How Shootings Affect Officers (KLAS TV8 07142006).

It really has been my experience that each Shooting effects the Officer differently and it really is up to the individual how well he or she can handle it. In my career I saw upwards of approx. 13 shootings, and of those shootings there has been only one Officer that has not recovered after the first shooting that he was in. Now the one Officer that was involved in three of those Shootings get sent to a Psychologist and never work again. He later got a job as a Dispatcher, but he was never the same. Others, have transferred into other areas of law enforcement and took on a more Investigative roll and didn't do the Patrol thing, because they felt maybe that the Patrol was more likely to produce a shooting situation.

Other then that every other one went back to working in Patrol. many that worked in Investigations that I mentioned earlier also went back to patrol, so Every person is different!!

BSRanch...
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How Shootings Affect Officers

Police shooting at suspects in Las Vegas. It's happening more and more. So far this year there have been 19 officer involved shootings, 11 of those suspects died. Two of those suspects were shot by the same Metro police officer, 35-year-old Rodolfo Gil.

The first incident happened in January near Harmon and Mountain Vista. The latest shooting happened at the Circle K near Sahara and Nellis on Sunday. In both cases, the suspects were armed with guns, and Officer Gil says they suspects shot first.

Psychologist Dr. Phil Colosimo believes a police officer could be more quick to pull the trigger after being involved in a prior shooting. "Absolutely, they would respond a lot quicker and be more hyper-vigilant. It depends on the individual. Individual differences play a big role here, and how well versed that person is, and how well they take care of themselves after post incident." Dr. Colosimo also says officers can recover quickly, in a matter of months, after being involved in such a traumatic incident. "It is possible, if that person is resilient and has a sharp attitude to what he's doing.

Clark County Sheriff Bill Young says no sane police officer wants to use his, or her weapon. Young has said that officers do not go out looking to use their weapons. When they do, they are placed on administrative leave. Officers involved in shootings must see a psychiatrist, and get cleared by that doctor before returning to the field. Dr. Colosimo says it takes a combination of character and counseling to overcome the physical and emotional stress that follows an officer involved shooting. "A lot depends on how the person looks at the situation."

Right now there are 13 officers on administrative leave. According to metro police, there is no specific timetable regarding how long officers involved in a shootings must wait before returning to duty. Each situation is different. Metro also has a program where officers counsel each other after a traumatic incident. It's up to each officer whether they want to continue with counseling. The program actually started because of officer involved shootings, back in the 1980's, when stats showed that 60 percent of officers would quit after being involved in a shooting.