MP police: dangerous thugs. Why do we have such volatile men "protecting" our town? Compare to Los Altos --- they don't seem to have regular jury payouts for excessive force. Or Redwood City, San Carlos, Mt. View, Belmont, Atherton, San Mateo, Cupertino, Half Moon Bay, Foster City, etc.

I spoke to an elected (federal) official who has represented our area for decades, and was surprised at the strength of response, [portion removed; don't make such inflammatory statements without evidence].

Why? WHY?

We don't deserve the abuse they dish out. Yes, it's a problem that blue-collar workers can't live in the town they serve, so there may be some us/them perspective. [Portion removed; stick to the facts].

From picking a kid up for walking home from school, to imposing a death sentence on a burglar: who feels proud to pay for this? Such a disconnect between what MP seems to be, and what our cops seem to think it is. Ick.

@ CarMen - it would be great to know the name of the elected official. When a person of authority makes a statement of that nature, it is something that in part they must deal with. Similar (although not the same) as being made aware of certain crimes against persons - certain people are required to report this. To that end I have not seen the report.
BTW, Thugs in most people books has certain association with it - and widely is considered racial - which I hope was not your intent.

Policing is a tough and dangerous job and those who choose to do it know going in that they will be in harm's way. How they respond to a criminal situation is going to depend on the culture and training of the officers. They should know that there's a chance in any encounter, including a routine traffic stop, that someone could be armed. The onus is on the officers to quickly diffuse the situation or apprehend with the LEAST amount of violence possible. Firing a taser at a fleeing suspect in a residential, high traffic area is an overreaction and escalated a robbery into a shootout. It was clear that Matheny was breaking a number of laws but none of them was a shooting offense. Either these guys were unprepared or frightened or out of shape -- or all three. Or there is a culture of overreaction in the department.

Police were justified in firing on Matheny, absolutely no doubt about it. A fleeing felon with outstanding warrants, history of violence and he pulls a gun on Law Enforcement Officers, in a location potentially frequented by innocent bystanders, then absolutely, deadly force upon that felon should be used immediately...eliminate the threat! Good work Menlo Park Police!!!

Alarmed:

you make no sense. The officers first tried to use less than lethal force (the tazer). It was the suspect that escalated the encounter to one necessitating deadly force. When he pulled a gun all bets were off. Had he stopped and complied, he'd still be alive.

Your blaming the officers for this [Portion removed; Menlo Voter, please, you know our terms of use] death is disgusting. It's obvious you've never spent any time in law enforcement. The onus isn't on the officer to defuse a situation in which a gun is present. It is their obligation to protect us and themselves. That means meeting deadly force with the same level of force.

From what I've read the Menlo Park Police in this situation should be commended. They handled the situation appropriately, with an appropriate escalation of force.

Menlo Voter = the voice of experience and reason.

Thank you.

Alarmed: It would be nice if you knew what you were talking about. A tazer being used is less than than deadly force. The suspect escalated the incident into deadly force. Pull a gun on a police office, expect to be shot. Police officers have families and they fully intend to go home to them at the end of the shift. The use of deadly force in this situation was appropriate.

[Post removed; the investigation is ongoing; please don't speculate on what happened or on what people involved were thinking during the incident.]

Given that the officers had body cameras and the suspect shot first, why are commenters responding as if they hadn't read the details of the story? Romero fired back and hasn't been involved in any excessive force complaints in Menlo, has he?

While I personally think it's stupid for cops to chase someone committing a property crime, my personal opinion isn't the guideline for standard LE regs and SOP, and neither are the other commenters. Monday morning quarterbacking isn't useful here. If some feel it's necessary, there are avenues in which you can make your views known.

"why are commenters responding as if they hadn't read the details of the story?"

Because the standard of postings on this Forum is that fantasies are welcomed as long as they increase readership. And for anonymous posters there is no accountability and no price for either ignorance or deceit.

Of course, anyone (other than an internal affairs officer of FBI agent) who pulls out a gun while fleeing from the police can expect to be shot. Once a suspect pulls a gun, there are no currently available alternatives to deadly force. Are there? Of course, video cameras on officers would be nice so that we can make sure police only shoot when apparently necessary.

excuse me editor, but alarmed's comment is disgusting. I don't think that violates your terms of use.

Thank you to Sgt. Jaime Romero and officers Scott Mackdanz and Nicholas Douglas. You're going to take a lot of heat, but there are a lot of less vocal people out there who, like myself, appreciate the work you do to keep our neighborhoods safe while putting your lives on the line every day.