License to kill.(suicide bomber shooting guidelines)

"The International Association of Chiefs of Police [IACP], which represents the heads of police departments in the United States and across the world, has issued new guidelines saying that officers who confront a suicide bomber should shoot the suspect in the head," reported the August 4 Washington Post. Those guidelines "were published July 8--about two weeks before the London police, acting on a similar policy, fatally shot an innocent Brazilian seven times in the head because they mistook him for a suicide bomber."

On what basis would a suspected suicide bomber be recognized? The IACP's "behavioral profile" recommends that officers look for "multiple anomalies" in individual behavior, including (as paraphrased by the Post) "wearing a heavy coat or jacket in warm weather or carrying a briefcase, duffel bag or backpack with protrusions or visible wires. The person might display nervousness, an unwillingness to make eye contact or excessive sweating. There might be chemical burns on the clothing or stains on the hands. The person might mumble prayers or be 'pacing back and forth in front of a venue.'"

All of these "anomalies" combined do not produce clear evidence of an imminent danger, of course. But the new guidelines emphasize that the suspected threat does not have to be "imminent"; rather, all that is necessary to justify a preemptive head shot would be a "reasonable basis" to believe that the targeted individual is a suicide ...