COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — As a second night of tense protests erupted miles away in Ferguson, Missouri, Julie Vesely bowed her head and wept.

The stray tears Vesely sheds, she said, come from the pain she feels after the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was shot and killed in August by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, and the violence that unfolded after a grand jury decided not to indict the officer Monday.

"When I start to feel the pain of the people on all sides of this issue, I am tempted to close my heart," Vesely said. "And so I pray that people will not turn away and pretend this didn't happen. We must all open our hearts and feel pain, and then hopefully start to feel healing."

The group of about a dozen parishioners joined in a prayer for peace and justice at the South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society church Tuesday night. The group lit candles before a picture of Brown, and another of Darrien Hunt, 22, who was shot and killed as he ran from two Saratoga Springs police officers on Sept. 10.

The shooting was ruled justified earlier this month.

Tuesday's vigil was just one among many as the country braced itself for a possible second night of violence, rioting, arson and looting in Ferguson. Amidst it all, a growing national conversation about shooting deaths at the hands of police grew even louder.

In Salt Lake City, protesters met Tuesday for a second night of small anti-police demonstrations, decrying the high number of deadly officer-involved shootings across the state. So far this year, 13 people have died after being shot by police in Utah, the latest being Ty Worthington, 26, who was shot in a confrontation with South Jordan police Saturday after a 911 caller said he was trespassing.

The Rev. Mary Janda offered the hope that groups will gather to pray and to protest around the country this week, seeking solutions to change a growing problem of violence and prejudice.

"We have to have hope that we can help in some way to overcome racism and injustice," Janda said.

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Protesters return to riot-scarred Ferguson streets

Protesters returned to the riot-scarred streets of Ferguson on Tuesday, a day after crowds looted businesses and set fire to buildings in a night of rage against a grand jury's decision not to indict the white police officer who killed Michael Brown.

The conversation turned to solutions as the Rev. Patty Willis asked, "What can we do?"

The group suggested lobbying for practical laws, asking police officers to wear body cameras, holding police accountable and engaging others in elections.

"There is a feeling we need to gather more like this and there needs to be some reconciliation of the discrimination that has happened and is happening in this valley," Willis said.

Tuesday afternoon, Salt Lake Police Chief Chris Burbank answered questions about his department's training on minimizing lethal force in a follow-up briefing with City Council members, emphasizing the focus officers place on de-escalation before any level of force is needed.

"When (officers) treat (an individual) with respect, and the individual walks away from the encounter with that police officer and feels they have been treated fairly, next time they have an encounter with an officer, chances are pretty good it's going to go reasonably well," Burbank said. "If they are treated poorly and they feel their rights have been trampled on, or if they are treated with bias, then potentially that rises to the level of a use of force situation or these noncompliant situations we see playing out across the country right now."

Even before the Ferguson riots Monday, Burbank said a refresher on crowd control and interactions with protesters was being considered for the department's next trimester training, which is being planned for the beginning of the year. Another high-priority issue is how to respond to people who don't necessarily pose a threat but who are noncompliant.

"We're constantly evaluating from a national perspective: What's going on in the world that we need to prepare our officers for?" Burbank said.

The department has upgraded its outdated virtual training equipment and simulator, which allows officers to play out different scenarios they could possibly encounter, Burbank reported. Scenarios can be customized, allowing the officers to train based on local needs, and simulations change accordingly based on how the officer responds.

The simulator is always available to officers in a dedicated room at the precinct, he said.

Always, training emphasizes defusing confrontations wherever possible, including regular firearms proficiency trainings in the department that also test officers on identifying threats rather than just "shooting holes in a piece paper."

Nevertheless, Burbank told the Salt Lake City Council that the high standards set for his officers cannot be impossible to meet if they are expected to do their jobs. He cited the department's only fatal officer-involved shooting this year, the death of Christopher Leo Knight, 34, on March 28.

That confrontation left two officers shot after they attempted to make a traffic stop, not knowing Knight was wanted in California. Knight opened fire without warning, hitting both officers before they shot and killed him.

The shooting was found to be justified in May.

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