Case Study #2 Copy
DISCLAIMER...
This case study is solely an educational exercise and does not necessarily reflect
the position of Precision Edge Performance or the organization through which this training has been purchased and/or is being provided. This case study contains information pertaining to a real-life incident, which may be uncomfortable or cause an unanticipated emotional or stress response in some users.
The Details...
Columbus, Ohio, April 2021, around 4:30pm an officer responds to a report of a fight and someone attempting to stab others at a residential home. Body camera footage shows a chaotic scene when the officer arrives.Six people are involved in the altercation, and four of them are in close proximity to each other. Two females are physically engaged with multiple others on the periphery of the fight.
Officer Reardon has been on the job 16 months, only recently off his probationary period. He is the first officer on the scene. Within 10 seconds of arriving, he has assessed the situation in front of him, identified the threat, and fired 4 shots. The assailant, armed with a knife, attempting to stab another female, was killed before she could cause serious bodily injury to her intended victim.
The Video Footage...
NOTE: Due to the sensitive nature of this video footage and content age restrictions, this video must be watched directly on the YouTube website. Click or tap the “Watch on YouTube” link below to access this video in a separate window.
The Lesson...
We can, and should, look at every situation critically and learn lessons from them. It is important to practice through multiple scenarios in training environments, so we have the opportunity to solve problems in a controlled environment before potentially encountering a similar situation on the job. Each situation is different and role playing multiple solutions to the same problem helps to provide you with multiple tools in the toolbox for when you encounter that situation in the future. If training that scenario just isn’t possible, then get mental reps in. Simply visualizing ourselves in these situations and creating a “mental movie” for how we’d react if we were responding in real life will set you up for success so you can take appropriate action for the best possible outcome if/when you encounter that scenario in real life.
The Takeaways...
- Use visualization to train your situational awareness, your decision making, your internal actions (i.e. breath control) and your external actions (i.e. where you position yourself on scene). The more reps you get of different variations of the situation (real or visualized), the more your responses in real situations will be automatic so that you can decide and act quickly for your safety and the safety of others.
- Seek feedback, coaching, and input from others to gain additional ways of getting meaningful practice on things such as making decisions or specifics of scenarios only experienced officers will know about.