[Stobey]

I didn't know where to post this; but this thread seems the most logical.

Four law-enforcement officers were wounded Friday in a suburb of Sacramento, Calif., during an attempt to take a wanted gang member into custody.

The shooting occurred in Roseville, a suburb about 20 miles northeast of the state capital.

Helicopters circled overhead and armored vehicles and other police cars flocked to the area following an initial report that a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent had been shot.

A sporadic gun battle lasted into the night and the commotion snarled traffic for hours. Police responded by setting up a checkpoint and pointing guns at motorists, as this Associated Press photo shows.

**********************************************

Curious, I checked the Sacramento Bee for Oct. 25th. There was a photo gallery of 28 photos. The one below was #23 of 28. This does indeed look more than a little intimidating, that's why I thought it might have been staged; but apparently not, because the same two officers can be seen again in photo #20.

My question: I know that they were looking for a violent suspect who had apparently shot 4 officers; but is this really any way to do a roadblock check?
I also notice that the officer pointing the rifle does not have his finger on the trigger. Just being "safe"??? I'm confused at the behavior here. Can any of you QPs, or law enforcement personnel, advise whether this is SOP? (Seems guaranteed to piss off the law-abiding public if you ask me.)