Why can’t you just call a cop?

You don’t need a gun, you can just call a cop to come and help you, right?

A citizen who saw an armed robbery happening in a Portland pharmacy flagged down a police car and pleaded for help to stop the robbery. When the good sumaritan told the officer what was happening this is the response he got: “He told me he was off duty and I should call 911,” said Rob Anderson, 31. “He rolled up his window and drove away.”

The cop might get reprimanded if they can figure out who did it, but he did not violate the rights of the guy getting robbed. You see, the Supreme Court has already ruled that you do not have an individualized right to police protection. You have a right to expect the State to provide policing to keep the peace, but you don’t have a right for the cop to show up for your particular problem.

Of course, the robber was armed, so the store clerk could have just shot him. And so could the “Good Samaritan” who ran for the police. The two of them eventually chased the criminal down and held him for the cops who finally responded, but it would have been easier for all concerned had the clerk just shot the robber in the face.