A Rare Look Inside Police Training in Utah | "Shots Fired" | FRONTLINE

How might training impact whom, when and why police officers shoot? Watch an excerpt from the new documentary “Shots Fired,” from FRONTLINE and The Salt Lake Tribune.
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In Utah, there’s no source that tracks police shootings statewide. The Salt Lake Tribune and FRONTLINE have been working together through FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative to fill that gap and to go a step further: Building on years of the Tribune’s earlier reporting on police violence, the team has been trying to understand the patterns and factors involved when Utah police fire their weapons.
In some cases, the data is incomplete and the numbers too small to draw broad conclusions. But in the reporting team’s review of 226 Utah police shootings over the past decade, a few things stood out. More than half of the shootings were fatal, and the vast majority were ruled justified. Racial and ethnic minorities were disproportionately represented among the people at whom police fired. More than 40 percent of people shot at were identified by police or families to have had a mental health issue, a mental disability or to have been suicidal.
And over and over again, when talking about why they fired, officers referenced their training.
This excerpt from the documentary “Shots Fired” offers a rare look inside police training in Utah, examining how it may impact whom, when and why officers shoot, and exploring why a focus on worst-case scenarios in training has become increasingly controversial among experts concerned about police shootings.
“Shots Fired” is the first nationally broadcast documentary stemming from FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative, an innovative effort to support and strengthen investigative reporting in communities around the country that's funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and based out of FRONTLINE’s newsroom at GBH in Boston.
“Shots Fired” premieres Nov. 23, 2021 on FRONTLINE: to.pbs.org/3CP...
For more reporting in connection with this investigation with our Local Journalism Initiative partner The Salt Lake Tribune, visit FRONTLINE’s website: to.pbs.org/3CP...
“Shots Fired” is a FRONTLINE production with Five O’Clock Films. The writer, producer and director is FRONTLINE/Hollyhock filmmaker-in-residence Abby Ellis. The reporters are Taylor Eldridge, Paighten Harkens, Jessica Miller, Muna Mohamed and Sam Stecklow. The senior producer is Frank Koughan. The executive producer of FRONTLINE is Raney Aronson-Rath.
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FRONTLINE is produced at GBH in Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by the Ford Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Park Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen.
FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative is funded with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional support for “Shots Fired” by the Hollyhock Foundation.

[@johnnyfiveo]

remember, "officer safety" comes first not "citizen safety".

[@whyareyoureadingthis5227]

@@church7496 did you watch the video my guy

[@mxewris2355]

@@church7496 You might not start commenting at 0:00.

[@carloscarneiro7226]

Of course it must be so. That's right. First of all, the safety of the policeman must come. Second, from the police team. Only in third place should be that of the citizen. The way it should be. Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong.

[@church7496]

Idk if my comment got posted. So ill say it again. Cops are the largest and most dangerous organized gang in the country. You make me sick.

[@mxewris2355]

@@church7496 Man, I have three questions for you. Did you not see the quotation marks? Did you not watch the video and hear an Officer say exactly what the commenter satirically repeated? Did you not see the comments trying to pointing that out to you?

[@fortyyearfitness]

"every situation we send our officers in, doesn't require lethal force" but hopefully , with this training, we can get up to 99% lethal force in every situation.

[@PostMalone-real]

“What are you doin? You’re supposed to shoot em cleetus! It’s called suicide by cop for a reason”

[@gabegabe2508]

@@PostMalone-real p0

[@LC-go1uh]

Law & Order works! Start punishing these people and they will stop doing the crime

[@thecjwolfpack]

@@LC-go1uh Exactly! They can't threaten suicide if you shoot first!

[@2burp2]

It's nice to know that we're not viewed as citizens, but as enemy combatants.

[@tchalla7828]

Exactly and we are funding these psychopaths.

[@ee-ef8qr]

@@tchalla7828 We should take away the power of the purse from these assholes.

[@tvdv3416]

@@ee-ef8qr We could also take away their guns.

[@D_A-G]

That is NOT true! Guns are NOT toys and people ARE extremely dangerous. I'd love to see your reaction when you child is involved and gets shot by the criminals.

[@D_A-G]

@United Provinces of Planet Earth First of all, you need to stop with the name calling. These are human beings not "pigs". They protect your family while you are snoring in the middle of the night. The majority of police personnel are good people! Second, I do NOT care about other countries, each geopolitical area has its own unique dynamics so stop mixing apples and oranges. You are NOT being fair at all and people like you make terrible cops because of your style of thinking. Treat the police the way you want to be treated.

[@mollys1439]

“stop the threat, not to hurt someone” also the red thumb guy a couple minutes later shaming the guy for not shooting someone. cops should de-escalate not just shoot and kill.

[@elenapashaeva1]

Exactly! This training is insane

[@skyty0]

Half of the trainees looked like they were in disbelief after being told to "deprioritize empathy." Sickening.

[@stonep11]

Yet they do it

[@dadikkedude]

Yess that's the Iron fist of the law. Sure sometimes you don't want to be reactionary because you'll run the risk of being to late. Most of the times people don't want to die and people don't want to kill.

[@FNWendigo]

Yes, because they could be killed if they don’t.

