Should officers who discharge a firearm in the line of duty be PERMANENTLY relieved of duty? [View all]

[IdaBriggs]

This is a "yes / no / maybe" question, and I would like to see some discussion about it.

Here are the arguments I see both for and against --

Option: Yes. Once you point a gun at another human being, whether that be in defense of your own life, or that of someone else, the person pulling the trigger is forever changed. At that point in time, officers who have had the misfortune to be unable to find other, peaceful means of protecting their lives and those of the public, need to be removed from the police force for not only their own mental health, but that of the public. They should be offered mental health / post traumatic stress counseling services, but at the end of the day, it is better for everyone if they move on to another line of work.

Option: No. Good police officers undergo extensive training, and if that rare worst case scenario occurs, a police officer should not be more worried about their future employment than they are about protecting themselves or members of the public. At the end of the day we need to *trust* the people who are actually on the scene, and also allow that sometimes, mistakes in judgment will occur. This is a high pressure and difficult job; those who dedicate their lives to serving others deserve our respect, and demanding they completely change careers after a traumatic experience is simply adding insult to psychological injury.

Option: Maybe. Each situation should be determined on its own merit, with outside peer-review evaluation, psychological counseling and crisis intervention training being on going. Just like teachers are expected to participate in ongoing training efforts to maintain credentials, law enforcement officials need the same support structures in place. Like it or not, there are a lot of crazy people with guns out there, and sometimes that means law enforcement professionals may need to act aggressively to protect the innocent.

Thoughts? And if you can show arguments both for and against, as well as which one you find most convincing, I would appreciate the chance for enlightenment.

Please discuss!