‘Shoot or not?’ Toledo officers put journalists in their shoes
Role-playing drills meant to foster understanding.
Scott Sands is familiar with firearms, but he felt a rush of anxiety when he was running toward the sound of gunshots during a robbery simulation Tuesday at Owens Center for Emergency Preparedness.
The afternoon radio host of 1370 WSPD played the role of a police officer during a gas station robbery. The “robber” fled from the building, hid around the side of the store, and shot at Sands, who then took cover behind a wall and shot back. Both were using training guns and ammunition.
Bright color splotches from the bullets soon appeared on the robber’s clothing. Sands was also struck, at least once in the stomach and once in the leg. The suspect was struck at least four times. Between the two of them, approximately 14 rounds were fired in seconds.
“It was quite an adrenaline rush to see just a little bit of the tension that the officers have to face on a daily basis and how their lives could be at jeopardy in a split second,” Sands said.
“When you have a gun pointed at you — whether it’s (training ammunition) or not — you don’t want to be hit.”
He was joined by other members of the Toledo media, including television stations WTVG, WTOL and WNWO and The Blade, who participated in “shoot or not” scenario-based sessions Tuesday with the Toledo Police Department.
During the four scenarios, reporters encountered a non-compliant suspect in common calls, like a traffic stop or suspicious-person complaint.
Police quickly organized the training following two officer-involved shootings in a week, as well as other criticized calls, including a tense traffic stop in the 600 block of North Detroit Avenue that led to the arrest of Ryin Douglas-Reed, who had a weapon in his center console, police said.
A bystander streamed the stop on social media and neighbors criticized the police for the minor traffic stop when the city is dealing with a high homicide rate.
Toledo Police Chief George Kral said the training was to help the media better understand the police department’s policies on deadly force, to review other officer-involved shooting videos and discuss what may have happened, and to experience simulated situations first-hand.
Officers are not trained to strike a leg or arm, but to strike the center mass, police said.
“I think everyone that is here today is leaving with a better understanding of why law enforcement does the things that they do so instead of just watching a video and making assumptions, we realize there was a whole pile of things leading up to that event,” said Toledo Police Sgt. Corey Russell, who helped lead Tuesday’s session.
The “moral bar” is constantly being pushed for officers when it comes to using deadly force in a potentially justifiable situation, Sergeant Russell said.
“The officers, when they go out and deal with these things, are (thinking), ‘What
Police quickly organized the training following two officer-involved shootings in a week, as well as other criticized calls, including a tense traffic stop.
are the ramifications if I make a mistake?’ as opposed to, ‘I need to do my job and stay alive.’”
Instructors said while an officer may be on target 100 percent in a controlled environment at a gun range, that number drastically decreases in a highstress situation because “of the things that are happening to them while they’re under this great stress,” Sergeant Russell said.
Sands’ session was the only simulation where shots were fired. Other calls included a suspicious person attempting to break into a home and running from the officer, an armed man who refused to get out of the car during a traffic stop, and a wanted suspect walking down the street and ditching a gun while running from officers.
After each scenario, members of the media were debriefed on the situation — what went right and wrong — and what options an officer may have.