An expert in police use of force with 25 years of experience as an officer spoke to a full capacity lecture hall of students Wednesday night.

Dr. Stephen Bishopp, the Associate Director for Research at the Caruth Police Institute, was invited by the criminal justice department to discuss some of the realities of policing.

Bishopp used videos from actual shooting scenarios in the field to have an open discussion with students on the realities and illusions of policing situations.

The conversation was particularly relevant because of the multiple police shootings that have been in the news this year.

Bishopp spoke about many of these situations, including the shooting in Ferguson, Missouri. Students were given a chance to openly discuss these specific incidents with Bishopp.

Michael Speanburg, a junior economics major and criminal justice minor, said the discussion analyzed the tough situations that officers come across in their careers.

“I think it’s important just so the common citizen knows the tough decisions and concerns that officers face in their normal active line of duty,” Speanburg said.

The Caruth Police Institute was created to train police officers in leadership and research into policing. Bishopp works in that research branch. He has done some research into cameras.

Body cameras on officers have been suggested as a way to determine if those tough decisions are made properly. Bishopp said these cameras would help with accountability but not offer all the answers citizens want.

“Body cameras are not going to be an end all be all,” Bishopp said. “They are going to help inform the criminal justice system, but they are not going to answer a lot of the questions that citizens want, such as why did they shoot in the first place.”

Bishopp said to know that officers are not motivated to be violent. They do not want problems.

“Officers are like anybody else,” Bishopp said. “They want to do their job with the path of least resistance. All that violence is the path of most resistance. It causes the most problems.”

Alex Dumas, a first-year criminal justice major, said he has wanted to be a police officer since he was young. He added that he wants people to know that many officers protect us in safe ways and do not resort to violence.

“There are some officers out there who have been in really tight situations that have never fired a shot with their firearm,” Dumas said. “I think that’s one thing that is really comforting to see. There are officers out there who do find other ways to protect society other than just shooting people.”