[@TheArmedNurse]

@@stonep11 It is how they are trained, unfortunately. Training really does change a person. I am an RN and I was a completely different person before school than I am now that I have finished school. I approach situations in my daily life differently than I used to.

[@qwerasdfjkl1990]

This kind of training is creating trigger happy police officers, not what you want at all.

[@swagner7767]

_Au contraire,_ that is *exactly* what the police want.

[@ozz3790]

Not really.. u dont know what u are talking about. There is NO TRAINING that d turn civillians into perfect cops. The training at the academy includes laws, legal power and the mindset. No one can ever come out of academy as a perfect cop... u r just talking for sake of talking... these individuals are people too. When they first get into the academy, they will go through every emotion in these scenarios. Thats human nature. If one of them pulls a trigger when he shouldnt, it doesnt mean he s trigger happy !

[@sixx1974]

That’s why calling the police is no longer an option.

[@spit-boy9991]

It's frightening to think that calling these assholes for help can result in them shooting the citizens and as we know , rarely do they face consequences

[@morganmoves1318]

Call them at your risk, invite them in your house at your peril! see: Cop Shoots Innocent Woman Holding a Pot in her Kitchen | FIRED & CHARGED On the tube

[@huckfin1598]

If a cop was just spinning his weapon they’d call it losing positive control of the weapon. If a person was spinning a gun on a table all of a sudden its called pointing the gun at you. That instructor is crazy

[@Delicious_Oreoz]

Yup as a Cuban Communist agent I'm inciting alot of division get rekt liberal capitalist

[@estivon2464]

@Marshmallow Man and as an American I can say that people like these cops who are just fucking blasting civilians and people like you are the real ones causing division, especially when you assume someone’s nationality due to their name, you are disgusting

[@impulseelectrobrine1259]

@Marshmallow Man this is sarcasm right

[@ttoddh1]

I stopped watching at the point. So not impressed I don't think I will ever visit that state ever! Toxic!

[@sesanti]

The instructor's got a point. Every time she spins the weapon, at some point the weapon points right at the officers. And her finger is on the trigger. All she was to do is shoot. She's basically pointing the gun at the officers. And to whoever else is around her too, which she could also try to kill in one of those spins.

[@halibuthero]

This is worse than I imagined their training to be. No wonder they're so trigger-happy.

[@Ex-expat]

Insane that less than a handful days of this type of training is given vs none of de-escalation. No wonder the US has the shoot first mentality and high death rate.

[@belladora1224]

This is the reason cops shoot first. What if it isn't a gun??

[@belladora1224]

Treat every one as a threat not as a civilian, That is their philosophy. Cops are a threat.

[@qwerasdfjkl1990]

This video explains everything on why police are so trigger happy. This training instill fear in them. It does not train them on how to deescalate a situation. No wonder so many people hate the police.

[@joananthony6323]

I think no training would be better than this training He must be cheap Hopefully Utah will get enough criticism about this and think again

[@zammmerjammer]

I mean, their HUMAN INSTINCT was to de-escalate situations. Then these walking thumbs are shouting at them to just kill everyone on sight. Horrifying. Oh, and today it's come out that a cop in Arizona shot a guy in a wheelchair 9 times cause he was suspected of shoplifting. "Land of the free, home of the brave"

[@musicbyjaybee]

Awesome, our cops are being trained to view grandmas and kids as enemy combatants. Very cool guys, great job.

[@MoejiiOsmanTV]

This is insane

[@kaiwoessner6558]

Not to be rude but what is the alternative only train with adult males, just doing that leaves a lack of comprehensive training.

[@musicbyjaybee]

@@kaiwoessner6558 Oh snap you're right. I forgot cops have to be ready at a moments notice to blow a hole in a 6 year old if the cop feels their life is threatened.

[@8alltime]

If that kid or grandma is pointing a gun at the police what else should they do? Throw lollipops at them?

[@musicbyjaybee]

@@8alltime Because roving gangs of strapped 6 year olds and drug cartels exclusively made up of women over 70 with names like Eunice are a well known public menace.

[@longforgotten4823]

Logic dictates that if you train people for the 1% of scenarios, you were not training them to recognize the 99%. It’s not an all or nothing. Perhaps officers that cannot recognize the 99% of non-violent encounters should not be expected to handle even more risky scenarios.

[@MarkSoupial]

Dude really said you're in the wrong profession if you can't extrajudicially murder someone after less than a month of training, lol. This goddamn country.

[@mark1mod08]

I agree with you that this video is problematic but you need to get out and travel the world a bit more if you think this video is somehow indicative of how Fd up the US is compared to the rest of the world. The world is a big place and much larger than the handful of progressive Western European countries I’m sure you’d cherry pick to make your point.

[@ceoofperc5353]

@@mark1mod08 saying “well America isn’t as bad as war torn third world countries and failed states” isn’t the argument you think it is bro 😂😂😂

[@mark1mod08]

@@ceoofperc5353 saying that anything outside the west is the “third world” is the definition of racism. Bro. Get out and travel more.

[@fbmimpy]

No wonder our cops are so aggressive... Sick mind screwing training

[@benkenyon3677]

This is fucking disgusting. The fact he dehumanised the mentally ill person in the role play in order to justify shooting them without any single attempt to de-escalate the situation is VERY telling.

