POUGHKEEPSIE – Officers involved in a recent incident had been placed on mandatory administrative leave and are in the process of dealing with the side effects. “They’re all coping with it properly,” said City of Poughkeepsie Police Chief Tom Pape.
A police officer used lethal force to save the life of his partner on August 20 on Main Street in Poughkeepsie and innocent bystanders who were in the area, according to department officials. Leopoldo Duartepalacios, 37, pulled a 9mm semi-automatic pistol from his waistband and pointed it at one officer who was trying to interact with him. The police had made contact with him after receiving 911 calls reporting an armed man walking in the area of 600 Main Street.
“We train for all types of occasions and scenarios,” Pape said. “The last thing we want to do is use our weapons, which is why we have de-escalation techniques, we have crisis intervention training – that’s why we have tactical moves that can prevent this type of thing.” He did stress that this encounter escalated within seconds of the initial contact. “In some cases, unfortunately, the scene escalates in a short amount of time to where the threat needs to be neutralized for the safety of not only the officers but the surrounding area.”
The officer’s use of lethal force resulted in the suspect being injured, treated by police at the scene, and then transported to the hospital for additional treatment of his non-life-threatening injury and released to police custody a short time later. He was charged, arraigned, and sent to the Dutchess County Jail, where he remains. The officers involved were also evaluated at the hospital for what Chief Pape describes as the effects of an “adrenaline dump.” “The body dumps an inordinate amount of adrenaline into the system, which is human nature – fight or flight,” the chief explained talking about the physiological experience an officer experiences in tense situations such as…
Read the full article here