Psychologist Openly Admits He Trains Police Officers to Shoot First and Ask Questions Later

[ghostsinthemachine]

Dr. Lewinski is training police to shoot before making a full assessment of the true threat.

For years, to any observer of police brutality, the idea that officers were shooting people first and asking questions later was a foregone conclusion. Such a practice, while blatantly obvious, seemed too unethical, too harsh for police to ever admit.

Well, here it is. All of the proof we ever needed. Not only are American police, from coast to coast, shooting first and asking questions later, they are being trained to do so in seminars by a psychologist who openly promises them that he'll testify on their behalf if anything ever goes wrong. He's already done it nearly 200 times.

Meet Dr. William J. Lewinski.

No matter what the circumstances are in a police shooting, he's the guy departments lean on to say it was completely justified and unavoidable.

His conclusions are consistent: The officer acted appropriately, even when shooting an unarmed person. Even when shooting someone in the back. Even when witness testimony, forensic evidence or video footage contradicts the officer’s story.

He has appeared as an expert witness in criminal trials, civil cases and disciplinary hearings, and before grand juries, where such testimony is given in secret and goes unchallenged. In addition, his company, the Force Science Institute, has trained tens of thousands of police officers on how to think differently about police shootings that might appear excessive.

MORE: http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/psychologist-openly-admits-he-trains-police-officers-shoot-first-and-ask-questions#.Vco5T4WlRoU.facebook

Scared yet?

[Hoyt]

1. I think one finds that same attitude among private citizens who have trained to shoot people.

I think the joke among otters is, "I'd rather be judged by 12, than carried by 6." And they are trained on what to say when they shoot someone.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. And they are trained on what to say when they shoot someone.

Which accounts for the .."his hands were fumbling at his waist" that we hear so many times.
Even when someone is running away, flat out, the killer cop says they were "fumbling at their waist"

[Hoyt]

4. Hopefully, body cameras will help cut down on those lies.

I know they aren't perfect, but better than what we have without them.

[TexasProgresive]

2. He probably disagrees with the APAs ruling on torture

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/08/us/politics/psychologists-approve-ban-on-role-in-national-security-interrogations.html
“psychologists shall not conduct, supervise, be in the presence of, or otherwise assist any national security interrogations for any military or intelligence entities, including private contractors working on their behalf, nor advise on conditions of confinement insofar as these might facilitate such an interrogation.”

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. Sounds as if he has set up Blackwater type training for the cops to legally murder people.

Explains the increased slaughter of civilians, esp. minorities.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

6. if we do not turn back this perversion

it will get much worse

they will not give up their power willingly

[dreamnightwind]

7. Damn that is an amazing find

I just finished reading it, and the NYT article most of the Alternet article is based on.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/02/us/training-officers-to-shoot-first-and-he-will-answer-questions-later.html?_r=0

William J. Lewinski, a psychologist who has studied police shootings, held a training session at the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs in Monterey Park, Calif., last month

He has appeared as an expert witness in criminal trials, civil cases and disciplinary hearings, and before grand juries, where such testimony is given in secret and goes unchallenged. In addition, his company, the Force Science Institute (http://www.forcescience.org/), has trained tens of thousands of police officers on how to think differently about police shootings that might appear excessive.

...

“A batter can’t wait for a ball to cross home plate before deciding whether that’s something to swing at,” he told the Los Angeles deputy sheriffs. “Make sense? Officers have to make a prediction based on cues.”

...

Much of the criticism of his work, Dr. Lewinski said, amounts to politics. In 2012, for example, just seven months after the Justice Department excoriated him and his methods, department officials paid him $55,000 to help defend a federal drug agent who shot and killed an unarmed 18-year-old in California. Then last year, as part of a settlement over excessive force in the Seattle Police Department, the Justice Department endorsed sending officers to Mr. Lewinski for training. And in January, he was paid $15,000 to train federal marshals.

Infuriating! He isn't the whole problem, but a big part of it. There are perhaps other people like him who are similarly providing "expert" testimony for hire to excuse police shootings. This guy, and others like him, need to be shut down. It's a shame there is probably no way to legally hold them accountable for the killings that result from their traininng and "research", and for the acquitals that result from his testimony.

Seems like a good place for groups like BLM to put some energy. It shouldn't be up to them, though, we should be able to pressure police to not use such methods and people.

A possible ally is "The Police Executive Research Forum (http://www.policeforum.org/), a group that counts most major city police chiefs as members, has called for greater restraint from officers and slower, better decision making. Chuck Wexler, its director, said he is troubled by Dr. Lewinski’s teachings. He added that even as chiefs changed their use-of-force policies, many did not know what their officers were taught in academies and private sessions."

If anyone knows of actions against all of this, post them in this thread, there are probably quite a few DU members, myself incuded, who would be happy to do something to help stop this.