[@dwightbernheimer331]

If you're putting your own well-being of ahead of the public's that you're getting paid to protect and serve... Maybe you should rethink about becoming a cop... 'Nuff said!!!...

[@horatiohuskisson5471]

Their literally in a class teaching them how to deal with a mental health call and he’s trying to teach them to kill that person. He even dehumanises them calling them a “mental subject”.

[@alaalfa8839]

Robot, robocop, or android. You don't need empathy skills when learning math or chemistry or stuff like that.

[@alaalfa8839]

If someone would ask... Do you want to become android? Everybody would say no. But they agree to the less specific word "cop". but sometimes it's the same.

[@morganmoves1318]

All this talk about people coming into the country and committing crimes against us.. in reality, we have heinous crimes being committed against us by our very own “protectors”.. Pretty sick

[@vinnyvorhees]

5 to 6 days of training is insane smh

[@chrisgould9960]

20 days would be too little.

[@nonconformist9930]

and then granted the power to legally kidnap and kill people.

[@suzandefneklc8167]

and then they get a job as a police officer and they're given a gun. ill prepared, shitty trained

[@albinadolfsson296]

Thats 5 to 6 days too much. If this is what they call training, then a cop should have no training.

[@ee-ef8qr]

My driving school was 2 weeks.

[@SolaceEasy]

Officer safety is not the first priority. They should not be trained for that.

[@Black-mq3xn]

Why?

[@stv0863]

@@Black-mq3xn cause a cops job is to protect others

[@Black-mq3xn]

@@stv0863 Yes, but I can't protect others if I don't ensure my safety as well. We are trained to neutralize the threat before any further damage can occur. If it's as simple as verbally getting them to comply, great. But if further action must be taken, so be it. We aren't sacrificial items

[@stv0863]

@@Black-mq3xn ..............

[@Black-mq3xn]

@@stv0863 And yet here you are on KZbin pretending to know what youre talking about

[@theronbassett5505]

In the military, on the battlefield, soldier safety is the least concern. The number one concern is the mission. I'm not criticizing police; I'm just saying if they put the mission of protecting the public over their personal safety wouldn't there be less police brutality?

[@ani589]

Not only police brutality but less policing as well. When it happens police would not stop random people who might commit crimes concerning their personal safety. This may lead to incompetence or even worse (corruption). People think that police jobs are some kind of noble vocation but they are just like any public service(lawyers,doctors,teachers and politicians). Police might some times work for passion but it’s mostly for pay check and getting back home safely to their family remains their top priority.

[@d.r.tweedstweeddale9038]

This is not war nor a battlefield!

[@napoleonbonerfart278]

Firefighters only go out when there's a call. Why do cops spend some much time and tax money on driving around?

[@deimosreign3662]

Their mission SHOULD be protect the population. But we all know that's not reality.

[@longforgotten4823]

I mean, the mission can be corrupted. The United States military has shown that time and time again. But perhaps a new emphasis on the mission should be the point.

[@jamesdrake2378]

Police are obsessed with their own safety serve and protect not suppress and kill. Police are civilians lest we forget

[@lissaleggs4136]

They arent civilians.

[@MatthewSmith-du5dy]

@@lissaleggs4136 they're civilians, municipal revenue agents.

[@lissaleggs4136]

@@MatthewSmith-du5dy They are Law enforcement and can end your life if you are a threat. That isn't a civi. They can also detain you and lock you up in a jail cell. Lets see you try that.

[@MatthewSmith-du5dy]

@@lissaleggs4136 civilians with arresting powers. Nevertheless, you're putting them on some weird pedestal. Relax broski

[@jamesdrake2378]

@@lissaleggs4136 they are civilians , if you're in the military and just decide to quit you go straight to the brig, if you're a police officer you can quit anytime you'd like.

[@bugenjoyer2187]

I’m sorry you don’t just get to join the police force and then immediately proclaim that your personal safety comes first above everything else. Imagine if firemen behaved the same way. They’d show up to a fire, wait for it to burn down until the flames pose no possible threat to them, put it out, and then proclaim themselves heroes on top of the ashes of the people they refused to save.

[@jonathanbrenneman582]

Consider this: A dead firefighter can't fight future fires. A dead police officer cannot assist future citizens. This is why officer safety must come first.

[@bugenjoyer2187]

@@jonathanbrenneman582 they might as well be dead if they refuse to do their jobs. You can't say anything to me that I haven't already thought of.

[@thecjwolfpack]

@@jonathanbrenneman582 A dead cop also can't kill random civilians. Their job is to save lives, not take them.

[@orlandosonicbloom6961]

This aged well. The police at Uvalde stood outside and watched the fire burn for this exact reason

[@realRayFinkle]

Wow this is an excellent analogy my friend!

[@maudepotvin8660]

I can feel the violence in the teacher voice ! They are trained to shoot first ! That's sick as f**k !

[@lissaleggs4136]

They arent civilians..

[@omicronsdelta3276]

@@lissaleggs4136 But it is their job to work to protect civilians, not to treat every citizens like a positively identified enemy combatant.

[@100perdido]

Cause they ain't right. There's something off in their heads.

