Shoot or not? Scenarios tested

A police officer responds to a school where a suspect has three students cornered while the suspect screams threats and waves a large knife. When the suspect ignores repeated orders to drop his weapon, should the officer shoot?

Hundreds of such “shoot or don't shoot” training scenarios are available on a large video screen at the Omaha Public Safety Training Center, 11616 Rainwood Road. Those scenarios test the decision-making ability of recruits and seasoned officers.

Officers being tested are equipped with a laser gun that pinpoints where any shots would have gone. A computer program analyzes the results.

In the wake of two recent police shootings, reporters were invited to sample the Omaha Police Department's firearms training Tuesday.

A police spokesman said reporters' questions about the appropriate times to use deadly force prompted the invitation.

Recruits undergo the deadly force training after they have qualified on the shooting range. Beginning this year, every officer in the department is required to complete the decision-making training each year.

Officer Dave Staskiewicz, who works with the Firearms Training Simulator, said the object is to get officers ready for situations they will face on the streets.

“We put as much physiological stress on (the officers) as we can … even distracting them by simulating radio traffic,” Staskiewicz said. “Then they have a split second to determine if a gun or knife is being drawn on them.”

With tension high and heart rates racing, many people develop tunnel vision, Staskiewicz said, and miss important details.

These simulations help them understand the kinds of situations they will face live on the streets and tell us how they might react,” Staskiewicz said.

Lt. Scott Gray said seasoned officers rarely fail the training. An officer who does is “given immediate feedback and may be required to repeat the course.”

If an officer is involved in a questionable shooting, Gray said, the chief of police or the police Safety Review Board also could require remedial training such as classroom review, simulator scenarios and live fire training.

In the simulated case of the knife-wielding suspect at the school, Gray responded “perfectly,” Staskiewicz said. He gave the suspect multiple chances to comply with his commands then brought down the suspect with four shots, two of which would have been fatal. The key moment happened when the suspect turned back toward his intended victims and away from the officer.

“(The lieutenant) did what he had to do to save those kids' lives,” Staskiewicz said. “That (suspect) could have easily stabbed one or more of those kids. We always want to protect the public first.”

Contact the writer:

444-1272, kevin.cole@owh.com

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