Rev. Jarrett Maupin is a former Democratic congressional candidate who describes himself as a “Progressive Baptist Preacher,” a “Civil Rights Campaigner,” and a “Radical Political Activist” on his Twitter profile. He led a demonstration last month against the Phoenix Police Department after one of their officers shot an unarmed man.
But earlier this week, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office extended an invitation to Maupin to participate in an exercise where he would find himself in three simulated life threatening scenarios police officers could experience while on the job, KSAZ reported.
The first scenario featured a suspect by a vehicle in a parking lot. Maupin permitted the suspect to go behind the vehicle before he reemerged. The suspect discharged his firearm at Maupin, resulting in the civil right’s leader’s ‘death.’ He responded to a verbal disturbance between two males for his next scenario. “What’s going on today gentlemen? What are you doing?,” he asked both men. One of the suspects rushed Maupin, causing him to discharge his firearm at the suspect’s center mass. When KSAZ asked why he did that, he replied, “Hey, he rushed me.” I shot because he was in that zone, I didn’t see him armed, he came clearly to do some harm to my person. It’s hard to make that call; it shakes you up.
The final scenario involved a suspect walking down the street, as KSAZ explains. Maupin is able to get the suspect on the ground, though he is not complying. “I need you to keep your hands up sir, I need you to keep your hands up sir, I need to check that’s in the waistband,” he said. No shots were discharged, though the suspect did have a knife in his waistband. KSAZ’s Troy Hayden performed the scenarios after Maupin without seeing what he did, and the results were the same.
After going through the scenarios, the activist pastor conceded the merits to how officers do their job. “I didn’t understand how important compliance was, but after going through this, yes my attitude has changed – this happens in 10-15 seconds. People need to comply for their own sake,” he said. Maupin thanked the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office on Twitter:
Anti-Cop Preacher Activist Goes Through Police Training...Has Eye-Opening Experience
“I didn’t understand how important compliance was."
A self described “Progressive Baptist Preacher, Civil Rights Campaigner, and Radical Political Activist” had an eye-opening experience when he filled the shoes of police officers and saw what they go through in day-to-day operations.
Reverand Jarrett Maupin, who has been a vocal opponent of law enforcement, most recently leading civil rights protests in Arizona against the killing of Rumain Brisbon, had his mind changed and acquired a much greater respect for police officers after going through three scenarios where he played an officer.
Bearing Arms breaks down the three scenarios.
“In the first scenario, the actor was able to shoot and “kill” Maupin before the the Reverend got his gun out of the holster, even though he’d had his hand on the butt of his gun from the start.
In the second scenario, where Maupin portrayed an officer arriving to break up a confrontation between two unarmed men, on of the two unarmed men started walking aggressively towards him, refusing commands to stop.
As the man continues walking toward him and closes to within feet of him, the civil rights activist who protested police officers for shooting the unarmed Brison, opened fire.
In the third scenario, Maupin was an arresting officer with a suspect on the ground that he was attempting to search, where the suspect refused to give him his hands. Maupin does not shoot. It is later revealed that the suspect has a large knife hidden in his waistband.”
Maupin never understood the importance of listening to officers. He did not understand how most scenarios unfold in seconds and not minutes.
“I didn’t understand how important compliance was,” he said. “But after going through this, yeah, my attitude has changed.”
“This is all unfolding in ten to fifteen seconds… people need to comply with the orders of law enforcement officers for their own safety.
