This is why we shoot people with knives

A new documentary explains why New York City police officers are trained to shoot people with knives.

A new documentary called This is Why We Shoot People with Knives explores the controversial NYPD policy of shooting at people who appear to be wielding knives. The documentary, which was released on Netflix on October 27th, examines the phenomenon of “suicide by cop” and how officers are trained to handle these situations. The film comes at a time when New York City is seeing a spike in knife attacks, and it will no doubt be controversial for some viewers.

What is the NYPD policy on shooting people with knives?

The NYPD has a very specific protocol for dealing with people who appear to be armed with knives. In short, they shoot them. This might seem like an extreme measure, but there are many reasons why this protocol exists. The main reason for this policy is that knife attacks are more likely than other weapons to result in death or serious injury.

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Knives can cause greater damage than other weapons because they can puncture vital organs or cause deep cuts.
Many of these attacks occur in confined spaces where escape is not possible.
If you’re stabbed, you have a very small window of time before you bleed out or die from shock.

“These factors mean that if someone appears to be attacking you with a knife, it’s best not to wait around and find out what their intentions are.” – John Miller (via NY Daily News)

“This Is Why We Shoot People With Knives” director Marc Silver was inspired by his own experience after being attacked by a man wielding a kitchen knife in 2017. Although he survived the attack unharmed, Silver said he became interested in finding out why police officers make such split second decisions about whether or not to shoot someone who appears to be armed with a weapon.