Safety Resources

We have always known that generally action beats reaction. And, we've been able to demonstrate this in a variety of civilian and law enforcement situations. Since the invention of the shot timer, we've known how quickly officers can react in shooting situations...

It seems we're bombarded daily with headlines of another police-involved shooting. I'd bet that you've all talked with your fellow officers about the consequences of getting into a shooting. The consequences of all police-involved shootings are tremendous – it doesn't take your standard police sensitivity class to understand why...

The purpose of this article is to help officers who have been or may become involved in a lethal force encounter to understand what might happen and why...

It is my intent to investigate the dynamics and biomechanics (the mechanics of biological and muscular activity) that occur in officer-involved shootings in a series of research studies. The first of the series started with measuring subject behavior in shooting situations...

There is an illusion that we see everything and see it clearly. Actually we have good vision only within five to seven degrees of the center of the eye. Complicating this, most shootings occur when our vision is poorest – at night or in lowlight surroundings.

The Conducted Energy Device (CED) weapon holds the potential to reduce injuries for officers/suspects. However, the dearth of research on CEDs makes it difficult to make informed decisions about its deployment. We conducted a quasi experiment to compare 4 years of data from seven law enforcement agencies (LEAs) with CED deployment with six matched LEAs without CED deployment. Compared with non- CED sites, CED sites had lower rates of officer injuries, suspect severe injuries, and officers and suspects receiving injuries requiring medical attention. Our results suggest that CEDs can be effective in helping minimize physical struggles and resulting injuries in use-of-force cases...

Using a handgun to defend your life requires more than just familiarity with the firearm – it demands a concerted effort to practice the skills necessary to use it and its accessories under stress. Follow this former police trainer's five practical drills beforehand, and you'll be better prepared when a worst-case

I. "Current training may leave officers more vulnerable": Early highlights from forthcoming
FSI assessment project
II. New nat'l reports underscore Taser safety for cops, suspects alike
III. Survivors speak: A different view on police suicide
IV. Long working hours again tied to heart disease in latest study
V. Verbal Judo founder Dr. George Thompson dies at 69
VI. Additional clarification on reaction-time study

At the end of June, total duty-related fatalities in the U.S. are up 8% compared to the same time last year, according to preliminary figures from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Officer murders from gunfire are spiking an alarming 38% increase. If trends hold through the second half of the year, we could see the worst annual toll in a decade.

Just a head's up: The Force Science Certification Course scheduled for Dec. 5-9 in San Jose, CA is nearing capacity.

Recent developments in post-OIS procedures: Tales of 3 cities

A resounding clash between researchers has erupted over the question of whether emergency room doctors should report suspected cases of excessive force by LEOs. On one hand are American researchers--MDs and PhDs--who argue that in the interest of "violence prevention" ER physicians should notify Internal Affairs investigators whenever they see a patient whose injuries may be the result of "police abuse."

An internationally publicized case of a tragic shooting in which Force Science testimony was given has been decided by a California appellate court in favor of the involved officers.

Controversial from the beginning, the headline-grabbing case concerned a tense standoff between LAPD SWAT and a drug-deranged father who was holding his 19-month-old daughter in his arm as a hostage and human shield. In a desperate showdown, officers killed the offender in a fusillade of bullets--but also, inadvertently, killed the child.

On the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 we stand with the millions worldwide who pause not only to remember the horror of that day and the pain of shocking loss, but to salute those who, even in the face of tremendous risk, selflessly committed themselves to helping the helpless and to those who immediately stepped forward in defense of our country. In the midst of chaos they stood as an inspiration to us all. A decade later, we have not forgotten. We never will.

As an expert in interviewing skills, Dr. Ed Geiselman has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to officers being questioned by investigators after use-of-force events.

Recently he was asked to review transcripts and audio recordings of interviews in cases where LEOs' jobs were on the line because of allegedly inappropriate force. In each he concluded that poor interviewing techniques had hampered the officers in their efforts to explain their actions adequately. One interview, he told Force Science News, was the worst he'd come across in his 28 years of working with law enforcement.

In Force Science News #188 [Click here to read it], Dr. Ed Geiselman, an internationally recognized authority on interviewing techniques, offered 5 critical reminders for investigators on how to elicit accurate and comprehensive statements from involved officers and eyewitnesses in OISs and other use-of-force cases

But what it you're an involved officer being questioned by an investigator who doesn't understand or adhere to these "best practices" for fair and impartial interviewing? What canyou do to protect yourself from bias or ineptitude on the part of your questioner?

These are just a few of the procedural issues addressed late last month at the annual IACP conference in Chicago during a fast-paced, 2-hour presentation called "Chief, I've Been in a Shooting: What Happens Next?"

Two law enforcement agencies have begun field testing a new screening form that may eventually lead to a better means for identifying people with severe mental illness who may be a danger to themselves or others.

Should an attorney be allowed to help an officer craft a report on a shooting or other major
use of force? In a case that grew out of 2 controversial fatal shootings by police, an appeals court in
Canada has emphatically said "No."

Two law enforcement agencies have begun field testing a new screening form that may eventually lead to a better means for identifying people with severe mental illness who may be a danger to themselves or others.