BPD discusses officer-involved shooting investigation process

In 2018, Bakersfield Police Department officers have had in three officer-involved shootings.  Following an officer-involved shooting, an investigation is launched.  Sergeant Ryan Kroeker said a typical call for service can turn violent very quickly and officers have to make split second decisions.  "All of the sudden, things are very quiet and peaceful, the next thing is it's very serious and very violent and people's lives are at stake. Sometimes officers, sometimes citizens," said Kroeker.  The internal investigation is two-part. Homicide detectives are called out and internal affairs or I.A. is notified. They each conduct their own investigation.  "The detectives assigned to the investigations division are basically investigating whether or not any law violations occurred." Kroeker said. "The administrative side, composed of I.A. detectives, they're trying to determine whether or not the shots fired were within department policy." The investigation can take weeks or months depending on how elaborate a scene is or how many officers were involved.