Did Termination of Dallas Officer Result in Officer Hesitation?
The Dallas Police Association’s President suspects so. He sent a letter to his city that protested the termination of Senior Corporal Amy Wilburn. Officer Wilburn came across what she believed was a car jack suspect. She believed she was in fear of her life and fired her weapon at the suspect. It turned out that the suspect was unarmed. The suspect survived the shooting, but the officer’s career did not. The chief of police terminated her on Monday. On Friday, four officers responded to a fake burglary call and were confronted by a despondent attorney who had barricaded himself in a hallway and opened fire on the officers. He fired five shots at the officers, who did not return fire. Only when the suspect left his barricaded position and charged the officers did they shoot according to Dallas news sources.
The police officer’s association president thinks that there is a connection between the two incidents. In his letter to the city, he said this:
“Monday’s termination of Senior Corporal Amy Wilburn had a chilling effect on the safety of the citizens of Dallas and of all Dallas Police Officers. This termination was not that of just an officer but that of the foundation of police training, which is/was our Deadly Force Policy. Up until Monday, Dallas Police Officers were allowed to use deadly force when they were in fear for their life or another’s. As of Monday, Dallas Police Officers no longer know when they can use deadly force and, if they do, question whether they are going to be fired if they are forced to. This up in the air policy creates doubt and hesitation in an officer about when/if to use deadly force, which ultimately is going to result in an officer and/or a citizen getting killed. This doubt will always result in a hesitation in officers’ response times to citizen’s calls. No longer can an officer quickly drive to a man with a gun, robbery in progress or domestic abuse call because the officer no longer believes he/she can use deadly force, if it is required, without fear of being terminated.”
The Dallas police chief had no comment, but had previously told the news media that he did not believe that Officer Wilburn’s fear was reasonable.
Who is right and who is wrong is always debatable, but the lesson here is that officers need to believe that they will be supported by their department and city when they have to use force. Apparently, that belief has been damaged in Dallas.
