Police Training

Angela Macdougall is a wife, mother, and S.W.A.T. team sniper. This program explores what it is like to balance a career in a risky, high-visibility, male-dominated occupation with marriage and motherhood. Angie and her husband, Chris, talk about the demands of law enforcement-the need for objectivity, the fight against cynicism, the skepticism of fellow officers, the emphasis on physical fitness-and the sacrifices they have both made to accommodate her ten-and-a-half years on the police force. Despite the statistically high rate of divorce among police officers, Angie and Chris believe they have beaten the odds. (25 minutes)

Southeast Los Angeles: it could be the most violent 10 square miles in America. In LAPD, Peter Jennings reports from inside that notorious police department, riding with anti-gang officers, interviewing top brass, and listening to community members. Focusing on Chief William Bratton's efforts to repeat the crime-reduction success of New York City-and to go one better by building trust in poor, predominantly minority neighborhoods-the program explores how a military-style police force with a brutal reputation struggles not just to stem violence, but to dig up its roots. A challenging and intimate look at cops trying to reinvent themselves, and their city. (43 minutes)

Beset with the catchphrase racial profiling," police in many American cities have responded with their own terminology: "selective disengagement," "tactical detachment," and the code NC/NC-"no contact, no complaints." In this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel reports on how police are moving from active to passive law enforcement in the wake of controversy, resulting in a spike of violent crimes. His discussion panel includes Keith Fangman, president of the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police; Reverend Damon Lynch III, president of Cincinnati's Black United Front; and Larry Gossett, the only African-American member of Seattle's King County Metropolitan Council. (23 minutes)"

Suicide among police officers is a dramatic example of what can happen when those entrusted with the protection of others fail to protect and care for themselves. This program, produced by the New York City Police Foundation, focuses on the underlying problems-alcohol or drug abuse, severe relationship problems, difficulty in dealing with violence-that can, if unchecked and unresolved, lead to suicide. Police officers, trained to appear invulnerable and in control, are less likely to admit they need help, and are therefore at greater risk of suicide. This very moving program provides a forum for understanding and perhaps ameliorating the pressures that lead to suicide for those in positions of control. (39 minutes)

I want doctors! I'm gonna kill doctors! I want white coats!" In 1993, gunman Damacio Torres shot up the Los Angeles County-USC Healthcare emergency room and took two hostages. Using the Torres case as a springboard, this program explains the tricky business of hostage negotiation while seeking to understand the mentality of hostage-taking. Psychologist Kris Mohandie, SWAT team supervisor Lt. Michael Albanese, and former hostage Anne Tournay, all present that day, offer keen observations on the five-hour standoff. Psychologist John Potter, of Exeter University, and Stephen Romano, of the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit, provide additional insights. (47 minutes)"