S.W.A.T. December 2007 - McKeesport Police Department

FRONTLINE DEBRIEFS
The term “Risk Management” is
synonymous with what the United
States Navy calls “Preventative
Maintenance.” It specifi cally refers to the
concept that it is far better to prevent a
mishap or catastrophic failure than it is
to address one in the immediacy of the
moment when it could have been prevented
in the fi rst place. Enter the domain
of police work.
The most serious event ever facing an
offi cer is not the reports, not the public
contacts, and not the run-of-the-mill
calls for service. The most serious event
is the application of deadly force. This
singular event can, in and of itself, ruin
a department’s reputation, bankrupt a
city, destroy careers and prove to be devastating
in unimaginable ways.
I testify as an expert witness in defense
of offi cers in both Federal and
Superior court throughout the U.S.
When I accept these cases, it entails
far more than a cursory review of the
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RISK MANAGEMENT
BY SCOTT REITZ
B
events that transpired. I have to conduct
the “walk-throughs,” examine the
forensic evidence, read all the redacted
and un-redacted statements of all the
participants, the witnesses and the opposing
so-called “experts” (of which
there are very few real ones). There are
forensic and toxicology reports, depositions,
autopsy reports, evidence reports,
background histories of participants,
crime scene analysis, measurements and
photographs, transcripts of taped interviews
and on and on to review in detail.
I myself must undergo depositions by
the opposition, not to mention the direct
and then the cross and then the redirect
and then the re-cross-examinations
on the witness stand. In Federal cases I
must submit highly detailed written reports
and any briefs necessary in order
to make sense of what occurred during
the shooting. Ultimately, I must relate
the facts of the case to a jury in such a
manner that they get a comprehensive
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overview of what transpired in the fi eld,
and this is always done in a more than
stressful atmosphere.
I am proud to say that, of all the hundreds
of offi cers I have taught through the
years who have been involved in shootings,
not a single one has, to my personal
knowledge, ever been involved in a bad
shooting. (This also means that the offi -
cer has survived the incident, which is
the key element in any shooting). These
are not, by the way, fi ctional shootings or
shootings that “can’t be talked about.”
These are documented shootings that do
in fact exist and they have the requisite
volumes of paperwork and investigative
man-hours and backgrounds to confi rm
their existence.
Deadly force application goes well
beyond the physical application of such
force. It goes to the facts and the circumstances
known to the offi cer at the
time that the shooting occurs. It goes to
the totality of the circumstances and the
s h o o t i n g e x c e l l e n c e
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PO Box 3090
Rapid City, SD 57709-3090
Call (605) 348-5150
Fax (605) 348-9827
20 S.W.A.T. » DECEMBER 2007 SWATMAG.COM