Updated Nov 3, 2009 - 7:45 am
Police academy uses shooting as teachable moment
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Officer Britt Sweeney, who survived the ambush attack, continues to recover from her injuries. She tells friends on Facebook that she's doing okay.
At the police academy where she graduated in August, trainers are heralding her actions and using this shooting to emphasize the significance of training.
Captain Rex Caldwell gathered his students for a head-on discussion of the murder of Officer Timothy Brenton and to remind them of the dangers of the profession they've chosen.
"One must never let their guard down completely on a traffic stop or on an investigation because these kinds of things can happen as evidenced by this incident," said Caldwell.
Officer Sweeney was Caldwell's student at the Burien academy. Many of the instructors and students know her.
"We want to have them thinking about these types of these incidents from a tactical aspect of 'how do you protect yourself and your community' and from a mental health standpoint," said Caldwell.
Caldwell reminded his students that this kind of attack can happen on their first day as a rookie or their final day before retirement.
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