YAKIMA, Wash.- The Yakima Police Department says there 113 cases of police using force in 2023. Those cases included tasers, batons, pepper spray and hand fighting. To date, there’s been 20 cases in 2024.
On March 23, YPD gathered community members to show the process every police officer goes through when dealing with potentially dangerous suspects.
Chief Matt Murray says officers have been trained to gather information, assess the situation, consider if possible actions would violate laws or YPD policies and then act. That’s all done in a matter of seconds.
Taking the wrong steps can lead to investigations, but there’s a fine line between proper and excessive force.
“Is it four hits instead of three?” asked Chief Murray to the Community Academy. “Is it twisting your hand this far and not this far?”
To demonstrate, a simulation for the community members was set up.
Three suspects would be in a line with different objects in their hands. Some would be holding a fake gun, some a cell phone. People would have to act as a police officer and determine if any of the three were holding deadly weapons and fire if they were.
“Your hands start sweating you know, and they’re not even live rounds is not a real pistol,” says community volunteer Tony Sandoval, who participated in the academy. “They have individuals come in at ya, so you got to decide if you shoot or not shoot.”
If an officer were to shoot incorrectly, an investigation would follow. Independent Investigative teams are called in when lethal force is used, and a suspect is seriously injured or killed.
“It may be necessary, but you should ask, is it reasonable?” says Chief Murray. ” And there may be no alternative. We don’t want to shoot people, but sometimes we have to. But you should at least ask the question.”
