AJ+ wanted to ask a really critical question of police departments when it is OK for a
cop to shoot now one reporter with AJ+ Dena Takruri actually went to speak to an official
with the Richmond Police Department in California now the Richmond police department actually
has a record low number of officer involved shootings so it's interesting to see how they
do their training and so the next two videos might surprise you let's take a look at the
first scenario that they use in their training program so just a couple ground rules OK once
I tell you go ahead that's the start of the scenario do everything as best you can in
terms of what you're going to do what what do you want what are you going to do what
are you going to do go ahead what are you going to do back up you are back up can't
do nothing you can't do nothing I kill you go on the curb I kill you go on the curb no
I ain't going to do it what are you gonna do turn around put your hands behind your
back what are you gonna do I'll hit you with a baton OK and stop OK couple things one you
them fighting that happens all the time fighting you see him hit this guy he drops fast hard
which tell you what that's a fairly significant use of force yeah what was he saying do you
remember oh my god it's all a blur I know but he was saying I'm going to kill me he
said that to me several times is there a perfect resolution to this the answer is no hey what
do you want get back in whoa stop lieutenant what the hell was that that was that was a
situation that is played numerous times on dash cam videos all around the country I don't
understand so I mean this is so untypical right but you put an officer through this
training and they're going to be really aggressive anytime they stop a car the next time I pull
someone over I'm going to reach for my gun but I shouldn't be he is an anomaly he's the
exception not the rule well you're right but we have to train for those exceptions as an
officer then I need to operate with the assumption with everyone's a potential you should always
be prepared to defend your life at any moment that video was phenomenal if you watch the
whole thing it gives you a lot of context because the Richmond police department actually
has a record low number of officer involved shooting they actually as right as any police
department does they go to the best police department look at what she discovered there
right so they scenario where they're fighting is a tough one I want to get back to that
in a second to me the most important one where was the guy you stop for a traffic stop they
come out and they shoot you immediately and you're dead so I understand why they have
to train for that cause that could happen I don't want the cops to be unprepared for
that but Dena in her reporting there I love that she asked him in the middle of it right
makes a great point but if you put that in all the cops heads it's almost never going
to happen but they're ready for it so they're going to see it maybe sometimes and we've
seen it across the country they're going to see it even when it's not happening I think
look this is just my perspective on it it leads an unhealthy level of paranoia among
the cops totally so it's good for them to be trained and ready for the unexpected but
the way that that training goes makes it seems as though everyone is a threat and you should
treat everyone as if they're immediately going to walk out of their car and shoot you and
I don't know I think that that's probably a bad idea and watching that video gave me
perspective from the cops point of view because no I understand why they act so harshly and
so quickly to situations where they're could be a perceived threat right so if you watch
that whole video on AJ+ you get some more context too included what you just mentioned
which gives you a sense that it is a great hard job the cops have we've always said that
but it's another thing to see it right and so when you want to break up that fight how
are you going to do it not easy right and that big guy you know barreling down on you
and you got to react quickly you you to figure out as the lieutenant walking her through
it explains which level of force are you going to use and you got to make that decision quickly
now often times they'll be the wrong decision made you'll go to a force you didn't to go
to and you'll get there far to quickly but it's partly because A you're trained to get
to a lot of force fairly quickly just in case and B cause it is hard I mean if that guys
coming at you you got to make a decision right way and you need good training and I'm not
sure this is the best training there is on the country roughly speaking imagine when
there is bad training right yeah so overall though I think they even Richmond everywhere
else they got to put something else in their training with is super super important which
is look we train you for the worst case scenario but not every scenario is the worst case scenario
right so don't let your guard down and you got to fight situation coming up be super
careful ready to use the baton ready to use the pepper ready to use the taser if you have
to etc but everytime somebody reaches for their waistband or their pockets don't assume
they have a gun cause the overwhelming majority of the time they will not have a gun and you'll
accidently shoot and kill someone yeah I read a story about a man who was shot 16 times
by police officials and he survived apparently they raided his home they had the wrong person
and so they ask him for ID he went to reach for his ID and as he was reaching his idea
the cops thought he was going to reach for a gun and they started shooting at him see
but that's exactly the paranoia you were talking about Ana because we got to reach into our
pocket to get the ID you asked me for the ID right but they got trained even in the
best case scenario watch out everything's a watch out they're getting out of their car
they're reaching into their pockets anything could happen at any time get your gun ready
right and that's what we have what we have now they used to train them to say hey freeze
put your hands up have some sort of time buffer before you use the force some sort of communication
before you use the force and by the way that time buffer I get it makes the job a little
riskier but you're a cop we know that's part of the job it is a risky job and we appreciate
you taking that risk but you got to take a tiny bit more risk to make sure you're not
shooting the wrong person