Dr. Bill Lewinski, director of Minnesota State University Mankato's Force Science Research Center is the central source of an upcoming edition of "Panorama," an investigative news program broadcast on BBC television.
The Force Science Research Center's studies into lethal force and the myriad psychological and sensory factors that play into a police officer's decision to use it have been used in trials throughout the U.S. The Oct. 15 edition of "Panorama" covers the first time the studies have been brought to a British shooting.
In 1999, two London police officers were arrested on suspicion of murder, a charge based on the pair's shooting of a suspect who brandished a table leg and whose fatal wound was to the back of the head.
The two officers hired Lewinski, whose explanation of what happened in the few seconds in which the pair made their decision resulted in no charges filed against them.
The episode of "Panorama" is titled "Why Cops Kill," and examines Lewinski's findings. Promotional material for the episode states: "Dr. Lewinski's research proves that firearms officers suffer the same human frailties as the rest of us when facing a split-second life-and-death situation. They can only see and hear what they are focusing on. There are major holes in their memories. They're not the infallible superheroes Hollywood would have us believe."
"Panorama" is the longest-running television news magazine in the world, launched in 1953 on the BBC. For more information on the program, click here.
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