CRIME Ga. PD launches 'Shoot to Incapacitate' program

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Ga. PD launches 'Shoot to Incapacitate' program (police1.com)

Ga. PD launches 'Shoot to Incapacitate' program
The program, which trains officers to aim for areas less likely to be fatal, has sparked debate and questions

May 7, 2021



By Brad Schrade
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

LAGRANGE, Ga. — The police officers' voices grew firm and loud as they pointed their guns at the human silhouettes in the distance.

"Sir, drop the sword, drop the sword," one officer yelled.
"Drop it, drop it," another hollered.

Does the officer shoot or not? Is there a better option to stop a person who is threatening but in distress? If an officer must shoot, is there a way to lessen the chance of death? These questions hung over the training that played out days ago at LaGrange Police Department's gun range. But some version of these scenarios unfolds for real across America daily as police engage with individuals who are sometimes armed and erratic, posing a threat to officers or the public.

The training is part of a new program launched by the West Georgia agency meant to address some of these questions. The program, called "Shoot to Incapacitate," is challenging decades of police orthodoxy around use of deadly force. Instead of teaching officers to always aim for available center mass of the body — usually the chest, upper torso and head — the training is giving them another option if they must fire their weapons in the line of duty.

The course is the first of its kind in Georgia and could well be a first in the nation. It is teaching officers that in some instances where they are authorized to use deadly force, they have the option to aim for the pelvic region, abdomen, legs and arms of a person posing a threat. The idea is that a gunshot to these areas, while still potentially deadly, could stop the threat while increasing the chance that the wounds will not be fatal.

It is a break from generations of American law enforcement training taught in academies and in annual recertification training. The reason officers have been instructed to aim for the upper torso and head area is that it generally provides the largest target and the fastest way to stop the threat.

This method, while effective, has contributed to the roughly 1,000 fatal police shootings each year and helped plunge law enforcement agencies, and the communities they serve, into crisis after crisis. About a quarter of the fatal shootings each year occur in situations involving the mentally ill, sometimes at the height of a breakdown or episode.

"It's a responsibility, in my opinion, of any police leader to look at options for their police officers so that a deadly force encounter doesn't necessarily end in a deadly result," said LaGrange Police Chief Lou Dekmar.

The training, launched in February, has already sparked debate and questions. It comes as police officers across the country feel besieged by public scrutiny and second guessing unlike anything the profession has seen its history. Some LaGrange officers viewed the course initially with a dose of skepticism.

"To be honest, when Chief Dekmar called me and we sat down and talked about it, that was my first reaction," said Sgt. Joshua Clower, the department's training director. "I was like, 'I don't know about this.'"

Clower said he changed his mind as he researched the issue to develop the training. He looked at dozens of police shooting videos and consulted with medical experts. The training includes a classroom session that lasts more than an hour, with a discussion of how the technique could apply to several actual cases, including the 2017 shooting death of Georgia Tech student Scott Schultz. Officers also undergo subsequent firing range sessions where they walk through various scenarios where the technique can be deployed in the field.

"I worked on the street as a patrol officer for 17 years," Clower said. "You find yourself in situations where the use of deadly force is justified, but I really don't want to take this subject's life."

He said the program hasn't replaced the agency's focus on de-escalation and less lethal options. The training instruction emphasizes the shoot to incapacitate method can only be used if deadly force is justified. It doesn't supplant the option to aim for the chest or head if a suspect has a gun or officers' judgment deems those targets necessary to ensure safety for themselves or others.

After some initial reluctance and skepticism, the overall feedback has been positive in anonymous surveys by officers in the department who completed the training, Clower said.

"Our folks are going to question things that may not make sense," he said.
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Other agencies and police professionals are taking note. Some see Dekmar and his agency playing into the hands of activists and others pressuring police to reform in ways that could compromise the safety of officers or the general public. Some wonder if its stated goal of preserving life is realistic. Others see the training as the type of creative thinking that could hold promise, while still wanting more data before making a final judgment.

Park City ( Utah) Chief Wade Carpenter, who heads the International Association of Chiefs of Police firearms committee, was in Georgia recently to take measure of the new training. He said he expects it to spur discussion as police leaders grapple with the ongoing need to change and evolve.

"I think early on, until they do their own trials and tests, they're going to be skeptical," Carpenter said. "I'm in that same boat. That's why I'm here today because I want to see firsthand what the concept is and see if it's a viable option."

CHIEF INITIALLY RELUCTANT
Dekmar didn't come to the idea overnight.
His law enforcement career has spanned more than four decades, including the past quarter-century leading the LaGrange department, about 67 miles southwest of Atlanta. During that time, his officers fired their guns in 13 deadly force incidents, including two that resulted in death.

While other agencies prohibit using warning shots, Dekmar has kept it as an option for officers.

