May 1, 2018

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Rendering Aid after Use of Deadly Force

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Rendering Aid after Use of Deadly Force

 
Gordon Graham
Category: Law Enforcement

Gordon Graham here with Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Today’s tip is for law enforcement officers and it’s about rendering first aid after the use of deadly force. 

If you shoot a person, trying to save their life may not be your first instinct. 

If you shoot a person, trying to save their life may not be your first instinct. The person you shot may have just tried to kill you or someone else. Your adrenaline is sky high, and you may already be thinking about the upcoming investigations. 

Officer safety and evidence preservation are drilled into your head. Treating gunshot wounds probably is not.  

Ensure that the suspect is no longer a threat. Summon emergency medical personnel. When it’s safe to do so, ensure that first aid treatment is rendered. Use whatever appropriate first aid supplies you have are available, including a tourniquet. Continue first aid until EMS arrives and takes over care. 

If you arrive on the scene and find that the officer who was involved in the actual shooting is now rendering first aid, offer to take over.  

Few people truly understand the dynamics and emotions involved in police use of deadly force. Some may view officers who wait for medical aid after a shooting as callous and uncaring.  

A complete turnabout from shooting a person to saving their life may not be instinctual. But when it can be done safely, it’s the right thing to do. 

And that’s Today’s Tip from Lexipol. Gordon Graham, signing off. 

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