I'm sure this applies to most of the LE here but 9 out of 10 of my incidents involved people who were addicts of some kind. Impaired judgement is always a factor in people offering violence to other people.
The reason so many of my incidents were during Retail Theft stops is because of the Law of Unintended Consequences. In the 90's in PA, a 1st Offense was a Summary Offense (like a speeding ticket) unless the value of the item was $200 or more (then it became a Misdemeanor). A 2nd Offense was a Misdemeanor 2 (unless the item's value was $200+, then it was an M1). A 3rd Offense was a Felony 3 (irregardless of the item's value) with jail in most cases. Since most shoplifters are "repeat offenders," they had nothing to lose by fighting with you. Most of the people I had altercations with carried knives for one simple reason. They were prior offenders and many were already on probation/parole. A gun would mean 10 years, but a knife would generally only mean a 48 hour detainer. I will never do retail theft again.
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