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Lethal Force

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Computer Simulations and Use of Force Investigations

Editor’s Note: When officers lawfully respond to deadly threats, their money, reputation, and freedom still hinge on whether society believes their version of events.  Dr. Geoffrey Desmoulin, a Certified Force Science Analyst and Principal of GTD Scientific Inc., developed an impressive testing and shooting reconstruction methodology to scientifically evaluate use of force narratives.  Attendees at...
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Deep Flaws In Canada’s “Braidwood Inquiry” Give Tasers A Bum Rap, Says FSRC

Certain key recommendations from an eminent jurist that call for stricter limitations on Taser use are based on “outdated and inaccurate medical information,” according to the Force Science Research Center. Incorporated into departmental policies and practices, these proposals are likely to needlessly increase severe injuries and deaths to subjects and officers alike, recognized use-of-force authorities...
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Three Studies Will Explore Subtleties of Force Encounters in Hopes of Improving Safety on the Street

Three studies that will explore certain subtleties of force encounters in hopes of improving safety on the street are underway at the Force Science Research Center at Minnesota State University-Mankato. One is expected to provide insights into a phenomenon that has not previously been analyzed in detail, says FSRC’s executive director, Dr. Bill Lewinski. That’s...
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What Promotes Peak Performance In Lethal-Force Conflicts? (Part 2)

Part 2 of a 2-Part Series [Note: In Part 1 of this series, sent 6/18/07, we reported results of an important new study about LEOs and the use of deadly force, conducted by Dr. Darrell Ross, chairman of the Dept. of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration at Western Illinois University, who presented his findings at...
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New Study: We’re Getting Better Prepared To Win On The Street And In Court (Part 1)

Part 1 of a 2-part series A high percentage of officers leave law enforcement after they’re involved in a shooting. Suspects who try to kill officers are usually drunk, drugged, or deranged. When multiple cops are in an armed confrontation, they’ll likely experience “contagion fire” and blast off a wild fusillade of rounds. In matters...
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Facing Possible Life Sentence, Investigator Fights To Prove He’s Not A Murderer (Part 2)

Part 2 of a 2-part series [Ed.’s Note: Inv. Tim Robertson of the Darlington County (SC) SO stands charged with murder and voluntary manslaughter after fatally shooting an ex-con fugitive who tried to snatch his gun. Although Robertson insists the offender, William Sheffield, presented a frontal threat when Robertson made the decision to shoot him,...
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“It’s Scary How Easily An Officer Can End Up Charged With Murder” ( Part )

Part 1 of a 2-part series When Sheriff’s Inv. Tim Robertson was asked to give an official statement about fatally shooting a career criminal who’d tried to take his gun away, he was in an ER under the effect of a sedative and undergoing treatment for what he feared was a heart attack brought on...
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Why Cops Aren’t Always Wrong in “Suspicious” Shootings

A strong message about deadly force encounters that critics of the police, as well as investigators and prosecutors, need to hear is sent in a feature article that appeared this summer [’06] in “The Scene,” the journal of the Assn. for Crime Scene Reconstruction. The article, authored by Drs. Jeffrey Bumgarner, Bill Lewinski, and Bill...
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New Law Shifts Burden of Proving Justification in Officer-Involved Shootings

What is described as a “huge” legislative shift in favor of POs has taken place in Arizona, where the rules about justifying the use of deadly force have been significantly changed. This spring [’06], the governor signed into law Senate Bill 1145 which, in effect, removes the burden of proving justification in an OIS shooting...
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Three Battles: Top Challenges for Deadly Force Trainers

What does it take to train today’s officers to face deadly force successfully? A panel of nearly a dozen experts spent almost 4 hours voicing opinions on that topic at the recent annual conference of the International Law Enforcement Educators & Trainers Assn. (ILEETA). But the bottom line was neatly capsulized in a matter of...
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