Recent Officer-Involved Shootings Prompt Deadly Force Training
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Recent high-profile officer-involved shootings have raised the issue of when police should use deadly force.
Minneapolis Police officers go through training, a scenario simulator and using live rounds to prepare for making split-second decisions. The time to make a decision is limited and the consequences are real.
"We can only assess what they have at the time, so if it's an immediate threat, then we have to deal with that accordingly. We can't say what if, how come, maybe," Training Supervisor Sgt. Tony Caspers said.
Caspers explains when a suspect is ready to use force, police are already behind. He said in the second-and-a-half it takes to react, a person can get off six shots.
"I'm at least six rounds behind. That's six rounds on me," Caspers said.
At the range, they train that when the target turns is when we would consider it a viable threat. Police said they don't shoot to kill, but to stop the target.
"If he gives up, I stop shooting. If he goes down, I stop shooting. If he has a gun in his hand and he's still a threat, I'm not going to stop shooting," Caspers said.
There are, of course, non-lethal methods. This training is specifically about when to use deadly force.