"I worked on the street as a patrol officer for 17 years. You find yourself in situations where the use of deadly force is justified, but I really don't want to take this subject's life." — Sgt. Joshua Clower, training director for LaGrange PD
Warning shots have only been used once during his tenure, but the technique had a significant impact for one family.

"To the 15-year-old that we didn't shoot and kill when we were lawfully justified, that made a significant difference," he said.

Dekmar said he first learned about the shoot to incapacitate concept 17 years ago in a police exchange program with Israel. He later learned that countries in Europe use a similar approach.

"It became increasingly clear that many nations train their officers to shoot to incapacitate if that's possible," he said.
At first, he wasn't sold on the technique.
"It took me a period of time to process it and adjust to it," he said.

In 2019, he introduced the concept to his firearms instructors and asked them to think about it. Last year, the agency leaders researched the issue and couldn't find any other agency in the U.S. using the strategy. They developed their own protocol, and Dekmar approved the training and range procedures that were incorporated into the agency's annual training that started in February.

He said when the public calls police for help, they expect officers to show up with alternatives and knowledge of how to deal with a situation. His officers are trained for verbal de-escalation and crisis intervention methods, as well as less lethal options such as Tasers, 12-gauge beanbags, pepper balls and BolaWrap remote restraints. He views shoot to incapacitate as a tool he hopes his officers will rarely use, but one that is there if use of deadly force is justified and necessary.
"Anytime you can preserve a life, what that does is earn trust and maintain confidence of the public, which is absolutely necessary if you're going to be effective in the entire arena of public safety," he said.
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The unorthodox training isn't the first time Dekmar has made waves among his colleagues.

In January 2017, he made national news when he became one of the first police chiefs in the South to apologize for his agency's role in the lynching of a Black man. Even though the crime had occurred more than 70 years ago, Dekmar, who is white, believed its legacy still impacted the community's view of his agency and its officers. As president of IACP in 2017 and 2018, he urged other police leaders to repair the broken trust with minorities in their communities. He also called for an improvement in policies and training to handle mentally ill people.

'DEFINITELY DOABLE'
At the range training last week, Sgt. Clower was directing officers through different real world scenarios where the shoot to incapacitate concept might be an option.
At one end of the range, the human silhouettes were positioned with body sections that are color coded to indicate desired target areas. The pelvic area, thighs, legs and arms were green or yellow — indicating desired spots to aim. The chest, upper torso, head and neck were shaded in red — indicating areas to try to avoid.

The officers took positions 15 yards, seven yards and three yards away from the targets. Clower used a whistle to signal the point in the training scenario where deadly force was justified, which was followed by a series of gunshots by the officers. In most cases, the bullets struck the green area that marked the pelvis and thigh areas, which the training emphasizes because they carry more mass than the arms and lower legs.

In one scenario, at close range, the officers were told to aim for the red area because the close proximity of their suspect placed the officers at increased risk.
Corporal Robbie Hall said the training went better than he expected. He said there has been concern among some colleagues that the technique won't work or will place officers at risk. The training, he said, offers another option if use of force is necessary. Under the tactic, officers must assess whether the situation and distance make it a viable alternative.

"Before I shot this target, it didn't seem like an option," he said. "It's definitely doable. Now that I've actually went through the course, it's doable."
Still, some in the broader law enforcement community wonder if LaGrange is headed down a thorny path. They worry that the training could create community expectations and raise questions about why officers didn't employ the tactic in all police shootings. They also question how realistic it is in live situations to hit a moving target and stop a lethal threat while also firing a gun with the precision to wound, but not kill.

The LaGrange program appears to be part of an effort by agencies nationwide grappling with ways to stop deadly threats while increasing the survivability chances of suspects, said Von Kliem, a policy attorney with the Force Science Institute, a company that studies police and community violence.

"Before I shot this target, it didn't seem like an option. It's definitely doable. Now that I've actually went through the course, it's doable." — Corporal Robbie Hall, LaGrange PD

Kliem, a former police officer, said some agencies in recent years have turned to controversial policies that allow officers to use Tasers against knife-wielding suspects, as long as they have deadly force options available. He said that with any luck, the shoot to incapacitate policy will work in the rare instances where it would be appropriate.

"To say these tactics are authorized is not to say these tactics should be considered in most cases," he said. "The agencies, officers, and communities need to decide whether increased risk of death and serious bodily injury to the officers and the community members is worth these attempts to save suspects from the consequences of their deadly decisions."

Activists in Georgia say reform of police use of force is long overdue. They point to scores of deadly police shootings with little accountability. They say more emphasis needs to be placed on de-escalation tactics and preserving life in police encounters.