[@lissaleggs4136]

@@100perdido Most cops begin as introverts then become extroverts behind the badge.

[@lissaleggs4136]

@@omicronsdelta3276 They know basic criminal law and they enforce the law when they feel its needed. From broken tail light to 1st degree murder is their range. It is their sworn duty to enforce the law. They didnt write the laws but enforce them.

[@fortyyearfitness]

did everyone see that? she shot someone with their hands up......unbelievable....

[@MrLMD1234]

That was insane. She is not fit

[@puffena9013]

@@MrLMD1234 That's where you're wrong friend. She's exactly the kind of cop they want on the force. The rest of us... not so much.

[@thecjwolfpack]

Thank you for uploading this so the world can see how terrible police training is.

[@yoelespinosa6284]

Always been lmao

[@deadreckoning4132]

Well, don't let this discourage you. I have been through two police academies and none of them went this way. I assure you, they did not. They talked more about de-escalation than they did escalating a situation. However, that is one problem with police training in the United States. It is taught independently state by state. This means that the amount of training that each officer receives from one state to another is extremely different.

[@DelaV3]

Drilling out empathy…great.

[@Hedgeflexlfz]

No, drilling safety.

[@logandavis954]

Good job, better safe than sorry when to get yourself killed because you care about feelings over safety.

[@TheYorkjosh]

I don’t see it as drilling out empathy. If someone were to point a gun at you; not even knowing you I would hope you defend yourself. That’s WHAT it’s about. The principle of self care and self ownership. If you can’t grasp the simple concept that you own your body then you can’t understand how to be sensitive to others rights without knowing your own first. IMO.

[@nonconformist9930]

theres an IQ cap on being a kkkop. they dont want anyone too smart or too empathetic. theyre only lookn for thugs and bullies

[@nickssmirkingrevenge]

Twirling a gun around with her finger tips like that would require more time and more movements to bring into a credible firing position than would be the case if she had her hands above her head with the gun in her hand pointing up to the ceiling. But sure, officer, bully your students into shooting a person because, in twirling the gun with her fingertips, it periodically 'points at you'.

[@ronalddunlap9933]

I live in Utah and I am sorry to say Utah has many of the worst officer's you will find. Of course most are good honest decent cops but from personal experience I can honestly say this. I was seriously hurt by many and had to call the FBI and state and county authorities on them. Many were fired or retired including 2 police chiefs. My crime was complaining about noise from a business next door. They were poorly trained and horribly dishonest and didn't abide by the law. I don't trust any of them.

[@ruthokelley5833]

...sad to hear! Glad you came through!

[@joananthony6323]

It is really not surprising if this is their training There is no reason to assume that their selection process would be any better They should make people feel safer but they make the world a scarier place

[@armyofninjas9055]

When I was 16, I once had a cop point a gun at me in my own front yard. They weren't responding to a call or anything. Just walked up on me, pointed a gun, figured nothing was wrong, and left. Psychos.

[@adoe2305]

When I was 16 I saw a unicorn jump over a rainbow and shit gold.

[@nancyfahey7518]

@@adoe2305 no you didn't

[@100perdido]

@@adoe2305 Did you get better? My cousin used to hear trees talking to him but the doctor put him on lithium and it stopped.

[@armyofninjas9055]

@@adoe2305 Autism can be treated, my dude. With proper therapy and socialization, you could be reasonably normal someday.

[@joananthony6323]

@@armyofninjas9055 Autism doesn't cause delusions It is not a form of psychosis You are trying to show his ignorance but end up showing your own

[@GordonFreemayne]

That scene where the guy tries to soul check his class is pretty telling. I, as a black person, would rather have police that DO second guess taking a life than police who are mentally prepared to kill indiscriminately. And the fact that he was audibly disturbed by the fact that his class would 2nd guess killing someone was actually heartening. I'm glad he's offended. Because I'm sure the class could tell too and maybe *that* will make them 2nd guess his "killology" philosophy that is so rampant in police training.

[@Black-mq3xn]

Yes but heres the issue that i think youre missing (or maybe I misread). Its not about killing someone. Its about not getting killed and making sure other people dont either.

[@napoleonbonerfart278]

@@Black-mq3xn lol but the only option their tiny brains can think of is to kill their way out of a dangerous situation.

[@Black-mq3xn]

@@napoleonbonerfart278 It's not the way we're actually taught though. The one thing I hate about these videos is the context is sometimes lacking. Obviously, the whole video of the entire event and speech on the part of the instructor isn't there. Snippets can easily send a completely different message.

[@Robert-ms2xs]

@@Black-mq3xn the other side of this is training when they KNOW they are being filmed. Snippet or not this is their best foot forward. That is concerning and once you back it with how lacking our cops are in training/qualifications/regulations in comparison to other 1st world nations is a problem.

[@Captain_Kel]

Exactly but it’s obvious that the whole reason for this training is to erase any empathy a cop may have in a real situation. They’re trained to shoot first and ask questions later which is why we see people like breonna taylor and elijah mccain losing their lives to poorly trained, trigger happy law enforcers, on a regular basis in America.

