Training Shows Officers How To Prevent On-Duty Deaths In Hopes Of Getting Below 100
PLACER COUNTY (CBS13) — Officers across the region are going through intense training aimed at holding them accountable and telling them to check their egos at the door.
Dozens of officers across the region were being told to look in the mirror at an all-day training event hosted by the Placer County Sheriff's Department.
The training is put on by the national nonprofit group, Below 100. Their goal is to reduce the number of on-duty related deaths to below 100 per year. That's something that hasn't happened since 1943.
Kimberly Schlau knows all too well how an officer's poor judgement can end in tragedy. In 2007, her young daughters were killed by an Illinois state highway patrol officer who was traveling at about 126 mph. He wasn't responding to an emergency call, but slammed into the car, trapping them in twisted metal.
Schlau says in addition to traveling at a high rate of speed, the officer was distracted by his cellphone and onboard computer.
Her training is a kind of "Scared Straight" program for cops.
"I don't tell officers how to do their job, but just to be safe," she said.
The training also emphasizes the importance of wearing seat belts, bullet proof vests and staying alert to stay alive.
"We're going to take a step organizationally, as a county, as a state as a nation to try to change the officers' mindset," said Placer County Sheriff Ed Bonner.
Spouses were also at the training to help them better understand the subculture of law enforcement and how to help them decompress at home.
"To understand what they go through and to have a safe place when they are at home to help let some of those emotions out and process them so that they can continue to do their job and serve the public," said Kim Tarabetz with the Placer County Sheriff's Office Spouses Association.
In 2015, 129 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty.