"In this climate, we don't need any more police shootings, period," said Gerald Griggs, an attorney and activist who has worked on police reform with the Georgia NAACP. "We need to reevaluate how we deal with all of that."
Dekmar views the debate to be critical as community standards and expectations evolve.

"I think what the community expects is that we need to be wise," he said. "The standard isn't "awful but lawful". The standard is — under the facts and circumstances — did the police realistically do all they could do to preserve life in a situation. We're supposed to be the professionals. We have to be reacting with more than one alternative, which is shoot center mass — particularly if we can do so safely."
 

Milkweed Host

Veteran Member
I don't know of any police agency in the US that teaches an officer to shoot to kill.
It has always been, shoot to stop the threat.

Many officers shoot very poorly on the range. Some would have trouble hitting a phone
booth if they were on the inside with the door closed. Yes, they are that bad, well, almost.

On the range we used the black silhouette inside of a white background, but that was
racist. Now it's the white silhouette inside of a black background, but that's not racist.

Outside range qualifications are usually done on very nice days. The target doesn't move
or shoot back. Most silhouettes don't have arms and legs.

Everyone has ample time to complete a course of fire. Yet, some people repeatedly fail
and have to retest, sometimes several retests.

They can't hit center mass much less a smaller target/area that is moving.

With all those target misses, those bullets will end up someplace else and the officer will
have to fire his gun more often to hit his target.

The end result is bullets ricocheting off the pavement, walls or simply killing the bystanders.
 

ssonb

Senior Member
I can just hear the lawyer asking the officer on the stand...So it is clear, You and your department were trained to shoot to incapacitate and you passed the training? Yes. Then why did the suspect still die? Was it you purposely wanted to kill the suspect? Was it because the suspect was black that you did not deem it necessary to use all your training to it's fullest ability? Could there be a racial motive that effected your decision on where to shoot?
No more questions your honor.
For my next witness for the prosecution ...... The Chief of police .....
 

Luddite

Veteran Member
Riot sticks became passe'. (They were trained to avoid the head, but if it got in the way, that's not the Leo's fault)

Tasers will end up like the polyester leisure suit.

Guns for Leo's are close behind.

All Americans will submit to a collar, similar to a dog "shocking collar ". It is the only patriotic thing to do.
Keeps everyone safe. Minorities' collars will be set on level 5.
Whities' collar is set to 11

Far-fetched? I think not.
 

Hfcomms

EN66iq
Who in their right mind would want to be a cop today, especially in the blue cities and states where they think the cops are the oppressors and that everything would be dandy if we could just get rid of them? And even in the towns that tolerate the police what are the chances that your appointed superiors and city managers will stand behind you and back you up in a difficult situation?
 

Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
Even to try to make this stupidity work would require a huge number of hours and rounds fired a month to get anywhere near the proficiency required, never mind the liability issues already noted.
 

CaryC

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Read in a James Patterson's novel (yesterday) where a LT was being sued for killing a 16 YO girl that had shot the LT, first.

On the stand she testifies that they were trained to shoot center mass because it was the easiest, and largest part to hit, and eliminate the threat. Shooting at an arm, or leg was not only very hard to do, but if you missed the threat was still viable. And you didn't know if shooting someone in the arm/leg actually eliminated the threat.

I took that to mean if you shot someone in say the leg, they could still shoot you, or someone else.

But hey, it was fiction, right.
 

33dInd

Veteran Member
Officers are required by. Responsible by law to know the background of and trajectory for that discharged round

warning shots not allowed ever

as for cops being bad shots. Some but not most
Certainly better than the average citizen including here

but I digress

hitting a moving target under any condition is difficult
Start mandating an officer to wound first as well as being legally responsible(as they should be) couple that with all the other arm chair day after criticism and less and less will bother to shoot
Thus the call to disarm police
Damn
I actually made some sense
Back to my stuff
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
I don't know of any police agency in the US that teaches an officer to shoot to kill.
It has always been, shoot to stop the threat.

Many officers shoot very poorly on the range. Some would have trouble hitting a phone
booth if they were on the inside with the door closed. Yes, they are that bad, well, almost.

On the range we used the black silhouette inside of a white background, but that was
racist. Now it's the white silhouette inside of a black background, but that's not racist.

Outside range qualifications are usually done on very nice days. The target doesn't move
or shoot back. Most silhouettes don't have arms and legs.

Everyone has ample time to complete a course of fire. Yet, some people repeatedly fail
and have to retest, sometimes several retests.

They can't hit center mass much less a smaller target/area that is moving.

With all those target misses, those bullets will end up someplace else and the officer will
have to fire his gun more often to hit his target.

The end result is bullets ricocheting off the pavement, walls or simply killing the bystanders.
I disagree. Stopping the threat = killing.

Once the police start shooting, they will continue until some one is not moving in most cases.
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
Read in a James Patterson's novel (yesterday) where a LT was being sued for killing a 16 YO girl that had shot the LT, first.

