Law enforcement expert weighs in after Madison officer-involved shooting
WEST ALLIS, Wis. (CBS 58) — The police shooting in Madison is once again raising questions about the proper use of force by law enforcement officers.
Brian Dorow, a former local police officer turned law enforcement expert, told CBS 58 that from his perspective, these cases are complex, and whether the officer's actions were justified will depend on a full investigation.
"No officer comes to work wanting to do that, absolutely not," Dorow said, referring to the deadly shooting. "These are tragedies. These are tragedies for the community, for law enforcement, for the individual's family and for everybody around the situation."
Dorow said use-of-force incidents are part of policing, but every case deserves a thorough review. He said the public should wait for investigators to examine all of the evidence before reaching conclusions.
"You look at certainly the justification, you look at the totality of the circumstances, the reasonableness is always the factor, and then you look at weapon intent, delivery system. There are all different things that fall into the fold here to determine if it was justified or not at that moment," Dorow said. "Let the process play out, get the facts, all of the evidence, and then go from there."
On Thursday, Madison city leaders spoke out against the shooting, saying, "You should not lose your life at the hands of law enforcement."
"De-escalation, all the techniques, are only as effective as the individual is going to comply," Dorow said. "They're difficult situations, and to the untrained eye, to see a video like this, it's like, 'Oh jeez,' but at the same time, what do we ask our officers to do? How do we train them? What are the legal requirements they're able to act under? And then you may get a whole different perspective."
Madison is also one of the few cities in Wisconsin where police officers do not currently wear body cameras, and implementing their use has been a topic of debate for years.