Albuquerque, where police use of force faces a U.S. Justice Department inquiry, is a violent place, Shaun Willoughby, vice president of the police union, tells NPR. Civilians simply need to be educated about what police can and can’t do. “I’m shocked every time somebody from our community asks me, ‘Well why didn’t you just shoot the gun out of his hand?’ Because we’re not ninjas, and that’s not realistic,” Willoughby says. “So I think there’s a huge breakdown of communication, what the expectations are, and what the reality behind the outcome is.”
Albuquerque police will get crisis intervention training, and they’ll no longer be able use their own personal weapons on duty or shoot at moving cars. Police say more change will come once the city and the Justice Department agree on a plan.