NCJ Number
88254
Date Published
1982
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Narrated by Peter Falk, this film simulates experiences in which police officers must instantly decide whether to fire a deadly weapon.
Abstract
Potentially or apparently dangerous scenes are presented on film, and two lay persons (a female social worker and a male architect) are given guns and instructed to assume the police officer's role. A police instructor comments on the shooting choices made by the lay persons and explains the consequences of their decisions. Repeatedly, their overreactions and errors in judgment (failure to identify the target clearly, assess the surroundings, ascertain whether a menace truly exists, and take cover for personal protection) would have cost their lives or those of innocent bystanders. To further emphasize the dilemmas of police use of deadly force, officers who have been involved in shooting incidents discuss the emotional aftereffects of being wounded, shooting a dangerous assailant, or injuring an innocent victim. On the average, a shooting decision takes about 5 seconds. Officers may be faced with but one such decision every 9 years in their career, but they must be prepared for it at all times and live with the consequences for the rest of their lives. The narrator emphasizes that this dilemma is poorly understood by the public, that officers are wrongly assumed to use deadly force frequently and callously, and that the stresses of exposure to life-endangering situations are difficult for others to imagine.