Are police trained to shoot to kill?

North of 49

The police department I recently retired from in Canada are trained to shoot for MASS (chest, heart area). When a shooting occurs, there is a lot of adrenalin pumping and unless the officer is doing this type of shooting everyday, it would be difficult to do what they show in Hollywood (shoot the gun out of their hand, or wound their shoulder at 100 yards etc). If the gun comes out and used, it's a shoot to kill. You don't keep shooting until the suspect is dead. The first shot is a shoot to kill and if (s)he goes down, you keep the gun trained on him and then do a threat assessment and take it from there.

When the decision is made to use "deadly force" I am trained to shoot at center mass to stop the threat as fast as possible.

I am not trained to kill, but to stop the threat.

Charley

Police officers shoot to live.

Clif S

No police are trained to shoot to STOP A THREAT there is no shoot to kill its just shoot to protect yourself, because if there is a cop shooting at you there is usually a very good reason for it.

The Padre

Police are trained to shoot for 'center mass'-- meaning the largest target area. And even that isn't easy, in the heat of the moment, with a moving target, when you have to take the time to be sure that you are shooting at the bad guy (and not an innocent bystander)-- but the bad guy doesn't worry about that, giving him time to shoot that much quicker. It's frustrating for officers to hear things like "Why didn't you try to shoot the gun out of his hand?", from people who've watched way too much television...

Dont Tread On Me...

No. We are trained to stop the threat. That doesn't mean killing, but death sometimes is a by product. Anyone who says police shoot to kill isn't a cop.

You said it yourself. We shoot to "stop the person." Not kill them, stop them.

Narco

Like the others said, we shoot to stop the threat. We are trained to aim center mass (your upper chest and torso area) due to it being the largest body part to hit. If that doesn't stop the threat then a cranial vault (head) shot might be in order. Again, to stop you, not to kill you.

Lots of officers in shooting will shoot someone several times and as soon as they go down they begin to administer CPR on the suspect.

sixpak666666

they are trained to aim for center mass (the chest area) it is the largest and easiest too hit, so it often ends in the suspect getting killed.

69chrger

no thier trained to shoot cans and bottles ......wat kind of question is this

tallerfella

If the target is a threat, you shoot until it is no longer a threat.

Copgirl

We shoot to stop the threat.

Jax Cop

They asked me why I shot the guy nine times. I said 8 wasn't enough and 10 was too many.

Tim

Dead men tell no tales hmmm so yes we do

David Hoang

I Think They Are.

London

I thought personally that (depending on the situation of course) if the subject is running away and not threatening anyone or them with a weapon, then they have to make all the effort to pursue without harming him, but if he is highly dangerous, shoot to stop him in pursuit, not kill.

Frank C

From what I recall, they are trained to shoot at the area that has the larges cross sectional area. I also understand they only withdraw their guns if they believe their life, or some one elses is threateded.

LesPaulGuitarist

I do not really know but they wont open fire until the other suspect starts shooting at them. I guess that they are trained to neutralize a suspect rather than kill, but my guess is that they will kill if the situation gets too tight or if necessary

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