Canary’s note: We’re stepping aside to allow Pat Walsh, chief of the Lompoc Police Department, fill in for the Canary.

When a street sergeant asks for the SWAT and Crisis Negotiation Team (CNT) to respond to a barricaded felon, it’s called “pushing the button.” On Saturday, Aug. 6, the Lompoc Police Department (LPD) did just that, and set into motion a large police response.

The assailant had recently been spinning out of control, becoming progressively more dangerous, until he shot a family member with a high-powered pellet gun, sending the person to the hospital. He also threatened his family with a knife.

The LPD response was textbook and the scene contained. Neighbors were notified to shelter in place via reverse 911 notifications, and immediate neighbors were evacuated and sheltered in a high school classroom. The sheriff’s office helicopter assisted in the containment while paramedics and fire personnel stood by in case of injury.

Once the scene was secure, the patrol officers settled in and waited for SWAT and CNT. Once SWAT and CNT set up, they waited for the investigating officer to write a search warrant authorizing entry into the location.

During this wait time, the officers gave commands in English and Spanish asking the barricaded subject to give up. Every avenue was used to communicate with him to no avail, and officers even sent a robot inside to check if the subject was alive and if he was armed.

Officers tried other means to get the man to surrender, including making phone calls and finally releasing chemical gas into the residence, which prompted the subject to flee to the backyard. Officers confronted the subject, and he was armed with a knife and a 4-foot-long club. He refused to drop either and was shot with a less-than-lethal bean bag. The subjec threw the knife at the team, fortunately only striking an officer handle-side first in the leg. The subject was then tased, and the police K-9 was used to subdue him. After officers struggled with the subject for several minutes, they were took him into custody.

Two officers sustained dog bites from the police K-9 and one strained his knee. Everyone went home (or to jail) alive after a very intense standoff and violent arrest. This situation could have ended differently, and the Lompoc police could have joined the national discussion about police use of deadly force, “but for the grace of God” as we often say about these types of incidents.

I am thankful for the training and experience of the officers involved, and for the restraint they showed.

But I have to wonder, why don’t we tell these stories of officer restraint in the media? This is the second such incident in a month to happen here in Lompoc where an officer made a split-second decision not to shoot a suspect, saving his life when deadly force was justified. Why aren’t incidents like these part of the national discussion on police use of force?

The simple answer might be, “if it bleeds it leads.” But a more complex answer requires some collective soul searching. Why have we allowed ourselves to be sucked into drama, violence, and scandal?

A side effect of this mindset is that bystanders are lured to be spectators at such incidents. At least 100 people who were told to shelter in place inside their homes on Aug. 6 instead came out and watched the whole eight-hour incident. No amount of pushing folks back or pleading with them to back up caused them to comply. At one point officers asked, “If shooting starts and you are in the line of fire, what are you going to do?” The response was, “pull out our phones and take video.”

We have replaced our basic instinct for self-preservation with our need to be entertained.

I have to say, the onlookers were respectful and polite, and no one had anything hostile to say to the police. But then again, this is Lompoc and that is how people are here—polite and respectful.

I worry about the next incident, and I don’t have a solution to society’s desire to be entertained at any cost. We will continue to protect and serve, but we will not impose martial law on those who choose to look on. We can only do so much to keep everyone safe. Each person’s safety is ultimately in their own hands, and I pray we never have an injury or death should something go awry.

My hope is there are many more peaceful resolutions where officers choose not to shoot. There is no guarantee, but with time, training, and tactics we can try to minimize the use of force. 

Pat Walsh is Chief of the Lompoc Police Department. Send comments to [email protected].

Comments (0)
Add a Comment