Bruce Schneier on Shoot-to-Kill and specifically a proposal by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Translated from the proposal:
... such a person exhibits "various unusual behaviors" such as wearing a heavy coat or thick jacket in warm weather, carrying a suitcase, shoulder bag, or backpack with bulges or visible wires. The person shows nervousness, avoids eye contact, or sweats profusely. There may be chemical residues on the clothing or hands. The person may be mumbling prayers or rocking back and forth.
Note what is to be done with such persons is clear to the Chiefs of Police: shoot them in the head. Final killing shot. And of course, no further reason is needed for this:
... the threat to the officer does not need to be immediate, as taught in normal procedure. Officers do not need to wait until a person suspected of being an attacker makes a move, as would be necessary in the normal use of firearms. An officer only needs to have a reasonable suspicion that the suspect could detonate a bomb.
Bruce Schneier rightly asks if we would really feel safe if such a directive were implemented. Every pickpocket shows enough characteristics to be shot down at some point if such a dehumanizing directive were actually implemented.
We know how quickly dehumanizing ideas suddenly make it onto the agenda here ...