INDIANAPOLIS -- IMPD Chief Troy Riggs wants to convene a panel of officers and citizen to examine the number of shootings between police and suspects.
The goal is to see whether these deadly confrontations can be limited.
The most recent lethal confrontation between police and the public occurred Saturday night. Officers responded to the scene of an armed robbery in progress at the McDonald's at 4500 West 38th Street.
Investigators say one of the holdup suspects, 30-year-old Cameron Gover, raised his weapon in the direction of police and was shot and killed, the first suspect to die this year at the hands of IMPD.
MORE | Police shoot and kill robbery suspect at 38th and Lafayette
"You obviously have an armed robbery suspect, someone who has threatened someone before," Riggs said. "There's a lot that goes with that, remember. The officers had to make a split-second decision. And now it's going to take weeks, and maybe over a month, to investigate that fully and look at those actions."
The trend of interaction between police and public has become increasingly confrontational and violent.
MORE | 2015 now Indianapolis' deadliest year on record
Since March 2013, IMPD officers have been shot at 50 times. During those incidents, 12 officers have been injured by gunfire and two officers have been killed in the line of duty.
Between 2008 and 2011, IMPD shot and killed an average of two suspects a year.
Since 2012, those fatal shootings have trended upwards. Last year, IPMD shot and killed nine armed suspects.
CLICK THE MAP BELOW TO SEE ALL of 2015'S FATAL POLICE-ACTION SHOOTINGS:
Police say the panel to study violent interactions between the police and public is not an admission of wrongdoing, but rather what modern police departments do to try and protect themselves and the public they serve.
"When we're talking about use of force, that's the most critical element we have within the police force," Riggs said. "And we want to make sure we're using that only in necessary cases. And we want to make sure we're not putting our officers and the public in harm's way."
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