. If anything I am defending the policeman who fired the taser, no doubt it was a stupid thing to do, but people will do stupid things. You probably cant train to avoid these mistakes or avoid recruiting people who make them
defending is not wildly dissimilar to excusing. But actually saying that people do stupid things had the same effect as excusing. Police are meant to be capable of exercising self control, making appropriate judgments and using appropriate responses. You can increase the likelihood of hiring the right people by using appropriate methods (I can explain validity if you like). You can train people to do the right things and thus increase the likelihood of them doing so and you can coach people by giving them feedback. You can also increase the likelihood of appropriate behaviour with the right leadership and culture
when there is a problem with an individual you look not only at the individual but also at what environment they are operating in if you want to avoid a repeat. That’s why the police force as a whole needs looking at - or the particular police station
