Police need to be absolutely certain they're making the right decision when using deadly force, said the family member of the man shot to death near Lookout Pass this summer.

"It's a big deal. It's a life," said John Andrulis, uncle of Alexander L. Mandarino, from Whitefish, Mont.

Andrulis is not privy to the details of the shooting investigation and did not comment on it. However, he did say that everyone should be subject to the law - including police officers.

"If there's a pattern of unjustified shooting by police officers, either there needs to be internal review, or for that matter an external or federal review, of the police department," he said.

"If there's more than one shooting and there's a pattern, then that's problematic."

The June shooting was the first to occur over the summer. The second was in August, when police shot and killed 35-year-old Eric B. Johnston after he allegedly crashed a vehicle into a nearby utility pole.

Police-involved shootings come and go, said Doug Tangen, Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Academy force coordinator. He coordinates force curriculum for all of the basic academies and for courses to "train the trainers."

He did not have enough information to state whether police shootings are on the rise in general. However, Tangen said FBI statistics show that assaults and deaths of police officers as a result of assaults have pulled even with deaths by vehicle accidents - for many years the leading cause of officer deaths.

At POST, law enforcement officers receive at least 40 hours of training specific to deadly force and firearms. Officers are well versed in the laws governing use of deadly force, he said.

"When their life or the life of somebody is in jeopardy, or in jeopardy of grievous bodily harm, they can use deadly force to stop the aggression," Tangen said.

According to Tangen, courts look at the totality of the circumstances in deciding if use of force is justified, from the perspective of a reasonable officer. An officer's perspective may be different from that of an average person, because the officer has training, experience, and often information that average citizens do not, he said.

Checks on use of force include civil suits and, frequently, oversight committees.

In North Idaho, the Critical Incident Task Force conducts investigations of officer-involved critical incidents. Law enforcement, prosecutors, Idaho Fish and Game, and the Idaho Department of Corrections are members of the task force.

Idaho State Police Lt. Fred Swanson chairs the committee. A department head request activates the task force. To Swanson's knowledge, it has been activated for every officer-involved shooting since the task force was formed in 2011.

According to Swanson, the task force is intended to provide an objective and thorough investigation. Prosecutors look at the results to determine if any potential criminal violations have occurred, and to make sure suspect rights were adequately protected.

"We don't ever investigate our own folks; there's a conflict of interest there," said Lt. Stu Miller of the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department.

Internally, the sheriff's department conducts a review to see whether the officer followed policy, and whether policies need to be changed. The Coeur d'Alene Police Department also has detailed policies regarding use of deadly force.

Law enforcement officers must be prepared to defend themselves and the lives of others, Miller said, but "nobody goes to work thinking hey, I'm going to get in a shooting today."

Indeed, an officer-involved shooting is traumatic for the officer as well, said Lance Lorusso, Atlanta attorney, former law enforcement officer, and author of "When Cops Kill: The Aftermath of a Critical Incident." Profits from his book sales benefit law enforcement charities.

"What we find is, we train officers very well in the use of deadly force, but what's missing is what's afterwards," he said.

A year later, even 10 years later, shootings affect the officer involved, he said. Many give up their careers afterward.

"They don't want to face that situation again," he said. "It takes a toll, and it's a huge cost for the community because they've lost all that training and experience."

The news cycle, media reports of inaccurate information, and gaps in knowledge between the public and law enforcement can also take a toll.

Law enforcement agencies will withhold information to make sure witness information is real, and not something heard in the news. The public also does not understand that officers are trained to hit the largest target possible, the center of mass. A miss can injure bystanders, Lorusso said.

Informal media, such as blogs and uninformed commentary, can be vicious, he said.

"Some of those comments can really fuel fires that really should never have been started," Lorusso said.