Sept. 30, 2020 7:40p
(WGTD)---Technical colleges in Wisconsin that train police recruits have begun an internal discussion in the wake of the Jacob Blake police shooting in Kenosha and the subsequent protests over police brutality and racial inequities in law enforcement.
Specifically, the colleges—Gateway included--are looking at ways to interest a greater number of minorities in pursuing law enforcement careers. They also want to make sure that graduates are culturally sensitive.
Richard Stein leads Gateway’s Law Enforcement Academy. Stein has seen the training curriculum for recruits expand greatly over the years in length and subject matter.
He believes the next step is a deeper dive into racial issues. “We’ve done a really good job of eliminating those conscious bias-type situations,” Stein said. “The next level is more about gaining a deeper level of understanding. Where is the person I’m dealing with coming from? How do I empathize or identify with their situation but still keep myself safe?”
Stein made his comments during a recent edition of WGTD’s Morning Show. He also talked about excessive use of force issues, and investigations that accompany such allegations. Stein agreed to speak in general terms, setting aside for now the Blake shooting.
Such investigations, he said, usually involve a thorough look at a police officer’s training, background and service record in addition to the incident itself.
Investigators naturally try to determine the officer’s rationale for acting the way he did. “It isn’t what a video shows that determines the officer’s ability to use force,” Stein said. “It’s what’s in that officer’s mind at the time he determined that force was needed to be used.”
The overriding question is whether such use of force was a reasonable reaction.
The investigation also includes a look at the officer’s past conduct. “There are always warning signs,” Stein said. “Very rarely do these types of incidents happen out of the blue. Generally speaking, you can go back and see little incidents that led up to the big incident.”
Data shows there’s a window when officers are most prone to getting into trouble. And that’s between 7 and 11 years into their career. “You’re on just long enough to think you know everything but you haven’t seen anything,” he said.
Rusten Sheskey, the officer who shot Jacob Blake, has been a Kenosha cop for seven years. He’s currently on administrative leave.
Sheskey, by the way, did not graduate from Gateway.
The Jacob Blake investigation is believed to either be on its way to a consultant hired by the district attorney or already under review.
The full Morning Show interview with Stein also included a part-time instructor at the Academy, Delavan Police Chief Ray Clark.
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