Over the last few years, there has been a lot of talk nationally about police brutality and how cops in general determine when to use force.

We’re not going to bring up a specific case here, but there are countless examples where critics have questioned the decisions made by police officers.

We can argue about it until we’re blue in the face, but at the end of the day, use of force is a judgement made by police officers.

We reported earlier this week about who have to quickly determine the right course of action the LaGrange Police Department’s low use of force stats. Last year, force was used in less than 1 percent of arrests, and no gun has been fired since 2012.

That’s an incredible statistic.

LPD officers undergo Crisis Intervention Team training and learn how to deal with individuals with mental health problems. They also are trained to use persuasion and try to convince people that they should calm down. Officers use force as a last resort.

We’re confident that at some point in the last six years, there were probably a couple of situations where the LPD could’ve fired a gun.

Instead those officers likely reached for a Taser, Pepperball or utilized a K9 officer — just some of the ways the LPD has avoided firing a gun. The department and its officers should be applauded for that.

All of the use of force statistics are available in the LPD’s public safety report for the year 2017. We encourage you to visit the LPD website and to take a look at those numbers.