William Grigg, in his typically witty fashion, takes the Michigan police to task for opposing a proposed expansion of the castle doctrine in that state. The proposed legislation would expand the "castle" to include the surrounding yard and outbuildings and legally recognize that an innocent person has no "duty to retreat" in the face of criminal aggression. It also adds a "reasonable person" provision similar to the "reasonable officer" test currently used in police shootings. I think the hyperbolic reaction of the police leadership to this perfectly reasonable proposition reveals their true feeling towards the mundanes they allegedly serve.
An expanded castle doctrine and a no duty to retreat law is not a threat to the police unless they act in a way that make them look like criminals. The answer to the riddle of Officer Safety is quite simple: If a police officer does not want to be mistaken for a common criminal then he must not act like one.
