Special Report: Officer Under Pressure

Five law enforcement officers have been killed in the past week, making November the second deadliest month for law enforcement this year.

On the other side, nationwide nearly 1,000 people were shot and killed by police in 2015. Twenty-one of those people were from Missouri.

ABC 17’s Deborah Kendrick spoke with multiple law enforcement agencies about what they are taught in how to de-escalate a situation.

Adam Duncan with the M-U Law Enforcement Training Institute says every situation requires an officer to react and how the officer reacts will sometimes determine how the suspect reacts.

“It happens in a split second and we are asking our officers to make that decision in a split second and be 100 percent correct every time. That’s tough, that’s really tough because it can be so darn quick,” Duncan says.

Duncan told ABC 17 the key in any traffic stop or call for service is to figure out a lawful objective and to try and calm the person down.

“Now you’ve got to try and manage not only the vehicle and traffic but that often now irate person,” Duncan said.

Another thing that is taught at the M-U Law Enforcement Training Institute is being able to communicate why you pulled someone over and trying to create what Duncan calls a win-win situation.

ABC 17’s Deborah Kendrick spoke with a student at the training institute who said a shooting that happened near his home, inspired him to want to become a officer.

Reuben Manring, the current captain of his M-U Law Enforcement Training class told me that the killings of police in Dallas, Baton Rouge, and Des Moines didn’t play a factor in his decision to want to be a law enforcement officer but it confirmed even more that he needed to be part of the solution.

The relationship between police and residents of minority communities across America are tense; as shootings and deaths on both sides have generated tension.

Back in July, the Columbia Police Department held a joint conference with community leaders to discuss these tensions locally.

Lorenzo Lawson, the executive director of the Youth Empowerment Zone spoke in front of city leaders describing his experience that he’s had with law enforcement.

“I’ve had a pistol drawn on me, my face has been in the streets and I thank God that- that officer didn’t pull the pistol,” Lawson said.

Lawson also went on to say police are continuing to racially profile African-American’s.

When the Columbia Police Chief, Ken Burton was asked to respond to that statement, he told the audience, “I respect the Bishop’s decision but officers don’t racially profile here.”

City leaders went on to say these tensions won’t dissipate overnight.

Capt. Doug Shoemaker with the Jefferson City Police Department made it clear to ABC 17 News that an officer never shows up with preconceived intentions.

“We don’t want to have to use force, we certainly don’t want to have to use deadly force. No officer shows up to work and says today I want to use my handgun. That does not happen,” Shoemaker said.

ABC 17’s Deborah Kendrick asked Shoemaker, what is going on in an officer’s head when force needs to be used?

Captain Shoemaker responded, “It just depends on the situation, uh first, am I choosing the right tool to accomplish the objective? Sometimes that is use of physical force to overpower somebody.”

ABC 17 was able to get a hold of how often the Jefferson City Police Department used force in their calls for service. In 2015, 109,402 calls for service went out, 5,254 resulted in arrest, 90 incidents required some level of force.

According to The Washington Post, so far in 2016, 857 police officers shot and killed someone; in 2015, nearly 1,000 were shot.

So far in 2016, 130 police officers have died in the line of duty; 60 were from gunfire. That is a nearly 70 percent increase compared to 2015.

Multiple law enforcement agencies that ABC 17 News spoke with say their training has changed to match what has happened over the last several years.

Officers say in this day and age when everyone has a cellphone; officers are more accountable.