National Police Association: Podcast number 69 with Dr. Bill Lewinski, Lead Instructor at the Force Science Institute


National Police Association: Podcast number 69 with Dr. Bill Lewinski, Lead Instructor at the Force Science Institute


QUOTES

01:52 "When you really know what's going on with the dynamics and you have measured it, it's very helpful for instance for those who are judging an officer to know why a bullet struck at a particular point or how long it took somebody to get to that point."

06:08 "We can give you the data published in peer-reviewed journals including the highest-rated journal in the world on ergonomics, that what we're currently teaching police officers is simply not effective for edged weapon defense."

07:47 "We're not arguing for shooting but are arguing that an edged weapon is extremely lethal, meaning deadly, and we can't ignore that. And so to say it's not, per comparison, is really not very empirically accurate."

15:19 "That skills that they bring to a situation are not the best that we, as a society, could provide. We're looking for communication, we're looking for better ways to contain and control and de-escalate."

17:05 "We know that people learn how to work in their profession by lots of hands-on application in as real a situation as we can get. And, in the police world, that's decision-making. Lots of decision-making."

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SUMMARY

In this episode of the National Police Association Podcast, Sgt. Betsy Smith interviews Dr. Bill Lewinski, Lead Instructor at the Force Science Institute, as he discusses the science behind police use of force. Bill explains that their work involves taking data that informs on angles, speeds of attack, and other empirical data on how police can better protect themselves from attack. He explains that their data shows police training needs to change to focus on other key areas such as decision-making to really make policing a profession rather than a trade."

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HIGHLIGHTS

00:30 What is the Force Science Institute?

06:44 Circumstances that compel police use of force

12:04 Real-world circumstances: Shooting to wound is a bad idea

16:00 Policing is viewed as a trade rather than a profession

20:16 Police unions can help to hold standards for police hiring

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RESOURCES

National Police Association