Before I was 10 years old, my father, the cop, had taught me to wait out hostage situations and to not shoot at runaway vehicles. He also taught me WHY in both cases. Suddenly I see what a wonderful critical thinking education I was given. This was in the 60s, before his colleagues would have agreed.
That last part--before his colleagues would have agreed--is a third lesson all of its own.
Seriously, my father taught me de-escalation before it was a buzzword. And I thank him for that.
Also, his sense of being a good man, a good person, had nothing to do with his peers, had nothing to do with official policy.
