A homeowner gets involved with a group of juveniles on his lawn. A confrontation occurs and the homeowner pulls a firearm from his waistband and fires a single shot into the ground. No one is injured in the confrontation. At best this is a local news story unless the homeowner happens to be an off duty police officer. Suddenly it is national news.
This is what occurred in Anaheim, California. There is something inherently unfair about a man protecting his own home being splashed onto the national scene simply because of his profession. When the Anaheim Police Department declined to file criminal charges in the case, cries of “special treatment” and “professional courtesy” were shouted out, even though there was no criminal behavior on the part of the homeowner.
The homeowner was a cop from another jurisdiction meaning that he was not acting as a police officer in the confrontation, but since California law allows any citizen to make an arrest, the homeowner was doing the same thing as any other citizen of California.
As seems to be the normal in today’s world, there was a cell phone video showing part of the event. The video, shown on national television, catches the latter part of the event. The Anaheim Police Department clearly indicated that the video was not an accurate depiction of the total event.
The actions of a homeowner should not be judged on the basis of their profession, but rather should be held to the same standard as everyone else.