[@sgtsnakeeyes11]

They're so obsessed with officer safety, a police officer's safety is more important to them than a civilian's safety. they use military style language and view everyone as an "attack vector" or a "threat" that has to be "neutralized". Being a police officer isn't particularly dangerous either, COVID is leading cause of death among police officers. Trucking is more dangerous than being a police officer.

[@LostlikeNemo82]

Notice he said something to the effect of an officer's life being more important than a mental something or other.

[@LostlikeNemo82]

3:45 😕

[@princesspiplaysbass]

Roofing and Logging are more dangerous.

[@napoleonbonerfart278]

There are dozens of occupations that are more dangerous than being a police officer. Somehow, they find the biggest, dumbest cowards to fill the spot.

[@suzandefneklc8167]

it's so bizarre

[@douglascoleman5416]

I live in Utah, and we are 50 years behind the rest of the world. I wonder why ? Religious dogma !!

[@napoleonbonerfart278]

Religion is poison.

[@jaredweinfurtner654]

Here in Germany, cadets are trained for over 2 years...

[@oMaJoJ]

Oh great, the Germans are here to flex on us. We get it, this is embarrassing.

[@tchalla7828]

@@oMaJoJ germans always flex on us, they played a huge role why US is global power

[@FridolinH]

@@tchalla7828 damn right because we got you to the moon:D youre welcome:)

[@Invictus1293]

Someone else pointed it out, cops in the US frequently need a 2 year degree with military or a 4 year, both combined with a 6 month academy

[@theshine2]

What a bunch of psychos they are able to create in such a short time.

[@TRaider66]

This segment of police training is only 5-7 days?

[@USGovIsDistributingCSAM]

Reserve officers get half the training yet the same power.

[@LisaBeergutHolst]

"The most important thing is officer safety..." If that were true they would wait for backup, not charge in like cowboys with guns blazing lol

[@ThatNiceDutchGuy]

That is precisely what they did for over an hour, in the recent mass school shooting in 'Uvalda'. Waiting while teacher(s) and children got killed.

[@LisaBeergutHolst]

@@ThatNiceDutchGuy Because they cared more about their own safety, obvs.

[@SnideButcherFuzz]

"Mental subject" bruh fire him for even talking like that are you kidding me? This is pure brain poison for these cadets. Unacceptable training, foolish and lack of de-escalation tactics...

[@morganmoves1318]

That was the "instructor" LMAO, No wonder people don't have a chance

[@MrChancebandit]

I had too put in 3 years of training too become a welder and your telling me a cop takes 6 days ?

[@napoleonbonerfart278]

I trained longer to serve dinner to geriatrics in a dementia ward.

[@nonconformist9930]

fuckn FACTS

[@JorgePetraglia2009]

Mountain Man : it takes more than three years to become a plumber, then you have to take several months of training to be certified, and yet you need 5 years of experience to be consider to be hiring as such.

[@zshakur]

And WHY for the LOVE OF GOD are they ONLY trained for a FEW DAYS?! They said themselves they are cramming 20 yrs of knowledge into a few days. How much are they really learning?

[@ruthokelley5833]

...the killing part is all there is ...that is important, APPARENTLY!

[@MyvIsLove2]

it should be a few years... its insane

[@skitsorama9968]

The academy itself is multiple months long… this portion - is only a few days.

[@aidangenessy799]

I don't think you realize that police academy is 3-6 months...

[@ZiggaBIZ]

At 3:00 is EXACTLY the problem with police. They literally train you to have zero empathy and to respect your own life ABOVE the other persons. When in reality you should be training them to do whatever raises the chance of BOTH lives being saved. They dgaf about the other life.... only the officers life. Its sad asf honestly and I'm embarrassed to be from Utah watching this.

[@ganondorfchampin]

They aren’t training them to have no empathy, their empathy for each other is being manipulated at the expense of the stranger. It’s a much more effective tactic for turning people into killers because most people aren’t psychopaths, and people naturally have more empathy for those like them than those unlike them.

[@topiasr628]

After seeing this training, no wonder so many unarmed, innocent (under the law) people are killed every year by police. Guess i never finished the "Protect and serve..." It's "Protect and serve... your own safety, community be damned"

[@MrZega000]

they serve capital

[@morganmoves1318]

1200 per year and growing

[@annaldwhigg6870]

"Why is a gun the first resort" as an FTO it was extremely important to let the newbies know that you better have a good knowledge of you're surroundings before you consider engaging. If you're only interested in firing a weapon, you need to rethink your career.

[@joananthony6323]

Yes. There were obvious circumstances there where retreating was an option but they shot anyway and he criticised those who wouldn't have

[@annaldwhigg6870]

@Chishio Chishio I have to agree, however there are definitely police officers who are doing the work to make the changes. The leadership dictates how the department is run.

[@annaldwhigg6870]

@Chishio Chishio there was a time when other agencies were assigned to respond to events that the "first respnders" weren't trained to do or recognize. I always utilized their skills and experience in calls, which is why I understand the premise of defund the police. Guns and military weapons weren't meant for the everyday traffic offense. In addition there definitely should be an oversight review body, comprised of citizens, with a good knowledge of criminal justice. They would review and report any allegation of abuse. Again, as an FTO I made sure to train and educate, however I always stressed that you represent law enforcement as a whole, always remember your oath and believe you're always being filmed. If you're ok with how that film looks when it's played back then you have nothing to worry about.

