Military training isn't always suited for police work

Thank you for the column by Gerald and Merle Sternberg in last Sunday's Wisconsin State Journal, '13 ways to deter police shootings.' I offer a fourteenth: Be very careful about hiring military veterans as police officers. I have nothing at all against veterans and am very grateful for their service to our country. But they are trained -- and trained instinctively -- to kill. Bursts of fire, three at a time, is a military practice that I see in police shootings. My father was a military officer whose advice was, 'Don't ever point a gun at someone unless you intend to kill them.' He didn't have to add, 'and then do it.' That kind of training makes it hard to retrain a person as a peace officer. Paul Campbell, BeloitGet opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!