The work of the police during the Uvalde shooting leaves retired officer Denis Côté perplexed.
• Read also: The police made a “bad decision” by postponing their intervention at the Uvalde school
• Read also: Shooting in Texas: she smeared her friend’s blood to escape the killer
• Read also: Who are the victims of the Uvalde massacre?
The one who distinguished himself by mastering the shooter at Dawson College in 2006, wanted to point out the possible confusion among Texas police officers as to the presence of an active or barricaded shooter.
This nuance, however, makes all the difference in the mode of intervention that the police must adopt, indicates Denis Côté.
“Until you’re sure he’s barricaded and armed, the procedure we’re taught is that there’s a regroup that’s done in front of the class and at some point there’s a dynamic entry which is done where everyone deploys and fires on the suspect in order to control him, ”explains the retired policeman.
Nevertheless, Mr. Côté can understand the fear that the police may have felt during the Uvalde killings.
“When you find yourself in front of the door and you know that the shooter on the other side, you are going to be his next target and that he is heavily armed, you call on an individual who must deploy and risk his life. I can understand that some police officers hesitated,” he said.
In 2006, Denis Côté says he quickly fell into “operational” mode. In this type of situation, it is necessary to deploy as quickly as possible, then locate and confine the shooter, he argues.
“Above all, you must not let emotion enter the line of sight, because at that point, you lose your bearings a little and you become less operational,” explains Denis Côté.
The latter, however, wonders regarding the training received by the police across the United States.
“What I find a little surprising is that in the United States, it’s still quite common. So I think that the training and the learning of the training should really be adapted to this kind of situation, ”claims the retired police officer.
To see the full interview, watch the video above.