[@deimosreign3662]

Unfortunately every police department really doesn't do that anymore.

[@annaldwhigg6870]

@@deimosreign3662 you're absolutely right, however we have a say in how our community is served by OUR local law enforcement agencies, somehow "to protect and serve" was lost and replaced with react and escalate. Look, I'm not saying this to be critical of the police, I just remember the partnership and collaboration that we had and how the community benefits from it and I know if the community stands together to make their views known it may be something that can be reestablished.

[@nivledsttaw]

"Going in to someone's house to protect them" and then adding "you may have to take a life" is the worst combo of words ever. As a retired cop, there were so many other options to dealing with the girl with a gun. That is no where near a shoot now situation. Do better Utah!

[@JetseTurner]

All Psychos!!

[@Whoknows.1875]

I'm no expert. But if you get a call for the mentally ill, should you be trying to decreases tension. Like I'm fine with the gun drawn if they have one but don't just go in guns blazing....

[@MrZega000]

the argument is that the finger is on the trigger and that means there is potential for an officer to get hurt, which is more important than public safety to them.

[@martink2953]

16 weeks? Wanna hear something fun? Training for police in Austria is 24... month!

[@Hedgeflexlfz]

This was part of their initial training, did you even watch the video?

[@weirdshibainu]

Given what's come out of Austria in the past, it's probably a good idea.

[@MoejiiOsmanTV]

@@weirdshibainu PW

[@martink2953]

@@weirdshibainu what came out of Austria, that makes extended policetraining a good idea?

[@weirdshibainu]

@@martink2953 A guy with a funny mustache that thought invading Russia was a great idea.

[@mr.beefdip5628]

Wow, as a Canadian LEO watching the first 4 minutes was insane to me and made me extremely uncomfortable. "You're in the wrong profession if you can't live with that". No, the instructor is in the wrong profession. What a horrible thing to say. It's completely normal to NOT want to kill or feel remorse or regret if you shoot someone. You need to always be prepared to effectively do your job, including lethal force, but infer what other Officers should feel/not feel after the most stressful situation he/she will ever experience is a typical bully! Also, showing empathy has de-escalated more situations than I can count. Far more than just pulling my glock out.

[@Valyssi]

If officer safety truly were important to that instructor, there's be much more emphasis on retreating, taking cover and de-escalation. Even in most martial arts classes intended for street fighting (but also other martial arts classes), one of the first things you may learn is that you can win a fight by simply not engaging in one, or fleeing from one when possible and safe to do so. Of course officers should respond to calls, but that doesn't mean they should rush into any situation or stand their ground in such a situation when it could otherwise be avoided

[@deputyd5422]

So how about that school shooting where the cops all stayed outside?

[@Valyssi]

@@deputyd5422 There's a big difference between rushing into a school where you already know a kid has been shooting up other kids for the past half hour, with more kids inside, vs putting holes into someone eating a burger in their car in a parking lot because you mistake it for a gun. I was saying escalation shouldn't be the first response to every situation, and that they should be aware of the effects that has on a suspect and the safety of that situation. That obviously doesn't mean there are no situations in which deadly force and the threat thereof are necessary. Frankly, the instructions in the video (from what I remember) don't even help in a school shooting situation precisely because rushing in would jeopardize officer safety.

[@joananthony6323]

This is horrifying. This man should not be anywhere near trainee cops Hopefully the force sending them to him for training will have a rethink after this

[@kenzieham]

"Deprioritizing empathy" is a fundamental flaw in their process already. As arbitrators of the law and morality, and with the priviledge to kill and get away with it, one must have a sense of empathy.

[@morganmoves1318]

This should have more views

[@vTxnto]

I understand the point of having to take someone's life as an officer even though I have no experience in law enforcement or taking one's life, but if you become empathetic before the reasonable approach or choice to commit a lethal act and the time comes when the threat in front of your displays an act of aggression that can seriously injure or kill one in bad faith, that can mean either death or life for you and those in good faith. This isn't pretty, but this is how the world works. That's why miltarized infantry is trained and programmed to eliminate a threat using lethal force during their BCT. So when the time comes, the program has already altered the mind to eliminate the threat without hesitation.

[@Getrippedoutofyourmind]

They’re saying the bearings too slow

[@pabloe6499]

The collective IQ in this room wouldn’t compete with the thermostat.

[@panthera..]

Justice for Sonya Massey!!!

[@morganmoves1318]

We wonder where they get it from! he said “I'm not gonna sit here and take some boiling hot water to the face," He invented a scenario, a completely irrational, implausible 'fear for his own safety', and fired 3 rounds point-blank on a woman in a bathrobe in her own kitchen.. But hey, he had to go home that night, I guess that's what matters, right? 🤷‍♂🤷‍♂

[@chloe-id6ep]

ACAB

[@Dcsk8kid89]

Officer Safety does not exist. It's shit like this that got those kids killed in uvalde

[@UtahDefender]

Additionally, know that when PBS did this documentary on shots fired Utah not one single damn thing was ever done constructively to stop the murdering of citizens by the police departments in the state of Utah not one damn thing think about that and they investigated Utah because the ratio of citizens per capita in Utah was higher than any other state Utah should be ashamed of themselves and I’ve personally written the governor nine times the agent general and they haven’t done one damn thing they’ve never written me back. They don’t give a crap about our children of the streets being killed by police officers they don’t care and yet this son of a B wants to become the governor again are you kidding me?

