Report Questions NYPD Training

New York, NY —

An outside review of shootings by New York City police officers generally praises the department's procedures, but it finds many lapses in officers' training. The Rand Institute's Bernard Rostker says trainees only get to practice a particular shooting scenario once during their six months at the Police Academy, and students who get it wrong don't get a chance to repeat it.

ROSTKER: If a student is marginal in his mastering of a technique, he'll get some remedial instruction in the form of a verbal exchange, but there is no time for him to go back and practice.

REPORTER: Rostker said that the department should hold smaller classes every two weeks. The study also finds that recruits are not sufficiently warned on the dangers of un-holstering a weapon when they merely want to de-escalate a confrontation.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says the department will review all of the recommendations and figure out which to implement.