Ryan (2007) writes an article to explain how training is necessary for the law enforcement officers. He begins to buy explaining that whenever a police officer uses deadly force, a lawsuit will most likely follow. It is thus critical to get the knowledge on how training can help police officers evade liability. The cases of Zuchel v. Denver and Popow v. The city of Margate have been used as the reference to explain the concept.
In Zuchel v Denver the police department of Denver responded to a disturbance complaint from a restaurant. However, on arriving at the scene, the suspect had escaped, and they had to go after him. They found Zuchel arguing with some teens where one of them shouted that he had a knife. Spinharney, an officer of Denver, shot four times at the suspect as soon as he turned towards them. The question is why he used deadly force without confirmation of the weapon. Furthermore, his colleague claims that she was surprised by the act of her partner given the fact that she was only steps to capturing Zuchel. The most disturbing part is that the criminal was only found with nail clippers. Yes, he would have used them as weapons, but
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The training undertaken by the officers must match the environment in which the police officer is based. Such a rule ensures that cases such as that in Popow v City of Margate are avoided. A person found with a lawsuit against him for using deadly force will not be acquitted on the fact that he got inadequate training. Ryan (2007), further emphasizes that decision training in ‘when to shoot’ is necessary. Qualification courses are not sufficient to prove one's skills in practice. Ryan (2007) explains that these courses encourage the use of speed in stressful situations. The effect is enhanced liability. There is a necessity not only to train good shooters but the right decision makers in tricky