Most people get their information about police work from TV but some area residents learned first-hand that even reality shows like “Cops” don’t do justice to real life experiences of officers on patrol every day. That's just some of what was on display the second annual Law Enforcement Educational Summit at Illinois State University Tuesday night.
Moms with young children, teenagers, and 55-plus couples stopped at various simulated scenarios throughout Horton Fieldhouse – Blade Runner to learn about knife attacks, or one area called The Shocking Truth About Tasers. By far the most popular was Shoot or Don’t Shoot where David Hurn experienced what would likely have been a justified but devastating shooting.
“After several commands I shot. ‘How did that feel when you realized what he was doing?’ It was full of anxiety like 'what have I done?' I just shot a person who was showing me an I.D, "Hurn said.
In a second scenario, Hurn would have been dead because he missed the first shot he fired at a perpetrator.
“I think the public don’t understand the officer’s split decision they have to make in cases like this,” he added.
With cameras rolling from smart phones, surveillance cameras or even body cams, police say they need more citizens to have an experience like this to reveal that even video doesn’t tell the whole story.
