Slips and capture

Slips and capture is a type of error that may occur in high-stress situations. It has been described as a phenomenon in the psychology of human error, such that a person may inadvertently perform one action while intending to do another.

The term "slips and capture" became more widely known in the early 21st century in the United States, after being referred to by law enforcement in two prominent fatal police shooting cases in 2009 and 2015. In both cases, the police officer claimed to have shot a suspect while intending to use a Taser.[1][2][3]

Others commenting about the alleged handgun-taser confusion have referred to the concept as "junk science".[4] Philip Stinson of Bowling Green State University said "It's not something that's supported by a testable theory. There's no peer-reviewed articles that would support this. ... It's not generally accepted by the scientific community."[4]

Background and history

The concept of "slips and capture" has been studied in the psychology of human error, and efforts to prevent error.[5] It was thoroughly described in 1990 by James Reason.[6]

The concept has been addressed in efforts to improve business, including computer and program design,[6][7] and medical practices in order to avoid preventable error.[8] Both terms are used in error terminology:[9] slips are defined as "errors in the performance of skill-based behaviors, typically when our attention is diverted;"[5] and capture refers to "a type of slip where a more frequent and more practiced behavior takes place when a similar, but less familiar, action was intended."[10]

Shooting of Oscar Grant
Main article: Shooting of Oscar Grant

Early on New Year's Day of 2009, Oscar Grant III was fatally shot by Bay Area Rapid Transit officer Johannes Mehserle, who was detaining the young man with others after a reported fight on the train.[11] At his bail hearing in late January 2009, Mehserle said that he had intended to use his Taser, but inadvertently grabbed his pistol instead.[12][13] In 2010 a jury convicted Mehserle of involuntary manslaughter, acquitting him of charges of voluntary manslaughter.

The phrase "slips and capture" was used by Bill Lewinski in 2009, a consultant in police use of force who was part of Mehserle's defense team. Lewinski was reported by the Wall Street Journal to have a doctorate in psychology from Union Institute & University, an online college.[14] His company, Force Science Institute, specializes in consulting to police departments. Its website advertises: "We save lives and reputations."[15] Lewinski published a newsletter article on the "Slips and Capture" theory in his "Force Science News #154" after he began work on the defense of Mehserle.[16]

Shooting of Eric Courtney Harris
Main article: 2015 shooting of Eric Harris

44-year-old Eric Courtney Harris was shot to death April 2, 2015, by Tulsa city police during an undercover sting in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As Harris was being subdued, Tulsa County Reserve Deputy Robert Charles "Bob" Bates, 73, fatally shot Harris in the back, according to the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office. Bates used the concept of "slips and capture" in his defense, saying that he had intended to use his Taser on Harris.[17][18]

During a CNN interview in 2015, after this term was used by the Tulsa Police Department in reference to the fatal shooting of Eric Courtney Harris, a criminal justice expert said that there was no scientific basis for the theory of "slip and capture". He said most courts would reject the argument as inadmissible.[19]

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See also
  • Death of Adam Salter, a shooting that a coroner suggested may have been intended as a taser firing

References
  1. "Tulsa Officer Says He Mistook Handgun for Taser". The Wall Street Journal.
  2. "Officials call shooting a "slips and capture" event". One News Page.
  3. "Oklahoma Deputy Tells Dying Man Shot by Accident, "Fuck Your Breath," as he Gasps His Final Breaths – PINAC". Photographyisnotacrime.com. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
  4. Shoichet, Catherine E.; Morris, Jason; Lavandera, Ed (April 14, 2015). "Tulsa shooting: Deputy Robert Bates charged". CNN. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
  5. "Intro to the psychology of human error and medical errors". HumanFactorsMD. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  6. "Human error – slips and mistakes". Interaction Design Foundation. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  7. "Skill, Rule, and Knowledge-Based Behaviours and Errors". Crew Resource Management. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  8. "Patient Safety Tip of the Week Archive". Patient Safety Solutions. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  9. "Glossary of Error-Proofing Terms". Mistakeproofing.com. Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  10. "Usability First – Usability Glossary – capture error". Retrieved 2015-05-16.
  11. "Court Gives Oscar Grant's Father OK To Sue Ex-BART Cop For Fatal Shooting « CBS San Francisco". CBSlocal.com San Francisco. 2013-07-30. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
  12. "Violence after California police shooting trial verdict – BBC News". BBC. 2010. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
  13. Bulwa, Demian (January 30, 2009). "Skeptical judge grants bail to former BART cop". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009.
  14. "Expert in deadly force training criticized for record on police shootings". Wall Street Journal. Host.madison.com. 2014-07-31. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
  15. "About Force Science". Forcescience.org. 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
  16. "Force Science explains "slips-and-capture errors"..." Force science News #154. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
  17. "Sources: Supervisors told to falsify reserve deputy's training records; department announces internal review". Tulsa World. Tulsaworld.com. 2015. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
  18. "Video of fatal shooting by reserve deputy shown at Sheriff's Office press conference". Tulsaworld.com. 2015. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
  19. "How easy is it to confuse a gun for a Taser? - CNN.com". Edition.cnn.com. 2015-04-21. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
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