NCJ Number
150155
Date Published
1993
Length
99 pages
Annotation
This analysis of deadly force deaths caused by Minnesota police officers in 1981-90 considers the feelings and needs of the officers after the shooting, conditions that increase the possibility that deadly force will be used, and whether there are better ways of preparing officers to respond to the types of events that led to the use of deadly force.
Abstract
Data were collected through records checks, interviews with 38 of the 40 officers involved in deadly force incidents, and a literature review. Ninety percent of the officers believed their training had been adequate, but most were not familiar with the procedures to which they were subjected following the shooting, such as the taking of their weapon and the securing of blood samples to test for alcohol or drugs. The author recommends a number of additions to firearms training that will better prepare officers to act effectively in situations with a high risk for the use of deadly force. Firearms training should include more low-light or artificial-light environments for shooting. Cases that involve ambiguous or marginal circumstances for the use of deadly force should be reviewed and discussed. Officers should also receive firearms training in all types of weather and be trained to shoot at targets in second-story windows or on balconies. The researcher also recommends that an independent body, rather than a unit of the police department, be responsible for investigating incidents of police use of deadly force. He suggests changes in the form used to record police firearms discharges. Appended study instrument and data, 9 figures, and 4 tables