MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In the wake of several attacks on law enforcement officers nationwide, WREG visited the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office training facility to discuss the stress involved with performing traffic stops.
A Louisiana state trooper is the most recent law enforcement officer to die in the line of duty. He was checking on a truck in a ditch.
Memphis Police Officer Sean Bolton was shot and killed earlier this month checking on an illegally parked car near Cottonwood Road and Perkins Road, according to police.
WREG asked the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office what impact these events have on deputies and officers here.
Chief Inspector Joe Ruff explained deputies undergo training to prepare them for stressful situations.
Instructors invited a WREG reporter to undergo simulated traffic stops to get a feel for what could happen. In the simulations, a motorcyclist refused to stay put on his bike. In another scenario, he fired shots.
Ruff said data does not reveal a dramatic spike in attacks on officers. He said he believes recent incidents involving officers have nabbed national headlines.
“Some that were justified and some that were unjustified,” Ruff said. “I think there’s more of a spotlight on law enforcement.”
He said stories about attacks on officers can jolt law enforcement.
“When we see it more and more frequently, I think that does impact officers,” he said. “As trainers and commanders, it’s incumbent on us to make sure the officers don’t change their methodology.”