[@Balfour.]

Uvalde is the most transparent example of this official safety bullshit.

[@esmyyavi6003]

that’s ridiculous. that’s why ppl don’t want to be cops no more.

[@MsArrika]

Right cause their brother or sister to another officer is a "mental subject". NICE. Becoming more and more convinced policing is lless about protectinf the community and more about.... who the hell knows what . I qanna say establishment but that answers been used to exhaustion. I like how the neo nazi looking bro could only see these in this black or white kind of way. Clearly current training creates a sociopathic kind of point of view for a majority of law enforcement. No I wouldn't think not training them at all would be better. If its 2024 and society is as advanced as we think we are then there's definitely something in between both of those options that could only improve policing. But I'm guessing he didn't get into the profession because he had the mind for anything that involved critical thinking.

[@rspafford8822]

I went to 16 weeks of basic training then airborne school then rip and finally an intensive training cycle at unit before I ever went to Afghanistan for the first time. And when I got there I couldn’t nor did I want to kill anyone for these reasons. These guys are in real world simulations for five or six days. No one who makes this shit up seems to see a problem? What’s the rest of the training? How to get away with discarding our civil rights?

[@rspafford8822]

This is absolutely disgusting!

[@DevLea94]

Well that’s not right..

[@christianhumphreysmusic7466]

I find myself looking through this comment section and seeing how much hate is placed on this type of training and I find myself almost sad at the way people view policing. For starters this is only a week of the police academy and not even the majority of what training comes out to be. If the situation comes down to this I would much prefer an officer who was trained to use his weapon effectively and stop the threat rather than one who says "please don't shoot me!!" That does not devalue de-escalation or any other tactic used; this is merely worst case scenario where it is the officers life vs the suspects and every time it will be the officer. Are there issues with police training and lack of proper funding for departments? Yes; but this is good and important training that is absolutely necessary for the preservation of human life. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion but we need to stop and think about the whole context and why officers are trained to this. Hesitation kills

[@delo18th]

They don't care about saving people's lives. You heard this guy say it first. They don't like mental cases they rather have them dead. There's many ways to avoid shooting a suspect but trust me most departments aren't gonna train at that. Its like the military. Cheap and quick training.

[@morganmoves1318]

"I would much prefer an officer who was trained to use his weapon effectively and stop the threat rather than one who says "please don't shoot me!!" " That's a far cry from shooting a "mental health patient" twirling a gun around her finger because “that's letting someone point a gun at you, and do you let someone point a gun at you?" Slippery slope, indeed. The boys in Utah have been sliding for a while it seems.

[@gonnn777F]

The ´´Memorial´´ in Utah doesn´t depict the innocent people killed by police, right?

[@chrisveasley4672]

bahh, most of 'em were 'mental subjects' anyway 😟

[@gonnn777F]

@@chrisveasley4672 Agree 100% Sir!

[@thecrimeminister9247]

So a person spinning a gun, not pointing it at you,it could be empty,itcould be a bb gun,an u want the man to shoot an kill the person? That aint good policing advice at all!!!

[@CeanStrauss]

I loved the part where they had weeks of comprehensive civil rights training, were vigorously trained in de-escalation, and the priority for empathy and compassion over fear and aggression. Oh wait.... This is what indoctrination looks like in the thin blue line cult.

[@Mitten4371]

This shows what police officers go through on a daily basis and some of us that are not police officers have no clue on what they deal with everyday. I mean thank goodness for police training because it teaches them to respond to hostile situations. Because their motto is to protect and serve and if someone was to break into my house then when I call the police I want them to respond

[@morganmoves1318]

Did you watch the video? no police officer encounters those scenarios on a daily basis. How rare these situations are is kind of the point-- it makes no sense to place officers in a state of paranoia that every interaction will end in gunplay.

[@Mitten4371]

@@morganmoves1318 Oh but they do have encounters like this on a daily basis and that's why you have training like this so they know how to handle it

[@corona61868]

Hahaha, a skinhead in an Avenged Sevenfold shirt telling police to murder people. What a joke

[@paypur]

Hillbillyism

[@ozz3790]

There is NO TRAINING that d turn civillians into perfect cops. The training at the academy includes laws, legal power and the mindset. No one can ever come out of academy as a perfect cop... these individuals are people too. When they first get into the academy, they will go through every emotion in these scenarios. Thats human nature. If one of them pulls a trigger when he shouldnt, it doesnt mean he s trigger happy !

[@12packadayhabit]

This is straight up brainwashing, telling potential cops that they need to be prepared to kill an old lady or a kid is super twisted.

[@12packadayhabit]

Huge part of the problem is they're trained "officer safety" comes first, that's cowardice, public safety / citizens safety should be first.

[@aogftc5412]

Excellent training concepts Utah POST, keep it up.

