Should law enforce be allowed to brandish a firearm in order to command compliance from an unarmed and non-aggressive "suspect"?

I don't think they should for reasons such as this...BUT...there are situations that warrant me pulling out my weapon. Those are going to be instances that endanger my life. For example, if I am clearing a house that a caller said had someone in it, the gun is coming out. If I am on a traffic stop and he/she reaches under his/her seat or waistband, it is coming out. If they are not armed, I will gladly put away my weapon, apologize and explain why I drew my weapon on them.

*just to put this out there, there are those that say "pull out the taser" or " spray them with OC spray." Different actions require different uses of force.

If they want to record me, I'll just ask if my hair is ok and continue on with my traffic stop. Let everyone film in my opinion. You are helping me to establish probable cause and maybe catch an angle that my camera cannot. Please understand, there are reasons why police draw their weapons. For those of us that do it cautiously, it is a form of compliance if we have reason to believe that they are armed.

This is not an easy job. If anyone thinks that they can do it better, please apply at your local agency. Or I encourage you to go on a ride along; maybe even attend a citizens police academy so that you can be put through drills and some training that we go through.

Before judgement is cast, have ALL of the facts. The officer, in my opinion, should not have drawn his weapon in this case. There was no danger and cell phone cameras are now the norm. Accept it or turn in your badge and gun if you are going to be so thin skinned.

I am disabled and use a cane. This has happened to me here in Las Vegas. My nephew was helping me walk back to my car one night. The police stopped us because we looked suspicious and he was pointing his gun the whole time. He actually kicked my cane out of my hand and said quit faking that's not your car. Four other officers ended up showing up as "back up". The first officer said we was acting suspicious around this Mercedes so he stopped us. I am now doubled over in pain..which was the reason my nephew was helping in the first place. I refused to allow a search but I did ask if I could reach into my pocket for the keys to my damn car. The look was priceless and of course I said a lot of very unpleasant words to the initial officer. The officer in the video is either way to timid to be an officer or he is a egomaniac with a badge. Either way it could be a good time for him to retire, move on or simply be fired.

When I was a young rookie I used to pull my gun at the first sign that things were not going well and that there may be problems. After I did that one night on a call with an old (and I mean old) cop.

When we got the guy arrested and in the car he pulled me to the side. He said, "Why did you pull your gun on that guy?" I returned with, "I wanted him to know we meant business." "So what happens when he does not do what you want? You going to shoot him?" I said. 'No. I am just trying to make him do what we want him to do." I will never forget his response, "A gun is the last resort. If you pull it and he calls bullshit now you are the one that has to back down. We're cops and we don't back down."

I never forgot that. It changed the way I policed. I still pulled my gun when it was really necessary and I came very close several times to shooting somebody, but it was justified at the time. Talking to somebody sometimes is all you need. Other times you got to get your hands dirty and make the person comply, but that is what you are trained for. My point is that pulling your sidearm when it is not necessary only causes issues it does not fix them.

Now this video. The police officer tells him to take his hand out of his pocket. He is non compliant. Pockets hold bad things that can kill you. I know I would have pulled my gun out just like he did. Then to go ask the people at the local head shop what they think about the police is pretty much bullshit.

This isn't the first or the last we will have of this issue. Hit youtube and you will see many where the Officers are 100% in the wrong and hundreds where they were in the right. The recording thing is a state / city issue. Some places it is illegal to record someone with out their consent. that being said all the cctv used in those places or by the police is against the law yet they still get to use it. This is why they have such a hard time prosecuting those cases. Any officer that jumps from you filming me to i'm drawing my weapon needs to find a new line of work. Police are 100% on everybody's mind you represent the uniform you are Public. This is no different that if someone in a Military uniform has road rage. We represent the military 100% when in uniform and we are still judged when out of it. Don't like to be filmed.... get a new job.

No, it's a form of assault. If instead of filming the "public servant" that member of the public had pulled a gun on the officer he would be dead or in jail. I don't have a problem with a police officer pulling a gun when they have reason to believe they are in any sort of physical danger, however it's an abuse of power when they assault a member of the public for doing something that annoys them.

That cop should be charged the same way any civilian would be charged for doing the same thing.

There was once upon a time when police had authority and did not need their weapons to get citizens to comply with orders. Now not so much. Most departments however, have policies in place that restrict officers from drawing their weapons unless its a felony stop, or the person in suspect is a known felon. But I do not support LEOs going to their weapon at the first sign of trouble either. They should be trained well enough to know how to defuse situations without the use of non deadly force.

If the officer asks to take your hands out of your pocket and a person refuses to cooperate then that person is no longer non-aggressive. Concealed hands are hands that can hold or be retrieving weapons.

No and he was wrong. It was always briefed "If you pull it out, you better plan on using it, and you better have concrete justification for doing so". That was as a MP in garrison. I've only pulled out when clearing buildings, and that was after being told to by the patrol sup or me telling the MP with me we're clearing this building and I'm the senior MP. The other time a cabs license was expired and he dropped it in reverse and no one was ready, or thinking he'd do that. Otherwise we'd use our interpersonal skills to deescalate the situation, call DC and have them send some cops over, or whatever so that we would not have to resort to the highest level of force. It comes back to training, understanding, comprehension of tasks, comprehension of job, and a genuine desire to do and be right. This cop and others like him sully the profession and do so much harm to a damn good profession, the good cops can't help but be placed in line with the bad ones.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/ex-officer-in-md-to-be-sentenced-for-pointing-gun-at-mans-head/2016/01/07/12c3f9c8-b3ef-11e5-9388-466021d971de_story.html

An officer should not be brandishing a firearm unless there is an escalation in use of force such as aggressive behavior, assault etc. or an unknown situation that could be fraught with danger such as a break-in, burglary, or high risk stop where the level of danger is unknown. It takes a split second to draw your sidearm but may take a lifetime to pay for the decision if the use of deadly force is not justified.

IMO, no. I once had a deputy respond to my call. He showed up at my door with hand on gun even though there was no potential for violence in the nature of my call. I sent him away. Police need better training and supervision, better alternatives to handle nonviolent situations