Anderson County Sheriff's Office Captain Explains How Officers Are Prepared to Use Deadly Force

CLINTON, Tenn. (WATE) – Knoxville police officers shot and killed a woman armed with a knife on Thursday. Although police-involved shooting situations seem to be becoming more and more common, law enforcement officers prepare thoroughly to help them make the right split-second decision.

According to the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, officers receive extensive use of force training.

“At the end of the day, I don't believe an agent gets up in the morning, gets ready to come to work and stands in front of the mirror right before checking the mirror to see if he's got it all figured out and leaves . “Today I can kill someone,” said ACSO Capt. Steve Owens.

He says training begins with learning court cases that match practices used today. Once in the field, they use simulations and image training to prepare officers for a reference point if they encounter something for the first time. They also practice stress relief.

“I can expect the worst when it comes to safety, so I never let my guard down and let anyone hurt me, but I don't go into it like I'm already shooting someone or in combat, or I will really do it, get really excited and mistreat people,” Owens said

He says when using force, all officers are trained to assess the seriousness of what they are trying to stop, whether people are in danger or whether they are making an impact during an arrest.

“These three questions must be applied to any type of force we use, deadly or not,” he said.

Owens says that when it comes to justifying the use of force, it must be reasonable given the situation.

“I've seen a lot of things, so what I might do might be different from someone who's brand new and just experiencing this for the first time. This doesn't mean we're both wrong in what we do. It’s just what was reasonable in each officer’s mind at the time they saw this happening,” he said.

Every circumstance is different, from the nature of the call to the environment, even the physical makeup of the officer can play a role.

“Simple things like time of day matter because there is a big difference between 2 p.m. and 2 p.m. in the middle of the night, lighting matters, age of officers, build officers, height of suspect, gender of officer,” Owens said.

He said their decision to use deadly force was not taken lightly.

“My biggest fear is having to use it, and I haven't touched wood yet, but I know officers who have had to use their weapon in the line of duty and it's about 50-50. Half learn to deal with it, half left law enforcement because they just couldn't deal with the idea of ​​having harmed someone,” he said.

He added that these situations take an emotional toll and that departments are looking out for the well-being of their officers if they have to make this decision.