William Lewinski

William J. Lewinski (

He was described as an "opportunist" by Michael Haddad, president of the National Police Accountability Project. Haddad also called him "charming" but "his opinions can be pretty flaky". Paul Wright of Prison Legal News said Lewinski is "firmly in the category of junk science".

Shoot first and reaction time Lewinski published three studies between 1999 and 2002 showing that test subjects could raise and fire a previously hidden gun faster than a police officer could react, termed "action/reaction". Christy Lopez, Obama Justice Department attorney and Georgetown University law professor, said "the Bill Lewinski show" was part of an insidious trend in police training that used pseudoscience to justify excessive force.

Inattentional blindness Lewinski's testimony often cites inattentional blindness for any flaws or omissions in an officer's testimony. Arien Mack, one of the psychologists who coined the term, called his use of the term "completely inappropriate", stating "I hate the fact that it’s being used in this way. When we work in a lab, we ask them if they saw something. They have no motivation to lie. A police officer involved in a shooting certainly has a reason to lie."

Cooling-off periods Lewinski is also a strong advocate for "cooling-off periods" before police officers document an officer-involved shooting, a position that is not afforded to other testimonies in a shooting and is contrary to studies. In an opinion for the Washington Post, author Radley Balko discussed the cooling-off period and called Lewinski "an unapologetic partisan who pushes pseudoscience in order to clear cops of wrongdoing", noting Lewinski advocates that officers shoot without hesitation yet should be provided time for their shooting statements.

Cases Lewinski's testimony has been used in the following cases:

Tycel Nelson, 1990, Minneapolis Shooting by Officer Robert Murtha, 2003, Hartford Connecticut Elio Carrion, 2007, wounded in shooting by San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy Ivory Webb. Settled civil suit with the County for $1.5 million; Webb was acquitted of felony charges. Philip Miller, 2007, Los Angeles. Lewinski's testimony was disputed by expert witness Roger Clark and Lewinski's qualifications were disputed. Lewinski's testimony was thrown out. The City still won the case, however. Oscar Grant III, 2009, Bay Area Rapid Transit police, Oakland. Shot while face-down, hands behind his back, with another officer's knees on his neck. Lewinski bolstered the theory that the officer accidentally used his gun rather than his Taser. James Boyd, 2014, Albuquerque Police Department Andy Lopez, 13-year-old carrying a toy gun, 2014, Sonoma Countysheriff US Justice Department National seminar for International Union of Police Associations, 2018