Transcripts

GARY: We hear so often about the dangers facing police officers. Usually, it comes up in terms of things like domestic abuse cases and the like. Does this-- do approaching vehicles like this, does that pose a danger to the police? Is that a particularly dangerous kind of assignment to get?

PAT MCGOWAN: Well, Gary, in this case, it was a deadly assignment that s today. And before we go any further, I would just like to offer my personal condolences to the slain officer's family. I'm sure the thoughts of every police officer in the state of Minnesota are with them right now, and we just wish their family all the best.

And Gary, going back to your question, is that's the problem with police work, is you never know what you have. And those are the difficulties in doing your job because in a lot of instances, a police officer, what may look as a very normal situation, a very safe situation, a non-confrontational situation, in a split second, can turn into a deadly situation.

And especially given the climate that we have now, because there's so many officers that are so worried, so afraid right now about being second-guessed, about being ridiculed, about being criticized because for instance, they go into a situation, either they have their firearm out. They're prepared for the worst. And if nothing happens, right away, they're second-guessed as to well, why do they have their firearm out? It wasn't a deadly situation.

It was nothing. The person was totally cooperative. Why did they have to do that? And then you run into a case like this, where an officer approaches a car, and before he can do anything, he's gunned down. And I think, Gary, to me, what was just absolutely despicable is the followup shooting of the officer once he's on the ground.

GARY: Is there any way that police officers can prepare mentally or physically for this kind of thing? I mean, other than the routine training that you go through?

PAT MCGOWAN: No, all you can do, Gary, is continually be aware of what's going on around you. In fact, the thing is that if we train any police officers to realize anything, it's watch a person's hands. The hands are the only thing that are going to be able to hurt you or kill you.

They're not going to be able to kill you with their eyes. They're not going to be able to kill you with their head. But they've got to use their hands. And that's what you continually watch. And that's what, again-- when you go back to it, that's what makes it so difficult when you approach somebody, that you have information on perhaps a suspect in a particular type of a case, and they either have their hand behind their back.

They have their hand in a jacket pocket. They have their hand in a pants pocket. You immediately want to get those hands out where you can see them. You want to see what's in their hands. You want to see if they have a weapon, be it a knife, a handgun, a pair of brass knuckles, anything, or if their hands are totally empty.

And maintain kind of a safe distance from a suspect, if you can, when interviewing them. But yet, in this case, it sounds to me-- and I don't know the facts of the case, so I'm not even going to try and speculate what went on.

GARY: Right. How does this affect other police officers now, especially in this area? Do you tend to become even more cautious than you normally would be? Do you tend to become more aggressive?

PAT MCGOWAN: Well, I think how it is affecting this is in the office that I work at, there's probably 35 police officers in here, and every one of them is either involved with the situation at hand that's going on. Sure, and it just pains. It pains all of us to know what's happened to a fellow police officer, that they've been gunned down and murdered.

And sure, you become aware of it. I'm sitting here right now, drafting a complaint. You think about when you have to go out in the street today. I'm sure I'm going to be myself a little more alert to who's around me. If you go up to homes, a little more alert of who's around the doors, who's opening doors, who's behind you, who's in front of you.

And you always got to be aware of that, but I think something like this does heighten your awareness and does make you a little more apprehensive, especially the fact that if the suspects haven't been apprehended and if the suspects still are on the loose, and they don't know where they're at, how do I know or how does any other police officer know whatever door he goes to that they may not be the ones on the other side of the door today?

GARY: Thank you, sir. Good talking with you.

PAT MCGOWAN: Thank you, Gary. Have a good day.

GARY: You, too. Minneapolis Police Sergeant, Pat McGowan.