A video showing a San Francisco police officer wrestling with a homeless man, who falls on him repeatedly and loses his pants, is causing people to question the city's use of force policies.
In the video Officer Ilya Faynshteyn is seen trying to approach the homeless man, who was reported as belligerent and exposing himself.
The man attacks the officer a number of times and knocks him to the ground. Then, bystanders intervene to help him.
San Francisco and members of law enforcement have been debating over the new use-of-force policy, which some officers say is too restrictive and could put their lives in danger.
The policy includes banning officers from shooting at moving vehicles, except in extreme circumstances.
The San Francisco Police Department is also the only major department in California that doesn't issue Tasers.
In the video, Officer Faynshteyn doesn't use force at all. How long until this policy leads to a dead officer? At least give them their Tasers back! The danger of Tasers has been completely blown out of proportion, and if a belligerent drunk is exposing himself to people on the streets, he needs to be taken down right away!
But, the Bay Area is a totally different political climate compared to the rest of common sense America.
Just listen to what ACLU staff attorney Linda Lye has to say:
“The SFPD has a history of racially-biased policing and excessive use of force. Adding Tasers – which are lethal weapons – won’t solve those problems. The public and police officers are best served by providing officers more tools through de-escalation techniques, not by increasing the arsenal of lethal weapons."