A Police Report Narrative Research Essay

Ettinger’s Confrontation with Sahlah Ridgeway

Ettinger and I were used to tense situations from our jobs in especially criminalized areas of the city. On a particular February night, Sahlah Ridgeway, 32, approached Ettinger and me as we were reacting to a report of drug dealing. We soon found ourselves at the point of this woman’s sawed-off firearm. Miss Ridgeway ignored Ettinger’s repeated requests for her to lay down her weapon and instead chose to ominously aim the shotgun at us. (Sturtz, 1). Ettinger shot her and killed her out of fear for our safety. Naturally, after having killed a civilian in a confrontation, Ettinger had to stand trial for his action, in order to ascertain whether his

Ettingers’s Trial

actions were grounded in logic or were unjust. A grand jury found him not guilty of all counts. Having been there, I can attest to Ettinger’s innocence.

Confrontation with Johnny Gaston and Jose Reyes

Working in the Crime Reduction Team, Ettinger and I were on patrol when we came upon two men reclining against a van which was parked outside a car wash and gas station. Since neither of them seemed to be refilling the gas, it was evident that something suspicious was afoot. When we approached the two, the driver, Johnny Gaston obeyed our directive to stay put. His friend Rees, however, was less inclined to do so. Ettinger and I chased after the suspect who had bolted out of the minivan. Following in pursuit of him, the suspect attempted to evade us, but to no avail. Just after giving pursuit, we both saw the suspect digging into his waistband, an act which could only mean one of two things; that he was reaching to dispose of any drugs they may have, or that they are reaching for a weapon, most likely a gun or a knife. We chased the suspect, Jose Reyes, down into an alley where it became evident that there was no escape for him (Sturtz, 1). Turning back to face us, He drew his gun on us and in turn, we had to draw our weapons in order to defend ourselves. Though the suspect had shown aggressive action towards us, neither Ettinger nor I fired our weapons. The suspect then went on to throw his gun on the roof of a neighboring building and dived to the ground. While this was a favorable ending for Ettinger and I this time, it was far from the only way that confrontations between suspects and officers end.

Officers’ Approach to Confrontations

Lieutenant Geno Turo, our supervisor pointed out in a press briefing that officers are regularly placed in such scenarios as the use of violence to defend oneself is permitted by the law, but, most of them opt not to (Sturtz, 1). Another officer, Piedmont, asserted that the suspect in this instance had saved his own life. By electing to throw away his firearm and surrender to the authorities, Reyes averted the possibility of the police using deadly force. It is also noteworthy that by not shooting at us, Reyes also saved our lives, a fact which we Ettinger and I were sure to communicate when we thanked him later on. Though it is possible for police officers to have peaceful interactions with suspected criminals, anxiety, fear and tension often warps such encounters into violent ones, such as was the case when we attempted to arrest Sahlah Ridgeway. Following police direction such as the case between officer Ettiger, myself and Jose Reyes.

Works Cited

Ken Sturtz |. “2 Syracuse Officers, an Armed Suspect: Inside a Split-Second, Life-or-Death Decision.” Syracuse.com, Syracuse.com, 3 Nov. 2016,

www.syracuse.com/crime/index.ssf/2016/11/syracuse_police_officers_who_chased_armed_suspect_typical_of_police_situations.html.