a flashlight through the window prior to breaking down the door. No matter how it is done, the purpose of distraction is to surprise the subject. Remember, though, that while distraction can work for you, it can also be used against you... Use distraction. Pinch, punch, pull hair, butt heads, stomp feet. Remember – these are distractions, not finishing moves. [An Introduction to Police Defensive Tactics, Journal of Non-lethal Combatives]
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