[@YouSoPoor]

Hey, Officer "Shoot First, Ask Questions Never." Did you mistake the police academy for a Wild West audition? Newsflash, cowboy: twirling a damn gun on an ottoman isn't a shoot-on-sight offense. Being a cop involves risks, like dealing with more drama than a reality TV show. If you're so scared of your own shadow, maybe take up a less demanding career. You chose this job. You willingly strapped on that belt of uncomfortable gadgets and that itchy-ass bulletproof vest. Don't act like being a cop is a surprise party you didn't RSVP to. So take a deep breath Officer Tackleberry, untwist those panties you're wearing, and remember you're a public servant, not a scared cat stuck in a tree. You're supposed to protect and serve, not cower and swerve.

[@mishelagaiby7075]

If you want a basketball player winning a football match you should let him at least know more about football not to fear the match with my all respect to football or soccer that I love so much ❤❤❤... Unfortunately math says that the best police officer is the one who's been a professional criminal before... But we don't wanna recruit criminals so you can provide candidates more informations about them and let them get in touch with real criminals in jail and use them in the training...

[@lanabyk8012]

One of the problems is that so many people have guns and how easy it is for people to buy them.

[@morganmoves1318]

The problem is believing that because all people *can* be soulless, degenerate murderers, it means all people *are* soulless, degenerate murderers. The problem is the egoism inherent in believing that everyone around you is willing to throw away their own life and everyone they know and love just to take yours. How can we expect to train officers with the proper mentality when that is the impression we give them of our society?

[@kennethross6289]

"it doesn't match up to this disproportionate emphasis that we place when we're constantly telling officers that at any moment they can be murdered" - Shrewsberry Reality on December 12, 2023 - "6 officers shot in the last 2 days, 3 killed." Grifters looking to make a buck, like Shrewsberry, put officer's lives at risk.

[@morganmoves1318]

Also December, 2023 - "99 citizens Killed by police". ~ 30% of which rate to have been unarmed. Licking boot puts citizen's lives at risk.

[@jeremystone7709]

I've always wondered what it looks like to train traitors.

[@LoneStarNews]

"The absolute and most important thing is officer safety" Didn't hear one comment on the safety of the public. We didn't see any training in the law library

[@zacanger]

What I got out of this is that cops are trained to find excuses to shoot anyone they can and put all the blame on their victims. FWIW the vast majority of cops who died in Utah in the last few years were from traffic accidents and Covid.

[@morganmoves1318]

Don't you love it?? I mean, I'm not sure why the statistic would be misleading, given it's called "officers KIA" /s 🙄. Heart attack? Car crash? COVID? = KIA!

[@RaeJack-d6v]

Man, I couldn't be a police officer. I know that for sure not an easy job and I have a lot of respect for him. The only thing I wish is that there's more compassion than regular stops for traffic 🙂 there's no need to pull someone over, especially when you don't see that they have a warrant or any type of criminal history to treat them like they're beneath you, I just don't believe in treating people poorly just because in your in a position of authority. But I do give them a lot of respect for the job that they do.

[@Bahador_R]

This is disgusting 🤮🤮🤮

[@morganmoves1318]

stomach-rolling, no doubt about it

[@churro_g93]

I just graduated from that academy. This video is bullsht. Why are they trying so hard to make us their enemy?.

[@morganmoves1318]

Care to elaborate a little bit? What exactly about the video is bullshit? Seemed pretty legit. Be tough to script that level of cringe.

[@EYES2seeEARS2hear78]

How brainwashed is this bald dictator/instructor? That’s what’s wrong with American policing. “Fear based training”? = POLICE STATE. Also answer me this: why are higher IQ individuals, ELIMINATED from employment? Ask yourself that. It’s a fact. As John D.Rockefeller stated “I want a nation of workers, NOT thinkers”.

[@thatsnice99]

Officer safety equals officer, cowardice. Five days of training to a 20-year-old, hand them a gun, truly pathetic.

[@buttercups616d]

The instructor shoul be fired

[@UtahDefender]

The Training Officers are in the Wrong profession, these idiots have ramped up the Officers to kill at all costs. Their training is SH!T!

[@morganmoves1318]

and they literally never have to deal with the consequences of that... And when was the last time you think they had their training methods audited or evaluated by an outside body? My money is on 'never'.

[@horbie5039]

This is why so many cops are cowards and so many have lost all respect for them.

[@adog7787]

Good clip until the whacky leftist at the end

[@swagner7767]

"Why are we not recognizing that as a gun pointed at us?" Because it's _not?_

[@muertez666]

This is sad and i'm a police advocate. Looks like in Utah, you are trained to see everyone as killers.

[@nfrench2100]

I’m because of James Freeman. FTP Take a look at the dozens of coward thugs in this doc 😂

[@Strawn149]

The cops in Uvalde must have taken this class. They did an excellent job maintaining officer safety.

[@I_Am_Warden]

if you're in thousands, THOUSANDS of shootings in a 20-year career... it's you not the situations...

[@Tzimtzum26]

Tyrant scum school. Ridiculous

[@zt5547]

Cops don't become psychopaths. Psychopaths become cops.

[@MrThenonchosenone]

3:18 We've known that cops are sociopaths for a long time, but it's nice for them to finally admit it.

[@CenturyHomeProject]

🐖🐖🐖