Pa. State Police provide glimpse into use-of-force training with demonstration for community members

Pennsylvania State Police invited community members and stakeholders to a demonstration on police use of force Wednesday at the Monroeville Public Safety Training Center.

The three-and-half hour presentation titled, “The Realities of Use of Force Encounters” covered legal and policy considerations, use of force and human performance, and video analysis and video evidence considerations. The types of force discussed included use of force, lethal force and less lethal force.

The demonstration was a collaboration between the state police Use of Force Unit within the Bureau of Training and Education, and the Heritage Affairs Section.

“The goal of this presentation and demonstration is to provide a unique opportunity for attendees to enhance their understanding of police use of force and the use-of-force training provided to police officers,” said Cpl. Aaron Allen, who is a Heritage Affairs Liasion Officer.

Attorneys, city council members, media, campus police and more made up the attendance at the presentation. More than 30 people were present.

Cpl. Bart Lemansky, one of the instructors, said he learns from the audience how much misconception there is about the rules and laws police officers follow.

“There is a high degree of societal misunderstanding and ill understanding with respect to the rules and the laws within which police officers use force against members of the community,” Lemansky said.

During his presenation, Lemansky highlighted the legal considerations involving use of force.

When reviewing police use of force, Lemansky said to ask whether it was “objectively reasonable or not objectively reasonable.”

“The word ‘necessary’ creates logical impossbilities for officers,” he said.

The presentation conveyed that the rules and laws that state police officers follow are from the U.S. Constitution, U.S. Supreme Court of Law, state Constitutions, Federal Law and Constitution, and law enforcement agency policies and regulations.

Lemansky said use of force is held under court interpretations of constitutional restrictions, the fourth amendment and Article 1 Section 8 of the Pennsylvania Constiution.

The presentation also emphasized the quick decisions police officers have to make during encounters.

Cpl. Kevin Selverian showed video examples of scenarios of police-involved shootings or serious police incidents. A few involved a person using a weapon against a police officer and another one showed a person putting their hands on an officer.

Selverian said officers are trained to determine if a situation is a conflict or crisis based off observation.

“We do not train officers to diagnose the person,” he said.

Marcia Cole, a police instructor for the Police Academy at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, said the presentation was quite informative.

“The only new stuff I got was the video information,” Cole said. “That was really good and informative on how video may not be put in mainstream correctly.”

Following the presentation, attendees were able to put themselves in a police officer’s shoes through a police use-of-force simulator providing situational examples.

Participants could talk to the subjects in the simulation while using prop guns and tasers to decide how they would descalate the situation.

Bob Stevenson, a Monroeville resident who is running for council in Ward 3 and was the first person to try out the simulator, said the machine showed him the importance of time reaction.

“In a life-or-death situation, you need to react quickly,” he said.

Stevenson gave kudos to the police officers after his experience with the simulator.

“They do an incredible job,” he said. “I praise them.”