Colorado Springs Police arrest armed robbery suspects after shots fired and pursuit
No doubt about it, occasionally police officers face deadly force circumstances. On Tuesday July 28, 2009, in Colorado Springs, 29-year-old Delvikio Falkner and 31-year-old Orlando Guevara were reported to have entered a Lingerie store brandishing at least one firearm. Employees activated an alarm system and the robbery suspects fled in a vehicle. News reports state that the suspects fired shots at responding police and then abandoned the vehicle in a neighborhood. Police continued the chase on foot.
...and the point is?
The challenges of policing are multi-faceted. Officers don't know when they might face a deadly situation, so they must always be prepared for such circumstances. This I believe.
But law enforcement officers do know that in every circumstance they face, whether it be adrenalin pumping or yawn producing - and anything in between - they must always be prepared to engage their duties looking out for their own safety and within the constraints of the law ensuring that constitutional rights are protected - with equal diligence.
There is no indication in the Colorado Springs robbery incident that responding officers did anything less than safely and properly perform their duty. They appear to have done a good job in a very difficult and tense situation.
Examples of the opposite routinely appear in the news. Just as a job well done serves to be an important reminder of certain facets of policing, so should converse incidents serve as vital reminders of where policing needs to improve. That is one of the ongoing purposes of this blog.
* As an interesting side note...during the first part of the video, did you happen to see how the suspect had to quickly hoist his pants up at one point while running. That's why I always wear a belt!
Posted by Karl Mansoor at 7/30/2009 10:35 PM 
Categories: Officer Safety
Tags: Training Officer Safety
Categories: Officer Safety
Tags: Training Officer Safety
I disagree with this premise:
"But law enforcement officers do know that in every circumstance they face, whether it be adrenalin pumping or yawn producing - and anything in between - they must always be prepared to engage their duties, with equal diligence, within the constraints of the law and ensure that constitutional rights are protected."
First, it isn't as exciting or as dangerous a job as some police would have you believe. Those officers who could be categorized as adrenaline junkies can certainly create hostile situations where none exist, but that doesn't mean their job is any more dangerous.
Second, many officers don't believe they need to work within the confines set forth by the constitution, statutes, case law, or policy. Even more turn a blind eye when they witness misconduct. The Hollywood incident is a perfect example, if only just a drop in the bucket.
While it is certainly refreshing to see a youtube video where officers don't kill someone, especially since one woman had a cell phone in her hand, giving them an attaboy for doing their job seems misplaced, if in fact that is what your post is trying to do (don't want to mis-characterize).
If I felt we had somehow turned the corner on police brutality, I might be persuaded to give out a couple pats-on-the-back. It just doesn't feel like we are there yet.
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Hi Edin Tally,
Concerning your first point; I am not claiming that police face danger on a daily basis. I know policing is often routine. I merely stated at the beginning of my post, that occasionally danger is faced. I did that to concede that point and remove it from anyone using it as an argument not to address the serious nature of misconduct or to divert attention from police abuse. Yes policing can be dangerous. Ok, that is established - let's now move on to the other very important issue.
I am also very much aware of officers who tend to create problems where previously none existed. That in itself is a significant problem.
And in regards to your second point; In my post I was stating that officers know they are to adhere to constitutional standards and not abuse their authority... or at least they should know. How often officers do or do not follow the correct path is a different story.
I don't believe we've turned any corner on police abuse of authority - far from it. This post was not meant to suggest that.
Thanks for stopping by! KM
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I didn't mean to suggest that you think danger is a daily occurrence. Rather, I believe police think and are taught that it can be a daily occurrence. Hence, those who are not in complete control of their faculties tend to get "amped" up when there is no need.
I do agree they should know but maybe it would be more accurate to say that when push comes to shove, they don't care.
Thanks, Ed
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I'm with you that some don't care.
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Ed:
I don't think Karl's entirely out of line with that premise. I would have written it "should know", rather than "do know", myself. I would presume they are briefed or taught the concept at one time or another, the real question is how many live it. Those that do (including reporting the misconduct of other cops) are IMO heroes, and should be treated as the Gold Satandard for LEOs everywhere.
Alas, but I suspect that the heroes are far outnumbered by clock-punchers, and possibly even by the (hopefully small) number of criminals-in-uniform out there.
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I think you would be surprised by the lack of any real training especially as it concerns when NOT to use your authority.
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