By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D Although we still hear about the doctrine of the Use of Force Continuum (UOFC), it is a teaching tool and policy that has been abandoned by most law enforcement trainers and police departments. Unfortunately, the concepts are being raised again. The UOFC requires a stair step approach, meeting each Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D President Biden famously said that when confronted with an unarmed person with a knife, police should shoot them in the leg. When confronted with an edged weapon – knife, shovel, or broken bottle – an officer must make dozens of calculations and predictions as to the lethality of the Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D How could that happen? The question that even law enforcement officers ask after a controversial shooting may never have answers. What we know about the human mind and body can provide some potential insights into the shooting of Daunte Wright by veteran Brooklyn Center, Minnesota officer Kim Potter. On Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D. Does free will exist? The question of free will is essential to the criminal justice system, without which no one could be held accountable for their behavior. Legal defenses that involve mental capacity address the accused’s ability to form intent, to understand the nature of their actions, and their Read more »
By Stephen Owsinski One of the biggest thrills in my police career was going up in a county sheriff’s office chopper to record aerial imagery of a traffic fatality down below. I was assisting one of our department’s traffic homicide investigators (THI, later redesignated as TFI for traffic fatality investigators…since most crash-related deaths are “accidents”) Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D. For various reasons, my wife and I decided to home school our two children for a year. One of the things that we discovered is how efficient and flexible homeschooling can be compared to public schools. Movement from class to class or activity to activity, slowing down for some Read more »
By Chief Joel F. Shults, Ed.D. Suicide by cop (SBC), also known as a victim precipitated homicide, is an officer’s nightmare. Despite public perception, the overwhelming majority of mental health calls, including suicidal persons, are handled by police officers without a major incident. An event in which a caller actually wants the police to kill Read more »