Understanding Lethal Force Encounters

Nowadays, if you attend any sort of firearms or self-defense training the subject of mindset will invariably be raised. Typically, the instructor will recount COL Jeff Cooper’s Color Codes and then commence a sort of rah-rah speech designed to momentarily raise your motivation, but cause no long term change in behavior or attitudes. It’s the equivalent of eating a Krispy Kreme donut…tastes good, but lacks the substance to properly fuel the mind or body.

To begin, let’s talk about the fundamentals. Having the mindset to survive a (potentially) lethal encounter stems from an understanding that there are people who want to hurt you and your family AND understanding that the government cannot possibly provide enough laws, law enforcement officers, or prisons to adequately protect you. I’ve met people who acknowledge these truths, who nonetheless say that regardless of the consequences, they will not resist. Simply put, these people will be killed if their assailant so chooses.

The purpose of this blog is to provide analysis of lethal force situations that are encountered by both citizens and law enforcement officers. We’ll begin our study by digging into the FBI’s crime statistics from 2007. The preliminary goal is find and understand correlations during encounters which resulted in the death of a law enforcement officer. The ultimate goal is to understand how our training methodology must prepare us for the realities of the job.