Pulling the Trigger in the Line of Duty

The Washington Post published an article Thursday about the mental trauma incurred by police officers after shootings of dangerous suspects on duty. They described the psychological anguish that police officers go through as their actions are scrutinized and often criticized by the public as they go through painfully public investigations into the incidences.The ethos in the article comes from the many interviews and quotes from police officers who have gone through encounters with the public that resulted in a fatal shooting. Many of the police officers described difficulties in their personal lives as their names are announced on the news as being involved in shootings. Often, many friends and neighbors development judgements about the situation, even if the police officers were seen as justified in the shootings when the investigations conclude. The author also provides some facts about officer-involved shootings over the past few years, adding that the number of suspect killings has quadrupled from 2010 to 2011. They do, however, add that 95% of police officers will never need to use a firearm in the line of duty. They are nevertheless crucial to a police officer's safety: The article shows that for roughly every 3 dangerous suspects killed in conflicts, 1 police officer is fatally wounded by a suspect.