Simulated deadly force confrontations take place within seconds and sometimes within a few feet — known as “bad-breath close” — at the Oregon Public Safety Academy in Salem, where recruits training to be cops learn that one shot may not be enough to stop a threat.

“The problem with handguns is they’re notoriously bad people-stoppers,” said Cpl. Scott Willadsen, a survival-skills trainer.

The academy trains recruits for 16 weeks in topics from criminal law to how to make split-second decisions that could save others’ lives or their own.

Some of the training scenarios bear an almost eerie similarity to Medford police officers’ use of deadly force Jan. 22 to stop an 18-year-old man armed with a knife who reportedly advanced on them. Elias Angel Ruiz could not be subdued by a Taser, and was wearing a bulletproof vest underneath his clothing, police said.

It was Medford’s second law-enforcement shooting in two weeks. On Jan. 5, U.S. marshals shot 20-year-old federal fugitive James “Jimmy” Georgeson outside a west Medford grocery store after he allegedly rammed their car with his vehicle.

Officers involved in both shootings have been placed on administrative leave while they await a grand jury’s decision on whether their actions were justified.

At the 212-acre academy run by the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training, recruits learn techniques for diffusing situations before they turn violent. But they’re also trained not to hesitate if an attacker puts an officer or bystanders in a life-threatening position.

Three officers were killed in the line of duty last year in Oregon. A total of 177 were killed in the U.S., a 16 percent increase over 2010, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Different scenarios

The police academy runs recruits through different scenarios that require quick decisions that are subjected to instant review by instructors. A large set of life-size city scenes is used to give students a taste of real-life scenarios in bars, buildings and houses.

Other scenarios use computer simulations.

In one computerized bank robbery scenario, shots are fired and a man runs out of the building holding a gun.

Many recruits instinctively fire on the man, even though he’s not pointing a gun at anyone when he steps out of the building, said Willadsen. He said the man could be a plainclothes policeman, rather than the bank robber. He said officers need to make sure before they fire or an innocent person could get killed.

Willadsen said some scenarios provide a dozen or more clues that a situation is escalating toward violence.

Split-second decisions

The amount of time an officer has to make the decision to pull the trigger can be only a few seconds, but the events leading up to the decision have to be considered and remembered because they will be part of a grand jury inquiry.

Even new recruits at the academy realize what will be required of them as they patrol the streets of Medford.

“It can escalate very fast,” said Michael Smelser, a 25-year-old from Ashland who is undergoing training at the academy after advancing from a community service officer position in the Medford Police Department.

Smelser, who had dealt with difficult situations as a CSO, said he is fully aware that he might be called upon to use deadly force, even though most officers go their entire careers without using that option.

“Before we apply for the position, that is definitely running through your mind,” he said.

He said that every day he is on the job, he mentally prepares himself for potentially stressful situations.

“You always read people’s body language,” he said.

Other Medford recruits are in their fourth week of training at the academy.

“You are always very aware when you approach any situation,” said Elizabeth Muck, 22, of Eagle Point. “You have to be aware of everything around you.”

Medford recruit Christopher Moore, 23, of Central Point, said situational awareness is a skill that officers must develop and confront constantly.

“Complacency kills,” he said.

Even though deadly force is an important issue, Willadsen said the majority of training shows officers how to control situations through a serious, confident manner. Otherwise a potential attacker will spot weaknesses and potentially exploit them, gaining the upper hand.

“You lost,” he said. “This guy knows you’re not serious.”

Officers are trained to ignore personal problems or their own emotions when confronting a tense situation. Willadsen said they need to learn to breathe through any fears or emotions they might have.

If someone doesn’t obey, officers could resort to pepper spray, batons, take-downs or just drawing their weapons. In 99 percent of situations, an officer in a uniform is enough to make people comply, Willadsen said.

“Most give up when you show up,” he said.