At the Rapid City Public Safety Complex, Sergeant John Olson takes aim on a paper target 10 feet away. He says that's the distance in which most shootings occur.
"Your body just reacts."
Whether it's in the shooting range or on the street, Olson says weapons training has to be imprinted on the mind.
"You start doing things you didn't even know you were doing until you're already doing them."
Olson says the Rapid City Police Department trains with weapons more than anything else, they're subject to qualify several times a year. The reason: so the training takes over in a potentially deadly situation.
"If that instinct is there, they're going to be able to get up and put the rounds where they need to, to stop that person from hurting us or someone else."
The Aug. 2 tragedy proved that even during a seemingly routine stop, seconds count. An investigation by the Division of Criminal Investigation showed that the officers had acted professionally and appropriately prior to the point where a gun was pulled.
"If you're just doing a subject stop that goes bad or you're going to a weapons call, you always think of yourself with safety in mind. You park in the right position, you approach in the right position."
And, when officers were dealt a circumstance completely out of their control, they fired justifiably, according to the report. While the tragedy changed the department forever, Olson says their tactical approach remains the same.
"Safety doesn't change, tactics doesn't change just because you have a tragedy happen. If you're a good officer, if you're well trained, they you're going to react and you're going to deal with the situation in a tactical and safe, responsible manner."
