Every day police officers put their lives on the line to keep your communities safe. Within the past few days, they've been the target of serious violence here in the Ark-La-Tex. The KTAL Trouble Shooters spent most of Wednesday riding along with a Shreveport Police Officer discussing that very issue. "It's in the back of my mind at all times," said Bill Goodin, a Shreveport Police corporal. "The next suspect I deal with might be the one that tries to hurt me." Shreveport patrol officers spend an average of 7 hours a day patrolling the streets. Yet, at any given moment, a fairly calm day can turn deadly "It's a fact that police officers do get hurt and killed in the line of duty while we're doing our job," Goodin said. In fact, 4 Louisiana police officers lost their lives in the line of duty just last year. However, despite the apparent danger, Goodin says Shreveport's cops are ready for it. "We have an extremely good training academy," Goodin said. "And when our officers come out of the academy they learn how to be police officers on the street." Officers even go through yearly training courses to brush up on their skills and have the latest technology on their side. Despite the tools and the training, perhaps their hardest task is being prepared mentally. "You kind of have to keep yourself out of that mental rut," Goodin said. "You have to keep yourself mentally sharp." It is worth noting that despite the recent rash of officer involved incidents, crime in Shreveport is actually at a 26 year low.
