GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Lessons learned from a fatal shooting in Appleton include police protocol when it comes to dealing with medical emergencies.
“It’s going to be something that is probably going to create a lot of discussions.”
Appleton Police say they are giving officers the ability to use their discretion in deciding to handcuff those suffering from medical emergencies to ensure safety.
“There are more and more opportunities where we are seeing items that don’t even look like weapons that actually are weapons,” Officer Meghan Cash of the Appleton Police Department said.
Police say before the shootout, the suspect had a medical emergency from an opioid overdose and was revived with Narcan. Once the man was back up it was discovered that he had a weapon which he chose to use, shooting three and killing one. Cash says handcuffs and pat-downs before administrating medical treatment would help ensure that those in the area are safe.
“If that means having to quickly frisk somebody and possibly having to secure that person first, we want our first responders to be able to do that.”
Appleton Police are not alone.
Appleton Mayor Tim Hanna says tragedy always is tough, but it is important to take a close look at the situation and make the necessary adjustments so history does not repeat itself.
He says he is amazed at how the community came together as human beings showing all of the support. He says that was not something learned, but rather something confirmed that he already knew.
“When bad things happen we need to sit back and learn from it and learn some lessons.”
The Green Bay Police Department says that they’re also adjusting their protocol following the fatal shooting in Appleton, which killed firefighter Mitch Lundgaard.
It’s all about giving officers more power to use their own best judgment and discretion, according to Commander Kevin Warych with the Green Bay Police Department.
“So in the Green Bay Police Department, we’re going to train officers to really pat them down,” he explains. “They can handcuff them if they choose too.”
The protocol he’s describing, when responding to a medical emergency, is a shift strategy.
Commander Warych says the tragic incident has opened their eyes to the potential dangers in a routine medical call and want to ensure the utmost safety for their officers and the safety of the general public.
“Take that extra time to complete that pat down, up to and including putting them in handcuffs, so that everyone is safe and that this never happens again,” he explains.
The Appleton Police Department has issued similar changes in their policy following the fatal shooting, similarly aimed at protecting both officers and innocent bystanders.
“We learned and we will give officers more training,” says Commander Warych.
In the end, he hopes that the tragic incident serves as a reminder to police officers, firefighters, and emergency responders everywhere, that danger can prevent itself at any time.
“That situation will be on the mind of every single officer going on every single medical call until the end of time,” he explains.
The De Pere Fire Department is also making protocol changes.
“We are there to help the public and we are trying to do the best we can, but unfortunately times are changing and we are walking into more violent scenes,” said Battalion Chief Luke Pasterski of the De Pere Fire Dept.
Pasterski says body cam video from the shooting that claimed the life of Appleton firefighter Mitch Lundgaard shows the dangers first responders face.
“Oftentimes when we arrive on scene it’s rapidly escalating, and it’s not what we envisioned when we were dispatched to the call. There might be more to the story,” Pasterski said.
Following the incident in Appleton, crews from the De Pere fire station underwent a training. They’re hoping it will help avoid another deadly situation in the future.
“We chose to do some proactive for our firefighter-paramedic-EMTs and go over some safety best practices,” Pasterski said. “Things they can look for on EMS calls and what they can look for when responding to those.”
Pasterski says they’ll also rely on the training of law enforcement, especially when it comes to de-escalating tense and abnormal situations.
“Our first option is the police officer that’s on scene, allowing them to take care of that. That is their expertise, in that area. However, there are times that police officers are not able to respond to EMS calls with us, and at that time, we’re asking our staff to just ask some questions and get some more information, and if they’re still concerned for their safety, to take some steps to protect themselves.”
Changes in protocol for firefighters and law enforcement are being talked about all across Wisconsin.
“We are going to take that information and learn from it. We were the unfortinate city that this happened in, Mayor Hanna said.”
