Category: Articles, Law Enforcement & Corrections, Personal Injury, Resources for Attorneys, Resources for Experts, Safety Use of Force and Law Enforcement TASA ID: 4252 Law enforcement personnel are often faced with difficult decisions, perhaps, none more difficult than using force. The primary objective for law enforcement when engaged in a use-of-force incident is to restrain and control while utilizing an “objectively reasonable” amount of force. The often asked, debated, and second-guessed law enforcement question is how much force is necessary, required, or acceptable? The following terms require discussion:Excessive use of force: This term can be described as using more force than a reasonable person would deem reasonable and necessary.Unnecessary or unreasonable amount of force: This term refers to law enforcement personnel who utilize force where a reasonably prudent and well trained police officer would not. If law enforcement personnel are accused of utilizing too much force, accountability for the incident(s) will include, but not be limited to, possible discipline for violating department policy and standards, agency rules and regulations violations, internal investigation complaints, possible criminal charges, and civil lawsuits. Read more
Category: Articles, Law Enforcement & Corrections, Resources for Attorneys, Safety Police Use of Force Part 1 – Understanding the Use of Force Continuum TASA ID: 321 We are living in a time when our police force is coming under great scrutiny and criticism for their actions. One question that keeps coming up is “was the use of force utilized by the police justified”? While the public may not understand or even agree, law enforcement agencies do have policies and guidelines that cover their use of force. Officers who find themselves in a situation where they are required to take a criminal into custody or defend themselves must determine how to handle a potentially dangerous rapidly changing split second situation. These policies, known as the Use of Force Continuum, outline the correct actions that should be taken by a law enforcement officer if a situation should arise that requires the use of force. Read more
Category: Law Enforcement & Corrections Police Practices and Excessive Force 101 TASA ID: 2403 As a semi-retired police officer with 47 years on the job, 25 as a chief of police, I know a few things about police practices and excessive force. I know too that many do not understand the dynamics that come into play when police officers use physical force. Read more
Category: Law Enforcement & Corrections Overcrowded Prisons and Officer Safety TASA ID: 2756 Prison overcrowding poses not only great risk to inmates, but also increased risk to the correctional officers who work in overcrowded prisons. Much is written in the media about how overcrowding affects the prison inmate population; however, frequently, the plight of the officers is underreported. Read more
Category: Articles, Law Enforcement & Corrections, Resources for Attorneys The Less Lethal Option for American Policing: Exploring Less Lethal Use of Force Whitepaper TASA ID: 3454 One of the most controversial policies regularly questioned in the public domain is police use of force. Through the news media, we are regularly apprised of situations in which police are alleged to have used excessive force during the apprehension of a suspect or an incident in which a suspect was killed as a result of police action. This essay is an attempt to enlighten the reader on various issues regarding police use of force and some of the choices police officers may face in which there is no desirable outcome but the use of force to preserve life. Read more
