Drizzt
Member
The Bismarck Tribune
February 4, 2003, Tuesday, METRO EDITION
SECTION: Pg. 1B
LENGTH: 540 words
HEADLINE: Local police policy says when cops can shoot
BYLINE: Mike Albrecht
BODY:
The reactions of area law enforcement officers might have been similar to that of a Fargo police officer who fatally shot a machete-wielder early Sunday, according to the policy of local police and sheriffs' departments.
The Fargo man fled in his vehicle when the Fargo police officer tried to arrest him for beating a woman and breaking her nose. The chase ended when an officer set up spike sticks that deflated the man's vehicle tires and he allegedly got out of the vehicle with a machete. Two officers demanded that the man stop approaching and drop his weapon. When he refused, a Fargo officer shot him. Mandan and Bismarck police departments and Burleigh and Morton sheriffs' departments follow extensive, complicated policies primarily dictated by state law to determine when to use deadly force. The policies are similar and can be loosely summarized as: Deadly force can be used by officers to protect themselves or others from death or serious bodily injury or to make an arrest when an officer believes the suspect has killed or seriously injured another person, Bismarck Police Sgt. Michael Wardzinski said.
There are five levels of control officers use to handle situations before resorting to deadly force. They range from the officer's presence to the use of intermediate weapons such as pepper spray. The ultimate decision of when deadly force is necessary is left up to the officer's judgment after he evaluates his target area, where his target is and where the bullets are going to stop, Wardzinski said.
In most cases, the officer must give a command of deterrence and authority such as 'stop, police.' But in an ambush-type situation the commands may not be appropriate, Wardzinski said.
'They don't have to wait for shots by the bad guy, they just have to feel threatened,' Wardzinski said.
If an officer is forced to use a firearm, they are trained to fire 'center mass' or at the middle of the target area.
Wardzinski said officers are not shooting to kill, but due to the stress of a situation and the consequences of missed shots, the center of the target is the best option. Despite extensive training, Wardzinski said, officers' heart rates likely will increase and they may experience tunnel vision in this type of stressful situation.
'We don't shoot to kill, we shoot to stop,' Wardzinski said. 'We can't recklessly deploy deadly force. Once the threat stops we stop shooting.'
Mandan Police Chief Dennis Rohr said Mandan's policy is similar to Bismarck's. He said he doesn't remember the last time, if ever, deadly force was used in Mandan, and he added, 'We haven't had an incident where we even pulled our guns in the last five years.'
Burleigh County Sheriff's Major Nick Sevart said Burleigh follows a similar policy, as do departments across the state, because the policies are dictated by state law.
Morton County Sheriff Bob Erhardt said Morton's policy also is similar.
Bismarck Police Capt. Ralph Mowder said the last time a suspect was fatally shot by a Bismarck police officer was in 1991.
The officer responded to a domestic dispute and was forced to shoot when the Bismarck man raised a knife over a woman in an apparent attempt to stab her, Mowder said.
February 4, 2003, Tuesday, METRO EDITION
SECTION: Pg. 1B
LENGTH: 540 words
HEADLINE: Local police policy says when cops can shoot
BYLINE: Mike Albrecht
BODY:
The reactions of area law enforcement officers might have been similar to that of a Fargo police officer who fatally shot a machete-wielder early Sunday, according to the policy of local police and sheriffs' departments.
The Fargo man fled in his vehicle when the Fargo police officer tried to arrest him for beating a woman and breaking her nose. The chase ended when an officer set up spike sticks that deflated the man's vehicle tires and he allegedly got out of the vehicle with a machete. Two officers demanded that the man stop approaching and drop his weapon. When he refused, a Fargo officer shot him. Mandan and Bismarck police departments and Burleigh and Morton sheriffs' departments follow extensive, complicated policies primarily dictated by state law to determine when to use deadly force. The policies are similar and can be loosely summarized as: Deadly force can be used by officers to protect themselves or others from death or serious bodily injury or to make an arrest when an officer believes the suspect has killed or seriously injured another person, Bismarck Police Sgt. Michael Wardzinski said.
There are five levels of control officers use to handle situations before resorting to deadly force. They range from the officer's presence to the use of intermediate weapons such as pepper spray. The ultimate decision of when deadly force is necessary is left up to the officer's judgment after he evaluates his target area, where his target is and where the bullets are going to stop, Wardzinski said.
In most cases, the officer must give a command of deterrence and authority such as 'stop, police.' But in an ambush-type situation the commands may not be appropriate, Wardzinski said.
'They don't have to wait for shots by the bad guy, they just have to feel threatened,' Wardzinski said.
If an officer is forced to use a firearm, they are trained to fire 'center mass' or at the middle of the target area.
Wardzinski said officers are not shooting to kill, but due to the stress of a situation and the consequences of missed shots, the center of the target is the best option. Despite extensive training, Wardzinski said, officers' heart rates likely will increase and they may experience tunnel vision in this type of stressful situation.
'We don't shoot to kill, we shoot to stop,' Wardzinski said. 'We can't recklessly deploy deadly force. Once the threat stops we stop shooting.'
Mandan Police Chief Dennis Rohr said Mandan's policy is similar to Bismarck's. He said he doesn't remember the last time, if ever, deadly force was used in Mandan, and he added, 'We haven't had an incident where we even pulled our guns in the last five years.'
Burleigh County Sheriff's Major Nick Sevart said Burleigh follows a similar policy, as do departments across the state, because the policies are dictated by state law.
Morton County Sheriff Bob Erhardt said Morton's policy also is similar.
Bismarck Police Capt. Ralph Mowder said the last time a suspect was fatally shot by a Bismarck police officer was in 1991.
The officer responded to a domestic dispute and was forced to shoot when the Bismarck man raised a knife over a woman in an apparent attempt to stab her, Mowder said.
