Law enforcement gives insight on officer safety

SOUTHEAST Mo. (KBSI)- A shootout on Wednesday night has officers looking at how to further protect themselves in the line of duty.

“Several of our officers are involved in Jiu Jitsu and other martial arts that helps them prepare for situations that they may be involved in on the street.” Says, Officer Bobby Newton with the Cape Girardeau Police Department shares how law enforcement has ongoing training to improve officer safety.

“We try to stay up to date on not just what’s happening locally here in Cape but across the nation as well of officer involved incidents to where we can use those for feedback and train our officers to be better.” Newton adds officers qualify yearly for their firearms and they go through debriefings on different incidents to better handle new situations.

According to Clark Parrott with the Missouri State Highway Patrol they train throughout the year on discipline for multiple types of firearms and practice shoot, don’t shoot scenarios.

Parrott says training is everything, “At the end of the day we are just looking for compliance, and I would much rather talk you into something than have to use physical or anything else.”

Parrott shares personal experience regarding officer safety, “I have attended fallen officers’ funerals, a few here in Missouri that I have known. And it’s very heartbreaking because they were just trying to do their job.”

Thirty-one state patrolmen have lost their lives in the line of duty.