I spent the morning in Faribault at the Rice County Courthouse. No, I wasn’t there to testify for a criminal trial, nor was I there to meet with either of the three judges. I was there to attend our annual training on use of force issues with about twenty-five other law enforcement officers from around Rice County.
The training, which is sponsored by Rice County Attorney, Paul Beaumaster, is designed to cover recent changes in state and federal court cases that impact on our ability to do our jobs. The primary focus centers on issues related to officers involved in use of force incidents, arrest, search and deadly force situations.
The training reminded me of a conversation I had with a reporter last May while I was attending the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. The question asked was why is it necessary for a cop from a small town like Northfield to learn about all these modern law enforcement principles and techniques that would never be needed.
My response had been that our society is always changing and the demands and needs of our respective communities requires police professionals to stay at the edge of innovation and knowledge to better serve those we are sworn to protect. Size of the community has very little to do with the type of situations police officers face these days. The discussions today about reasonable and necessary use of force to protect others falls into this category.
Knowledge is truly power when one discusses officer use of force. Our officers must know when and how to deal with the various situations they encounter while performing their duties. It is absolutely essential that they are comfortable with this knowledge when it comes time for them to make split-second, life and death decision. We put our peace officers out in the community with the charge to protect us. It is only reasonable that we provide them with the best training, equipment and knowledge base available to assist them in making the right choices.