Perceptual and memory distortion during officer-involved shootings - Research Forum

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin,The, Oct, 2002 by Alexis Artwohl

Finally, those who analyze or participate in the aftermath of officer-involved shootings should receive training as well. Such individuals could include attorneys, association representatives, peers, juries, journalists, command staff and supervisors, mental health professionals, employee assistance personnel, worker compensation employees, and any others who have a vested interest in these events. This will better enable them to make informed, reasonable judgements about the officers' behaviors and advocate for the type of training and postincident care that the officers will need to best serve and protect their communities.

CONCLUSION

The observations of the officers at the beginning of this article effectively portray how perception and memory can influence an individual's understanding of a particular incident. One officer did not hear the sound of his gun discharging. Another did not remember calling his wife just prior to being involved in a shooting. Three others observed things happening in ways that did not actually occur. All of the officers were involved in the highly stressful and emotionally laden process of using deadly force and, therefore, subject to later scrutiny by their agencies and the citizens they serve for their actions.

Although highly trained in accurately describing events and uncovering facts pertinent to criminal investigations, law enforcement officers face the same difficulties that all people do when trying to recall what happened in high-stress situations. Research has revealed that people rarely can remember such events with total accuracy. The author's study, along with other research she examined, demonstrated that this finding holds true for officers involved in shootings. With this in mind, the law enforcement profession must realize the implications this has for officers and those who analyze their actions. Because critical incidents demand split-second decisions, officers must receive the best training that will help them react appropriately in high-stress situations. Likewise, those who analyze these events must understand the demands placed on officers during such incidents and maintain realistic expectations concerning what officers perceived during the events and what they can recall accurately afterwards . In the end, recognizing the perceptual and memory distortions that officers can have during a shooting can go a long way toward helping officers deal with such difficult situations and, perhaps, reduce their occurrence.

Endnotes

(1.) Officers can contact Dr. Artwohl, coauthor of Deadly Force Encounters: What Cops Need to Know to Mentally and Physically Prepare for and Win a Gunfight (Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 1997), at artwohl@cs.com or access her Web site at http://www.alexisartwohl.com.

(2.) Seymour Epstein, "The Integration of the Cognitive and Psychodynamic Unconscious," American Psychologist 49 (1994): 709-723.

(3.) Ibid.

(4.) Ibid.

(5.) Ibid.

(6.) Ibid.

(7.) R.M. Solomon and J.M. Horn, "Post-Shooting Traumatic Reactions: A Pilot Study," in Psychological Services for Law Enforcement, eds. J.T. Reese and H.A. Goldstein (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1986).