How law enforcement officers keep themselves safe

MARIETTA, Ohio (WTAP) - Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line routinely. But what do they do to reduce risk in those potentially dangerous situations?

According to Captain Joshua Staats of the Washington County Sheriffs Office, ensuring the safety of both the police and the public means making sure officers have as much information as possible.

Staats says that they depend on 911 dispatchers asking the right questions to get the facts before officers respond to a call. For police, knowing as much as possible about the people they’ll be interacting with on a given call can mean the difference between life and death.

“Who all’s involved, if there’s any weapons involved, if anyone has any criminal histories, what threats are made, what call history we have with that person or with that residence,” Staats said. “That way, the deputy can make whatever decisions he wants to make on how he’s going to respond to whatever that call may be.”

Staats says the answers to questions like these dictate how they respond to calls.

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