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Cop Could Have Been Saved By Bulletproof Vest
posted (November 5, 2018)
And that sudden hardline may be a direct response to the killing of an officer in the line of duty. PC Osbourne Martinez was responding to a robbery in progress at Belcove Hotel on Friday morning when a robber shot him in the ribs as he stepped into the hotel - he died shortly after from that injury. Deputy Williams narrated the chain of events that led to his murder, and the lessons learned for police.

Chester Williams- Deputy ComPol
"A call was made to the police control room of a robbery in progress at the establishment. The police responded as we normally do and you would appreciate the fact that with the ongoing operations on ED 1, that the police's response time to incidents are normally within a minute; within a minute we'd be on a scene. In a case of a robbery or a burglary in progress we always try to get their so we could catch the suspects in the act. I am sure that that is what was on the contemplation of these officers when they were approaching this scene. When they got there the officers alighted the vehicle and approached the establishment, opened the door and as PC Martinez opened the door he was fired upon and that was it."

Jules Vasquez - Reporter
"And then what happened after that that led to the onsite interception of the shooters."

Chester Williams
"Well, the quick reaction of the officers who were there as well as those who were on the boat from San Pedro, who were across by Bottom Dalla, again was significant in the apprehension of the three suspects. We know that after they were fired upon by the officers from San Pedro they dropped their weapons into the river. We managed to recover one and they got the coast guard and Coast Guard recovered the other and the suspects were detained along with their weapons. And so, we will be looking at training our officers in terms of looking at rules of engagement, how you approach a situation of such and other volatile situations so that the officers will be able to respond more adequately. You would know that for the most part we are not a country where you are seeing that the criminal elements are targeting the police. So, police officers over the years have taken that for granted and I think that it is about time that we begin to look at how we operate and look at how we ensure the safety of our officers."

Jules Vasquez
"In an ideal situation he should have handled it in a different way. Should he have waited for the other officers he was responding with and then made a more tactical entrance of, I don't know, kicking open the door first or something to not be exposed upon entry?"

Chester Williams
"Well in hindsight we can say many things but neither of us are in a position to be able to think for PC Martinez. He was a brave officer and you know, at times, officers act zealously. PC Martinez's death is heart wrenching for all of us. In the department we see each other as brothers and sisters even though we may have differences of opinion. We may have issues among ourselves at times but we do love and appreciate each other. When he was killed it was like a family member had been killed. So, most natural, emotions will be high but as a police organization, regardless of the circumstances, we are expected to always maintain a certain level of professionalism. We cannot develop that criminal propensity and want to go out and take the law into our own hands. As an organization we have rules of engagement and must ensure that whatever we do is within the ambits of the law."

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