Police haven't been conducting training reviews of officer shootings
The Baltimore Police Department has for years failed to conduct "after-action" reviews of police-involved shootings that are used for training officers who may find themselves in similar, potentially violent situations.
The revelation — a violation of the department's internal guidelines — is among several observations that officials said would be included in a report that could be completed as early as next week. The report is being compiled by an expert panel that has been assessing police policies and procedures in the wake of the officer-involved shooting in January outside the Select Lounge club.
"It's certainly something that's been identified as an area where the department needs to improve and do a better job," Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III said in an interview.
Bealefeld, who has made training a hallmark of his administration, said he didn't have specific information about the department's record with after-action reviews. He also said he did not want to upstage the work of the panel, which is compiling its final report.
All police shootings are investigated by homicide detectives and internal affairs for criminal violations or failure to follow internal policies, but officials said they weren't sure when the department stopped conducting regular training reviews. The department's guidelines, known as general orders, call for such reviews.
Law enforcement experts say those after-action reviews are a crucial follow-up to the criminal and internal investigations — which focus on violations of law and police policy — because they offer guidance for officers. While a shooting may be legally justified, experts say officers may have put themselves in situations that could be avoided in the future.
"The importance cannot be overstated," said Charles "Joe" Key, a retired police lieutenant who wrote the department's general orders on use of force. "The purpose of a training review is in part to point out things to the officer that might keep them alive.
"In an adrenaline-fueled moment, when lethal force is used, the officer, regardless of their training, will make simple mistakes that might get him or her killed," Key added. "The other part is to look at ways of doing things that are helpful so that you don't necessarily have to use force."
The revelation — a violation of the department's internal guidelines — is among several observations that officials said would be included in a report that could be completed as early as next week. The report is being compiled by an expert panel that has been assessing police policies and procedures in the wake of the officer-involved shooting in January outside the Select Lounge club.
"It's certainly something that's been identified as an area where the department needs to improve and do a better job," Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III said in an interview.
Bealefeld, who has made training a hallmark of his administration, said he didn't have specific information about the department's record with after-action reviews. He also said he did not want to upstage the work of the panel, which is compiling its final report.
All police shootings are investigated by homicide detectives and internal affairs for criminal violations or failure to follow internal policies, but officials said they weren't sure when the department stopped conducting regular training reviews. The department's guidelines, known as general orders, call for such reviews.
Law enforcement experts say those after-action reviews are a crucial follow-up to the criminal and internal investigations — which focus on violations of law and police policy — because they offer guidance for officers. While a shooting may be legally justified, experts say officers may have put themselves in situations that could be avoided in the future.
"The importance cannot be overstated," said Charles "Joe" Key, a retired police lieutenant who wrote the department's general orders on use of force. "The purpose of a training review is in part to point out things to the officer that might keep them alive.
"In an adrenaline-fueled moment, when lethal force is used, the officer, regardless of their training, will make simple mistakes that might get him or her killed," Key added. "The other part is to look at ways of doing things that are helpful so that you don't necessarily have to use force."
