like I said KUDOS (that means job well done) to these cops who found non lethal means to do their job.
There's a huge difference between "found non lethal means to do their job" and "(just happened to have) used a non lethal response to a situation."
IMO, based on what you've typed there, you're assuming the cop sat there, had time, to think to himself "Hmmmm, should I shoot this guy? Nawwwww...I'm going to find a non lethal way to do my job."
Or at least went through a decision making process of what to do, either cognizantly eschewing a lethal force solution, and/or actively looking for a non lethal means.
For all I know the cop was half asleep and should have used lethal force. For all I know the cop tried to go for his gun but was so scared couldn't work the holster release. For all I know the suspect had a gun in plain sight, he just didn't happen to grab it, being too drunk, and if any of a billion other variables were slightly different, the cop would be dead or stabbed or shot or whatever, and the perpetrator escaped, going to do who knows what else.
IOW, offering kudos or judgment of any kind is highly inappropriate except as a means of promoting your own agenda based on your biased interpretation of events.
would you say that WHEREVER you are being 'assaulted' by a suspect is potentially dangerous, and more so than lets say, watching one run away?
I wouldn't.
If you live in Mayberry USA and know everyone and you're being "assaulted" by your 10 year old nephew because you didn't give him candy, it's less dangerous than being in Chicago and watching a guy run away towards their gun safe.
But of course you used the lazy word of "potentially."
"Potentially" is little different than "hypothetically."
"Potentially" the 10 year old nephew may have AIDS and a cut on his finger and slaps the cop who shaved that day cutting his cheek, with the slap infecting him, and killing the cop eventually.
"Potentially" the suspect running away from the cop could trip and fall and hit his head and forget the combination to his gun safe.
"Potentially" and "hypothetically" anything "could" happen.
It's fun to use the word on the forums, because you can't really lose an argument. You can make your statements mean anything you want.
would you say that the training and wherewithall to find non lethal means
I'm not sure you really understand training, especially the training police go through.
Kinda like the military. Some "training" is for "finding" alternatives.
A lot of "training" is for conditioning automatic reflexes and muscle memory and overcoming social and emotional dictates (such as don't kill people).
would you say that the training and wherewithall to find non lethal means to deal with said 'assaults' is a testament to how well a cop does their job
Yes and no.
A lot of "training" has to do with how to fill out paperwork correctly.
I mean for all I know the cop from the article wanted to shoot first and would have, but he wanted to go molest a kid, and wouldn't have time to do it if he shot the guy because of the scene and paperwork and time involved, and he always fills out his paperwork wrong, so has to do it again and again, and that just ruins his free time.