phill4paul
03-24-2014, 07:42 AM
File under "only highly trained law enforcement personnel should be allowed firearms."
Denver's police chief said Thursday he has ordered extra training and a review of department policies after the second accidental shooting by an officer this month and the fifth in a little over a year.
Police are still investigating the latest shooting Sunday night, but at least two of the accidental shootings have been blamed on gun-mounted tactical flashlights. Such lights have also been cited in other accidental police shootings across the country, including one that killed a man in Texas.
The latest incident happened Sunday night near the intersection of South Federal Boulevard and West Alameda Avenue. An officer chasing several car-theft suspects unintentionally fired his gun before taking one adult and three juveniles into custody. No one was hit.
That incident came less than a week after another in which an officer's gun accidentally went off while he was chasing a man suspected of a probation violation. A bystander was wounded in that incident, though it remains unclear whether she was grazed by the bullet or debris from its impact.
The department had three accidental shootings last year.
White said he is thankful no one has been seriously injured in the shootings. But he said the incidents are particularly troubling because accidental shootings are "more often than not a sign of negligence on the part of the officer."
Nationally, at least two men have been shot by officers who fired their handguns when they meant to flip a flashlight switch beneath the trigger.
In Plano, Texas, a narcotics sergeant accidentally pulled the trigger instead of the flashlight switch on his gun as he approached a suspected drug dealer. The shot killed 25-year-old Anthony Alcala. In the Bronx, an officer trying to switch on his pistol's flashlight accidentally shot an unarmed 76-year-old man, Jose Colon, in the stomach. Colon survived.
Ken Cooper, a New York firearms and use-of-force instructor, served as an expert consultant to Alcala's family, who ultimately settled their lawsuit with flashlight maker SureFire LLC. Cooper said SureFire originally developed the flashlight for Navy SEALs but then sold it to police agencies, as well.
"When that happens, the difference between law enforcement and Navy SEALS is thousands of hours of training," Cooper said.
The benefit of the product, he said, is "you can actually operate the gun and the flashlight in one hand." But, in stressful situations, the more complicated the setup of the gun, the more danger there is for mistakes, Cooper said.
"Your brain gets cross-wired, and things can happen," he said.
Read more: Gun-mounted flashlights spark concerns in wake of accidental Denver police shootings - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_25387704/denver-police-chief-orders-added-training-after-accidental#ixzz2wt4sk56O
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse
Follow us: @Denverpost on Twitter | Denverpost on Facebook
Denver's police chief said Thursday he has ordered extra training and a review of department policies after the second accidental shooting by an officer this month and the fifth in a little over a year.
Police are still investigating the latest shooting Sunday night, but at least two of the accidental shootings have been blamed on gun-mounted tactical flashlights. Such lights have also been cited in other accidental police shootings across the country, including one that killed a man in Texas.
The latest incident happened Sunday night near the intersection of South Federal Boulevard and West Alameda Avenue. An officer chasing several car-theft suspects unintentionally fired his gun before taking one adult and three juveniles into custody. No one was hit.
That incident came less than a week after another in which an officer's gun accidentally went off while he was chasing a man suspected of a probation violation. A bystander was wounded in that incident, though it remains unclear whether she was grazed by the bullet or debris from its impact.
The department had three accidental shootings last year.
White said he is thankful no one has been seriously injured in the shootings. But he said the incidents are particularly troubling because accidental shootings are "more often than not a sign of negligence on the part of the officer."
Nationally, at least two men have been shot by officers who fired their handguns when they meant to flip a flashlight switch beneath the trigger.
In Plano, Texas, a narcotics sergeant accidentally pulled the trigger instead of the flashlight switch on his gun as he approached a suspected drug dealer. The shot killed 25-year-old Anthony Alcala. In the Bronx, an officer trying to switch on his pistol's flashlight accidentally shot an unarmed 76-year-old man, Jose Colon, in the stomach. Colon survived.
Ken Cooper, a New York firearms and use-of-force instructor, served as an expert consultant to Alcala's family, who ultimately settled their lawsuit with flashlight maker SureFire LLC. Cooper said SureFire originally developed the flashlight for Navy SEALs but then sold it to police agencies, as well.
"When that happens, the difference between law enforcement and Navy SEALS is thousands of hours of training," Cooper said.
The benefit of the product, he said, is "you can actually operate the gun and the flashlight in one hand." But, in stressful situations, the more complicated the setup of the gun, the more danger there is for mistakes, Cooper said.
"Your brain gets cross-wired, and things can happen," he said.
Read more: Gun-mounted flashlights spark concerns in wake of accidental Denver police shootings - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_25387704/denver-police-chief-orders-added-training-after-accidental#ixzz2wt4sk56O
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse
Follow us: @Denverpost on Twitter | Denverpost on Facebook