Is there any training at all before a cop is given a gun?

October 6, 2012. The University of South Alabama was the scene of yet another example of cowardly American police work. Gilbert Thomas Collar, 18, was shot and killed by an armed campus security guard after knocking on the police station window, and allegedly rushing at the guard. Collar, 18, was a freshman who was 5'7" and weighed approximately 135 lbs. At this time, it is not known if Collar was drunk. What is known is that an armed campus policeman shot and killed a naked, unarmed 18 year old student.

Are police given any training anymore or are they merely handed a loaded pistol and told to shoot first and ask questions later? Does anyone provide physical training anymore? More and more we are reading stories about American police killing unarmed people. I do not care if Mr. Collar was drunk. I do not care if he was high on drugs. I do not care if he was experiencing a complete mental break from reality. What I do care about is that a paid policeman shot and killed a naked, unarmed 18 year old man.

I grieve for his parents, and I fear for the safety of all American citizens in their future encounters with all of the poorly trained, yet heavily armed, members of the American law enforcement community.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/07/14276420-after-police-shootin...