The Police of the 30s Were So Trigger Happy

In real life versus reel life, multiple attempts had been made to capture Bonnie and Clyde alive. Clyde Barrow made a point to always be armed, usually heavily armed. Apparently, he preferred the BAR to the Thompson because of the penetration capability of the former's .30-06 round. Clyde consistently responded to any sighting of a law enforcement officer, any verbal warning. or anyone with a weapon with a hail of well aimed gunfire. Therefore, retired Texas Ranger and special agent Frank Hamer chose to set up the ambush.

I think that the modern approach would be to collect intelligence on B&C to include where they were sleeping. Then a SWAT Team would surround their quarters, break down multiple doors, and overrun the couple in the middle of the night with weapons at the ready.

Frankly, in my opinion modern law enforcement is not sufficiently "trigger happy." I would like to see police surveillance and reconnaissance helicopters armed and cleared to fire on suspects evading via motor vehicles. But then, I admit that I'm radical when it comes to law enforcement.

That's the way it was. Do some research on the Memorial Day Massacre in Chicago. Activists fighting to establish a union at Republic Steel in Chicago were clubbed and shot and trampled by the cops (men and women) and several died. They were at a picnic and walked over toward Republic Steel and the police went crazy. You could get away with that crap in those days. The only reason they don't behave like that anymore is public pressure. Also, if you're too young to remember, research the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago which was later called a "police riot".

IIRC, nine law enforcement officers were killed by the Barrow Gang. Why risk the deaths of more good guys? Sympathy for a pair of cheap, low rent thieves and murderers baffles me.

"It ain't dying I'm talking about, it's LIVING!"
Captain Augustus McCrae

Law enforcement in its infancy I was told, and it makes sense to me. They responded with the type of threat they received. Now, we see psychologist in law enforcement to assess the impact of violence on everyone.

If we can save humanity, we become the caretakers of the world

There are very specific historical reasons for this. The events of the 1910's and 1920's (WWI, the Spanish Flu epidemic, Prohibition, etc) caused several fundamental changes to American society, one of which was the invention of the modern gangster. Many of these gangsters had either grown up surrounded by extreme poverty and violence or they served in WWI trenches, which taught them how to use powerful weapons effectively. When pursued by cops, these men would not hesitate to erupt into violence, not caring who got killed in the crossfire. Cops, often veterans of the war themselves, would respond in kind.

Also, you have to understand that all through this era, police officers were not issued guns. They had to provide their own weapon; most officers, especially small town cops, did not make much money and the most they could afford was a simple pistol. Meanwhile, many gangsters and 'public enemy' type outlaws would outfit themselves with much more powerful weapons---Clyde's favorite weapon was the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, a light machine gun, which he would steal from armories and sometimes modify. He also favored armor piercing ammo. Police officers carrying pistols had no effective defense against that kind of gun. Many gangsters of the period outgunned the cops pursuing them, often by stealing powerful weapons or buying them on the black market. This contributed to policemen feeling they had to respond with overwhelming force when trying to capture a fugitive, especially one with a reputation like Clyde.

In the modern era, things have changed. Now we send in SWAT teams to capture dangerous fugitives, who are specifically trained for these kinds of situations.



What have you been reading, the gospel according to St. Bastard?

Yes unlike today when the police doesnt use their guns unless they absolutely have to.