On the stand she testifies that they were trained to shoot center mass because it was the easiest, and largest part to hit, and eliminate the threat. Shooting at an arm, or leg was not only very hard to do, but if you missed the threat was still viable. And you didn't know if shooting someone in the arm/leg actually eliminated the threat.

I took that to mean if you shot someone in say the leg, they could still shoot you, or someone else.

But hey, it was fiction, right.
Not anymore
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
Officers are required by. Responsible by law to know the background of and trajectory for that discharged round

warning shots not allowed ever

as for cops being bad shots. Some but not most
Certainly better than the average citizen including here

but I digress

hitting a moving target under any condition is difficult
Start mandating an officer to wound first as well as being legally responsible(as they should be) couple that with all the other arm chair day after criticism and less and less will bother to shoot
Thus the call to disarm police
Damn
I actually made some sense
Back to my stuff
If I were an officer I would quit.
If I were unable to quit, I would certainly work a lot less and never ever shoot my gun. I would just turn and walk away
 

ShadowMan

Designated Grumpy Old Fart
Why don't they just put their Phasers on stun?!?

iu


And for the LGBTxyz community:
iu


iu
 

nehimama

Has No Life - Lives on TB
they have the option to aim for the pelvic region, abdomen, legs and arms of a person posing a threat. The idea is that a gunshot to these areas, while still potentially deadly, could stop the threat while increasing the chance that the wounds will not be fatal.
Would still guarantee a Ghetto Lottery kick-off.
 

mikeabn

Finally not a lurker!
Among the non-gun people I know it is amazing how many think you can shoot the gun out of someone's hand. They often suggest shooting in the leg, and I refresh their knowledge of anatomy by reminding them of the femoral artery. And let's remember that bullets can bounce around inside a body...
 

Countrymouse

Country exile in the city
LaGrange is a small city in a rural county---Troup--

You would 'think' a rural county would have more sense---

But wait---this is middle-Georgia----and some of those areas are very poor and heavily black---

1621192430036.png

From Wikipedia:

As of the 2019 U.S. Census estimate, there were 30,305 people in 11,233 households residing in the city. The population density was 1033 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 48.0% Black, 44.5% White, 4.7% Hispanic/Latino, 2.5% Asian Only, 1.8% mixed race, and 0.3% other.
 

Kathy in FL

Administrator
_______________
Wonder how many of these "shoot to incapacitate" is going to lead to permanent injuries such as paralysis. I can see the SSI applications now.

"I was just doing my job as a low-level drug dealer. Free market and all. Then this cop just shoots me for no reason. Now I cain't work. I got that there PTBS and I cain't hold a gun with my dominant hand making me useless to the cartel. I cain't pay child support or nuffin' these days. They done took away my livelihood."
 

Countrymouse

Country exile in the city
BUT it isn't just the small towns.

After a recent weekend in which there were over 20 shooting injuries in Atlanta, the outgoing mayor (Bottoms) appointed INTERIM Police Chief Rodney Bryant as PERMANENT new Atlanta Police Chief.

Here is how new Police Chief Rodney Bryant plans to combat this crime surge in ATLANTA:

“What we saw this week were clearly people just lacking conflict resolution. We have to be able to resolve our conflicts differently and the proliferation of weaponry that we’re seeing in our city,” Bryant said. “But I truly believe with the strategies we have in place, we will see those numbers come down.”

So far, in the first four months of 2021, APD has investigated 44 homicides, a 60% increase from this time in 2020.

“This is not just a police issue. This is a community issue that we all have to be involved in,” Bryant said.

Bryant said APD is implementing new outreach programs that he believes will help bridge the gap between the police and the communities they serve.

“If they have information on an incident, on a crime, they need to pass that information on to us,” Bryant said. “Having conversations with them on what they would like to see from us, as well as it relates to crime-fighting in their neighborhood.”


Bryant is also passionate about Operation Phoenix, a partnership with state and federal law enforcement agencies, like the FBI and ATF, that targets some of metro Atlanta’s most dangerous criminals.

“I think with Operation Phoenix, that will give us the ability to intercede and intervene, as it relates to the number of guns that we’re saying, and try to cut that down,” Bryant said.



He gave WSB a full interview of his plans. You can see it at the links below.

 

Weps

Veteran Member
Officers are required by. Responsible by law to know the background of and trajectory for that discharged round

I beg to differ, there are 50 states each with varying laws across the board.

Here in KY there is no law for officers that specifically regulates the efficacy of an officers aim, they're subject to the same wanton endangerment law as citizens...as shown in the case of Officer Brent Hankison.

as for cops being bad shots. Some but not most
Certainly better than the average citizen including here

Multiple studies have shown law enforcement officer accuracy is abysmal.

 
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