CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi Police Department provided a breakdown of its policies for police shootings, and what happens when officers are placed on administrative leave.
There were two shootings last week involving CCPD. Six police officers are currently on administrative leave in the aftermath of those shootings.
CCPD said that there were seven total police shootings so far this year, and they take the sanctity of human life seriously.
"The hardest decision an officer has to make is probably taking somebody's life," CCPD Deputy Chief James Lerma said.
Lerma said that police officers hope that they never have to unholster their weapon and take a life. If it happens, he said that it is a difficult decision that is usually made in seconds.
CCPD's policy after a police shooting is to place officers on administrative leave throughout an investigation. He explained how they support their officers during that time.
"Evaluate the officer's mental health. Make sure they're mentally, physically able to return to work," Lerma said." So, that that's just the process that we do to make sure the officers are okay and make sure the investigative process takes its natural course."
Last Monday, a 22-year-old shot into a neighborhood multiple times and waved a handgun at police. On Tuesday, a man fired a gun from a Red Roof Inn poolside balcony. Both men were eventually shot by CCPD officers and died from their injuries at a local hospital.
Lerma said that the community's safety is always a main priority when responding to calls, and they do not know when police shootings will happen. He explained that CCPD officers must be prepared for any situation during some of their most dangerous calls, like ones involving family violence.
"We train our officers, this is probably one of those instances or potential instances where there's going to be violence, or injury to an officer might occur," Lerma said.
Lerma explained CCPD's policy when police shootings happen. CCPD secures the scene, and an assigned peer support officer makes sure that officers have someone to decompress with. Officers are then placed on administrative leave and an investigation begins. He said there is an administrative review process for police shootings.
"Make sure that we are doing exactly what we're trained to do," Lerma said. "Is there some training or equipment that we can use to make sure that officers are doing the best thing at the scene."
Lerma said that CCPD previously took steps to give officers the best equipment and training for responding to calls. It includes de-escalation training and tasers. He added that officers try to incorporate time and distance, talking through the situation and bringing down emotions when they can.
