Police officers with 10+ years of service. Have you ever had to use deadly force?

Question

I'm trying to find out in an unoffical poll how many officers have ever had to use deadly force vs those that have not. If you have, what was the situation and how did you deal with it?

Joey, your response in stating that most never do, is the reason I have posted this question. I do hope that more officers will use this question as a forum to let others know that deadly force is not the norm.

As for asking about the situation and how they handled it, was to let these same people know that it affects the officer in more ways than people think.

And in case no one else ever told you and those like you, Thank you for doing a job that needs doing with little or no thanks.

I don't know which answer to pick. I am torn between the 2 Joey's. One the son of a policeman and the other who served for 26 years.

Answer 1

The vast majority of cops never have to fire their weapons.

Too many people think that the BS on TV is reality. They think shootouts are routine and that cops are supposed to be able to shoot like Olympic marksmen
I've even heard some people say..."well why couldn't he shoot the gun out of his hand?".........or..."why couldn't he shoot him in the leg/arm?"

Ridiculous.
When the adrenaline flows...it's all you can do to hit your target...much less pick and choose a small area on a moving suspect.

I think you'll have trouble with your question because relatively few
cops fire their weapons in the line of duty......and even fewer REAL cops....(not Yahoo phonies and wannabe's) will want to talk about the incident in a public forum.......and even less will discuss the incident with "civilians".

Good luck with your Q and Merry Christmas.

PS....."Joe"...your Dad will live for that for the rest of his life. Most people don't realize what a profound effect that taking a human life has on the policeman. Even though he may have been 100% justified...it's something that never leaves you. I'll say a prayer for him tonight.

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Answer 2

You are watching to much TV and Movies. You may work 20 years and never have occasion to even pull your weapon. When you do have to use your weapon it is because you are responding to training. It is a response that most people will never be involved in. In Florida, we have to have yearly qualifying with any firearm that you might use on duty. The state sets a standard in this qualifying and you must score better that the standard or you will not be allowed to carry a weapon on duty til you re-qualify. Even with this most officer maintain or practice with their firearms weekly or at least monthly. When a deadly force situation comes up, you do not have time to worry about but one situation: self preservation. And you live with it just like you live with and over come a wreck. Not at all like they show on TV.

Answer 3

I pulled by weapon ( pistol about 10 times) and used it once.
And that was my first year and a I was a city officer assisting with a state drug raid that turned out to a shoot out.

The other times I pulled it in a felony arrest where you merely point the gun at them till they are arrested.

I did use a rifle to shoot a aligator in GA that got into a water treatment plant, not really "deadly force" but I guess the aligator thought it was.

But most officers never have to use thier weapon but are trained to use it if they have to.

I did use my ASP on many occassions which can be deadly but normally is not.

Answer 4

The job of a Police Officer is to apply the minimum quantity of rigidity mandatory to realize compliance. interior the case you defined above the place criminals posessed the potential, confirmed their reason, and examined their willingness and ability to harm others it particularly is the criminal duty of the police to subdue them and at this element, by using regardless of potential achieveable as long because it did no longer percipitate the region any extra to the place it grew to alter into much greater risky for harmless human beings or the officers themselves. the priority is: how do you determine what's justified? these days, with each and every of the courtroom circumstances going approximately, the regulations and for this reason branch rules have replaced to place finished criminal duty interior the palms of the officers. An officer could make what he thinks to be the superb determination, and in hindsight, it ought to be desperate by using one hundred cops, judges, etc. that it substitute into certainly the superb determination, yet whilst it occurs to pass badly, each and every of the duty falls on the guy officer. by using this, cops are no longer as keen to pass the lengths that possibly they'd desire to pass to substantiate public secure practices. they'd desire to fret approximately their carreers as properly and that's a tragic certainty.

Answer 5

My father did in his 15th year on the force. He shot someone who robbed a jewelry store and took the owners hostage. They engaged him alone and he had to take action. He didn't talk much for 2 weeks. We were all walking on eggshells around him. He just had to deal with it in his own mind.

Answer 6

most of the time it usually happens when me and my wife fight it just pi**es me off so much i have to take it out on my perps.