it takes the city of phoenix 16 months to admit that stupid decisions by two trigger happy cops caused their own deaths. yep we can alway rely on the police to quickly admit their mistakes. Original Article Report: Hasty decisions factor in 2 officers' deaths Judi Villa The Arizona Republic Dec. 16, 2005 12:00 AM Hasty decision-making and a breakdown in communications were primary factors in the deaths of two Phoenix police officers who were gunned down in an apartment-complex shootout 16 months ago, according to an internal report released late Thursday. And a review committee is raising questions about the Phoenix Police Department's long-standing take-charge-now culture, suggesting that greater "emphasis must be placed on slowing down the decision-making process" in high-pressure situations. Officers Jason Wolfe and Eric White were shot to death on Aug. 28, 2004, after they kicked in the apartment door of a delusional shooting suspect. Less than two minutes before, a Phoenix police dispatcher broadcast that the suspect, Douglas M. Tatar, was on the phone, alone in Apartment F267. "Says he has a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber handgun with him," the dispatcher said. Whether they heard the transmission is not clear. But the report issued by the review committee shows none of the five officers gathered on the landing outside Tatar's door responded to the dispatcher before they forced their way into the apartment. "We've always been aggressive," Phoenix police Chief Jack Harris said in an interview. "The key in tactical situations is that line between being aggressive and wanting to get the job done and catch the bad guy and going to the point where you're too aggressive and it's dangerous. "I don't think these officers were intentionally reckless or dangerous. The officers decided to make an entry that they probably shouldn't have at that point in time." The deaths of Wolfe and White were one of the worst tragedies for Phoenix police and sparked a communitywide outpouring of grief. The long-awaited "Las Palmaritas Report," named for the apartment complex where the shootout occurred, is a comprehensive examination of the fatal shooting. It was undertaken to pinpoint changes that could be made to prevent a similar tragedy in the future. All officers have received copies of the report. Wolfe, 27, and White, 30, had been called to the northwest Phoenix apartment complex after Tatar shot another man over a $100 debt. But within 17 minutes, both officers were mortally wounded, and Officer Chris Parese was injured, hit by another officer's ricocheting bullet. Tatar committed suicide. The scene was chaotic, the crowd hostile. Radio traffic from the shooting and a nearby officer-involved accident initially mixed on the same frequency. There was confusion, at first, about whether Tatar was alone, and there were reports that a shot had been fired inside Tatar's apartment. Still, officers quickly and effectively moved witnesses and innocent bystanders out of harm's way, evacuated nearby apartments and isolated the suspect in an apartment, according to the report. A communications operator tried to persuade Tatar to surrender. Amid the shooting, officers were able to pull Wolfe and White off the landing in under three minutes. But the just-completed review raises questions about whether important information was heard, understood and followed up on by officers before they stormed the apartment. In police reports released earlier this year, one of the officers said they all heard dispatchers say Tatar reported he was alone and had a gun. The new report says officers briefly discussed the need for an emergency entry, with Wolfe wanting to wait. Interviews with the surviving officers indicate not everyone believed they were going to make entry. None of the five broadcast an intent to enter the apartment or clearly communicated that to supervisors, according to the review. The department's specially trained tactical unit was not called until after the shooting. Jake Jacobsen, president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, said the report is not intended to point fingers but to spur "self-reflection." "What we need to reiterate in training is slow down. Make sure you've got all your information and evaluate it and then determine the need for speed," Jacobsen said. "It's difficult at that point to think, 'I don't have the information.' You're thinking, 'I've got all I need. Let's go.' " The issue, Jacobsen said, is "how do we make sure that take-charge attitude doesn't take us to a bad situation too quickly?" The Phoenix Police Department, like many others across the country, has fostered a culture that supports taking decisive action in difficult situations. In many instances on a daily basis, officials say that is appropriate. Yet as the average experience level declines because of a surge in retirements and the number of new hires, "it is incumbent on the department to be more vigilant than ever in providing proper oversight, especially in difficult, dynamic situations," the report says. "People who are experienced understand that the pressures to move quickly are pretty extreme," Assistant Phoenix Police Chief John Buchanan said. "It takes some experience and some training to know when to slow down. We hope to make that a higher priority. "If the decision-making process had slowed, I think, the outcome very easily could have been different." Harris said issues of training, communication and culture will be addressed over the next six months. The report suggests police look more critically at tactical decisions to identify officers "who may show a tendency to proceed on a hazardous course of action without due consideration" and provide them with additional training. It also recommends that supervisors avoid giving commendations that encourage poor tactics. Through training and practice, officers can learn "that being too aggressive can hurt you in particular situations," Harris said. By slowing down, officers have time to get a chaotic scene under control, objectively evaluate what they're dealing with, and weigh a variety of options. It also gives suspects time to calm down. "The bad guy is inside. You want to get them outside safely. You've got a variety of choices to do that. If you get in a hurry, you negate most of the options," Harris said. "Slowing down isn't always the appropriate response. But on average, you usually will make better decisions."