The number of law enforcement involved shootings in Larimer County this year seems to be on the rise compared with previous years.

So far in 2017, five police shootings have taken place throughout the county. Four were fatal.

Four of the five shootings have been ruled justified by the Larimer County district attorney, with the most recent occurring Oct. 1 and no ruling yet from the district attorney.

Since 2011, of the 16 other police shootings in the county, officers were cleared of wrongdoing in every incident.

Larimer County police shootings

2017: 5

2016: 3

2015: 3

2014: 2

2013: 2

2012: 1

2011: 1

Each agency has its own use of force policy, but after each incident involving a shooting, the 8th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team will investigate before District Attorney Cliff Riedel issues a ruling.

The Oct.1 shooting occured when Sgt. Justin Gallimore of Fort Collins Police Services shot and killed 26-year-old George Newman at Americas Best Value Inn, after Newman reportedly wielded a gun when police made contact with him. Gallimore is on paid administrative leave, pending further investigation as is protocol.

On Tuesday, Newman was named a suspect in the killing of 66-year-old Sherri Allman.

What's causing the rise in police shootings in Larimer County?

Fort Collins Police Services Interim Chief Terry Jones said a lot of factors could play a part in the rise of police shootings in the county, including mental health and substance abuse issues.

But a large factor that's unique to recent years is the political climate, he said. "Unfortunately, there seems to be a bit of a tone in America regarding not adhering to authority, questioning authority."

And while Jones said there's a time in place for questioning law enforcement officers and their actions, that time is not during an armed encounter, whether a person thinks the officers' actions are "right, wrong or indifferent."

"When we're involved in those situations, we're requesting compliance but we're also demanding it," he said.

That means the individuals involved in an incident will still have the opportunity to question an officer's actions, including in the form of a civil lawsuit, Jones said, "but not at the point of contact."

He adds that people have that right and should be able to exercise it — "This is not a police state."

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Officers' use of deadly force, Jones said, is always a last resort.

At a time when nationwide, police are facing increased scrutiny for the fatal shootings of unarmed black men, Jones dismisses claims that officers' actions were unjust, saying in 99 out of 100 cases, "it has nothing to do with race. It has everything to do with behavior."

The demographics and racial makeup of a community will make a difference in the number of people of various races who make contact with law enforcement. And while he acknowledges that there are instances of police who act inappropriately, he said they're an anomaly.

Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith echoed some of Jones' sentiments, citing "emboldened lawless folks" and a rise in violent crime. In a previous interview, he credited that rise in crime partly to the current political environment on a nationwide and state level.

Smith said that with an increase in crime, coupled with an increase on assaults on officers, "one can reasonably expect to see more lethal force incidents by officers as well."

"While we have better training on dealing with people in crisis and we have more effective less lethal options, that doesn't mean we can always de-escalate every violent situation," he said.

But a member of the interfaith group Clergy for a Safe and Just Fort Collins says fatal police shootings need not be inevitable.

The Rev. Joseph Moore said his group formed after national police shootings involving black men caused outrage across the country because several of its members had colleagues in those areas who said they wished they'd had better relationships with law enforcement.

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The group formed to ensure that the same couldn't be said of Fort Collins, and the members have regularly met with Fort Collins Police Services about various issues, including police use of force.

And while Moore said while it appeared that former police chief John Hutto attempted to enact a more progressive policing model for Fort Collins Police Services, it didn't seem to trickle down to all its officers.

With the city undergoing a process to hire a new police chief, "we think this is such a critical time for the department," Moore said.

Throughout their discussions, Moore said members of the group expressed a belief that some policing policies need to change, with a need for more focus on non-fatal use of force.

For example, two of six police shootings in the county between April 2016 and July 2017 involved suspects with knives, Moore said, and that shouldn't necessarily warrant a fatal ending.

"It's all so intertwined and all connected to decisions that were made years ago, directly affecting how the police are acting today," Moore said.

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That's not to say the group wants to bash police or thinks everything they do is wrong, Moore points out, but members want to create more accountability and links between police leadership and the people they serve.

It's also about changing a mindset, Moore said, and for police officers to know and publicly acknowledge that even when they may have done everything "by the book," there's still work to do and better ways to protect not just suspects but officers.

"The police have always existed because people don’t listen, and how do we train the police and how do we provide them tools where they go into those situations and not amp them up" is part of the group's focus, Moore said.

But to dismiss the increase in shootings as political, Moore said, is to ignore all other aspects that go into police use of force, including the upper hand officers have over suspects.

How do officers determine whether to use lethal force?

Loveland Police Department Lt. Brent Newbanks is a firearms instructor who trains officers on various aspects of use of force.

Newbanks said the department's policy is governed by state law.

"It's critical that (officers) have a good understanding of that statute, on when is the appropriate time to use lethal force as opposed to other types of force or no force at all," he said.

The Supreme Court case Graham v. Connor is also often consulted in discussions about use of force for police across the nation, and Newbanks said case law says use of force must be "objectively reasonable," taking into consideration circumstances and an officer's point of view.

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The case law also provides a three-prong test: severity of the crime, immediacy of the threat to the officer or others, and whether a suspect is actively resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest.

Officers' training includes scenarios where they have to respond to various levels of force.

"We try to teach officers tactics that provide more time and distance in those situations," Newbanks said. Because when officers are confronted with those types of situations, they often have to make split-second decisions.

And in most lethal force situations, he said, "that's why there are so few choices," because the officer often doesn't have cover or distance to use a different method of force to protect him or herself and other civilians.

Officers also take into account ability of the suspect to cause harm, opportunity for the suspect to cause harm and what's known as imminent jeopardy, or an immediate threat.

Oftentimes, people will ask why officers don't shoot a person in the leg, for example, rather than shooting to kill. But Newbanks said the officer is trying to stop the threat. The target, he said, is always center mass, based on what the officer can see of the person.

This story has been updated to reflect the correct rank of Sgt. Justin Gallimore of Fort Collins Police Services.

Reporter Saja Hindi covers public safety and local politics. You can follow her on Twitter @BySajaHindi or email her at shindi@coloradoan.com.