Absolutely. After a night of seemingly random, indiscriminate, repeated wanton violence - still ongoing - committed over a wide area by a still-mobile perpetrator and not yet fully comprehended. Unprecedented in Canada and, in terms of geographic scope and the apparent successful use of the 'police personna' cover, perhaps unprecedented anywhere.
A perpetrator who reportedly drives a police car and described as wearing a safety vest. After long, stressful hours, you're paranoid; driving down the road you come across exactly what you fear.
The reaction wasn't right but, to me it was understandable. Would better SOPS, a more robust radio system (and/or better radio discipline) have made it better/ Perhaps, keeping in mind that policy and SOPs are either mere guidelines or hidebound rules, depending on who you ask. This is rural Nova Scotia, not Beirut. Relatively speaking, a handful of cops, a number of whom probably aren't fully familiar with the area, are trying to deal with that and their fears.
Something like this is one of the big challenges of law enforcement. You're expected to be part of the community; friendly; a problem solver; friend of kids; a keeper of peace and safety; highly-trained and knowledgeable in a wide range of areas . . . and a steely-eyed warrior at a moments notice. Quite the gymnastics. I used to work with a guy who was very proficient with tactics and his sidearm, and he approached every situation like the person involved was a meth-addled murderer. Very exhausting.
RIP
