A shooting deeply impacts not only the individual who was shot, but the whole community. Bethel Police Chief Richard Simmons said that when shootings happen, people should remember the officers, who are also human and are affected by these tragedies.
“I ve got a police department right now that their hearts hurt. You know, because this affects us deeply,” Simmons said.
Besides the hit to the department’s morale, a police shooting can increase the burden of work on the other officers who weren’t involved. Because of the two separate shooting events, Simmons placed four officers on administrative leave to allow them time to emotionally process those events.