Force Continuum: The Ineffective Use Of Force

Often times while attempting to make an arrest, a law enforcement officer will have to use the appropriate use of force to make the arrest. In some instances the appropriate use of force for some officers will be as simple as the

A '''use of force continuum''' is a standard that affords law enforcement officials & security officers (police, probation, or corrections) with guidelines as to how much use of force may be used against a repelling subject in a given situation. In certain ways it is similar to the military’s escalation of force. The reason of these models is to clarify, both for officers and citizens, the complex subject of use of force by law officers. They are often vital parts of law enforcement agencies' use of force policies. Although various agencies have developed different models of the continuum, there is no universal standard model (Stetser, 2001, p. 36)

There are several different types of force. These types of force include verbal commands or persuasion, physical force (unarmed), force using weapons that are non lethal, force that involves using weapons such as the bean bag gun or taser, and lastly, deadly force. All officers have to give way to each force option before last resorting to the use of deadly force, unless of course if the officer is in a life or death situation. This may be the only way to use deadly force in the first and last resort. They have a couple of weapons that they carry in case the need to use them arises. They carry a baton, tasers, handcuffs, guns and they also have police dogs. Some police do follow the guidelines for using force. Others may abuse their authority and not use force properly. It is really only up to the officers to do the right thing. Some cops are great and live to protect our communities while others abuse their authority.

Police have the uncontested right to use force when necessary to apprehend a suspect. If the force exceeds that which is necessary it is defined as excessive force and is illegal. An officer’s discretion on use of force is a based on judgment. They do not know if a judge will later rule an instance of use of force as excessive or not. There is a fine line between what is considered acceptable force and what is considered excessive force. All an

The use of force is inevitable in police work. In many situations the lives of officers or civilians can be taken by not using force when necessary or using it improperly. Many factors come into play when an officer decides to use force. This includes is the use of force justified, has the officer been properly trained to use force, and will the department be held liable if the force is used improperly?

The use of force is without a doubt an important aspect in policing. The decision to utilize any type of force comes from a multitude of recourses; department policies, training, situational variables and ethical systems. There are three major categories in which an officers use of force is categorized under; justifiable, excessive and deadly; with a thin line between justifiable and excessive. Cases where excessive force has been used, has lead to injuries, deaths, civil damages, officers convicted and sentenced to jail and police chiefs and elected officials being removed from office (Fyfe, 1988). It is an officer`s discretion in determining when the use of force is justifiable.

Force can be defined as any touching of another person in order to accomplish a legal justification. If a person is touched without any legal justification, the officer can be held liable civilly and criminally. Force by security can either be “hands on” or “hands off.” Hands on approaches often occur when an officer has to break up a fight, or when making an arrest. The officer uses certain defensive techniques to subdue the assailant, hand cuffs, OC sprays, and tasers are often used for these purposes. Hands off security involves no touching unless the officer is attacked, the officer is allowed to respond with force only when there is an imminent danger created by the assailant. So what situations require use of force? Number one: imminent threats. Assaults in progress always call for a use of force, or the retreat of the aggressor. Security officers

Explanation: This use of force is “soft”. This tactic is just a means of disarming a potentially violent person or apprehending an individual from causing harm to the officer. Certain moves that would be listed within this category are pushing or bringing someone to the ground. If these moves are not available, police might resort to the next

When appropriate use of force is acted upon, it is in cases that are permitted under certain circumstances such as that of in defense either in themselves, individuals or a group of individuals. When broadly speaking upon law Enforcement cases, no two are the same, they may be similar, but never the same, therefore there is no universal set pair of rules to follow during a potentially threatening situation. Officers have obtained proper certified training to judge when proper use of force is required to regain control.

the use of excessive force. Many people have witnessed or have become victims of police brutality. In their line of duty, police officers are sometimes faced with threatening circumstances that enable them to make haste decisions when expecting the worst at the same time hope for the best outcome. A police officer is given the power to maintain law and order as well as to take away any right of a citizen when a situation permits (Heydon, 2005). Thus, they have the responsibility to apply the forces in a recommended way. Therefore, police are trained to use the least amount of force necessary to make an arrest by using escalations of force. However, sometimes police exceed the minimum amount required to diffuse an incident or protect them, which leads to misconduct or undue violence when not warranted.

This use of force matrix utilizes a graded approach whereas an officer will use only the force necessary to exercise and arrest. Law enforcement officers may use that amount of force necessary to effect the lawful purpose intended, provided that no reasonably effective alternative to the use of force appears to exist at the time the force is used. The privilege to use force is not limited to the amount of force necessary to protect themselves or others, but extends to that amount reasonably necessary to enable officers to effect the arrest or otherwise neutralize the resistance of a subject. If a suspect refuses to be arrested the officer will have to utilize a higher level of force dependent upon the suspects actions. For example, if a suspect is resisting arrest, the officer may use a taser or other force methods to arrest the individual. An officer cannot simple resort to higher levels of force without proper justification. Officers must utilize only the force which is necessary and justified. There are times when an armed suspect may prompt an officer to use the highest level of force, deadly force, if he feels him or another person’s life is in jeopardy. The result of not going utilizing his weapon on this use of force scenario could mean death to the officer or the public.

Issues surrounding the utility and costs of the use of force by correctional officers remain largely unresolved. (Carlson & Garrett, 2008) Corrections institutions are extremely tough organizations in which all activities are carried out in an environment of uncertainty. (Carlson & Garrett, 2008) In both jails and prisons, where staffs are usually unarmed and always outnumbered by the population of resistant prisoners, the ability of staff to control the prisoners is a matter of major importance. (Carlson & Garrett, 2008)But the policy that gives correctional officers license to use force only when no reasonable effective alternative appear to exist. (Boston, 2006) The level of force and the type of weapon best suited to a particular incident

Police officers are given a significant amount of discretion simply due to the nature of the job. Officers are faced with many threatening situations forcing them to react quickly, yet appropriately. They have the power to infringe upon any citizen’s rights to freedom and therefore they must use this power effectively. One major concern with the amount of discretion officers have is their power to decide when to use force or when to use lethal force. Manning (1997) argues that it is generally accepted that police should be allowed to use force. He also explains that there are an uncertain amount people who agree on as to what constitutes excessive force. The line

The legal standards of police use of force are? There is a report estimated in 1999 that less than half 1 percent of the 44 millions of people who are or had face to face contact with a police officer were threatened to use the use of force. Policies of a police department can be significant impact on how police use of force on different levels. When officers are dealing with a dangerous or a unpredictable situations, officers usually have very little time to determine the proper response. Here is some good training that can be enable for the officer to react properly to any threat and in any situation that may need law enforcement. For good response with the appropriate tactics to address any situation that might possibly included different

The use of force, with regards to law enforcements use of it, is a complex topic that should be looked at in all perspectives. There is tension between the police and the community they work for, on whether this is a power that the officers should have or not. There are ambiguous laws that do not give law enforcement offices much guidelines on what is exactly permissible when it comes to force, and all the different situations it could occur. The line that the use of force leis on is often a fine one. It is teetering between excessive force and never being able to enforce the laws. The use of forces is a conversation that is worth having with all the pros and cons that it brings to the discussion board.