About 15 years earlier, Woody Deant had been arrested over his involvement in a drag racing incident that left two people dead. Deant, whose image at the firing range had been sprayed by bullets, had spent four years behind bars. But today he describes himself as a dedicated father and\u00a0\u201ca career man\u201d.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n “I’m not even living that life according to how they portrayed me as,”<\/em><\/em>\u00a0he told the station.\u00a0“I’m a father. I’m a husband. I’m a career man. I work 9 to 5.”<\/em><\/p>\n Describing his reaction to seeing his face being used as target practice, Deant said he was\u00a0\u201cspeechless.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe picture actually has like bullet holes,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Deant said.\u00a0\u201cOne in my forehead and one in my eye. \u2026I was speechless,”<\/em>\u00a0he said.<\/p>\n North Miami Beach Police Chief J. Scott Dennis defended the actions of his officers, some of whom he said are minorities themselves. Dennis said his department also uses images of whites and Latinos for target practice.<\/p>\n “Our policies were not violated,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0the police chief was quoted by NPR as saying.\u00a0\u201cThere is no discipline forthcoming for the individuals who were involved with this.”<\/em><\/p>\n He admitted, however, that the officers could have exercised better judgment, because one of the men, Woody Deant,\u00a0“would be someone that was on the streets of North Miami Beach.”<\/em>\u00a0<\/em> Several federal and state law enforcement agencies rejected Dennis’ claim that use of real people for target practice is routine procedure, NBC6 reported. Most police departments purchase commercial targets for their use.<\/p>\n However, as past events have shown, even commercially bought targets are not immune to criticism and controversy.<\/p>\n In February 2013, Law Enforcement Targets Inc. came under fire for selling life-like\u00a0shooting range cut-outs<\/a>\u00a0featuring images of people not immediately associated with violence, like a pregnant woman, children holding hands and a high-school aged girl.<\/p>\n In every image, the suspect is shown holding a gun, meant to teach police to act without hesitation in even the most unusual life-or-death scenarios.<\/p>\n Not all shooting range posters, however, are so readily excusable in the police force. In April 2013, a Florida policeman lost his job for using photos of\u00a0Trayvon Martin<\/a>, the young black man who was shot and killed last year by a neighborhood watchman, for target practice.<\/p>\n In August 2014, the shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by white police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri set of weeks of nationwide protests against excessive police force.<\/p>\n
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\nDennis told the NBC affiliate that such images were crucial for\u00a0\u201cfacial recognition drills,”<\/em>\u00a0and the inventory also includes white and Hispanic faces.<\/p>\n
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