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Police union spokesman Sgt. Scott Westerman has claimed officers are trained, in essence, "once you see the gun, it's too late." Officer Ron Frashour testified as much to the Grand Jury, telling jurors he fired his AR-15 because he believed Aaron Campbell was reaching for a weapon.

First, Sgt. Westerman's summary an accurate portrayal of deadly force training and policy?

Second, under that training, is a police officer justified in shooting anyone they legitimately believe to have a firearm?

posted 3 years, 3 months ago
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A whole lot of questions for Chief Sizer:

-- Has Chief Sizer asked Sgt. Liani Reyna and Capt. Bob Day why they didn't call SERT officers to the apartment complex where Aaron Campbell was shot?

-- When is it standard procedure to call SERT to a hostage/standoff situation? When are officers expected to handle an armed suspect in a building without calling SERT?

-- Does Sizer think Sgt. Reyna should have testified before the Grand Jury to give a fuller account of her decisions at the scene? Why wouldn't the officer in charge of a deadly standoff scene be called to testify?

-- In Chief Sizer's experience, how often does firing a bean bag round at a mentally unstable subject result in compliance, and how often does a bean bag lead to an escalation of the sitution?

-- Outside of her experience, is there any research demonstrating which less-lethal methods are most effective gaining compliance with mentally unstable suspects?

-- Is it standard procedure for a "lethal force" officer (Ron Frashour in this case) to not be in communication with a negotiator and commander at the scene of a standoff?

posted 3 years, 3 months ago
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