The Dangers Of The Use Of Force In Law Enforcement

Since their has been policing entities, it is understood by most that law enforcement officers have been performing a public service that is not easy to carry out. To assist law enforcement officers in diffusing situations, apprehending alleged criminals, and protecting themselves and others, officers are legally entitled to use appropriate means, including force. In discussing police misconduct, this report acknowledges not only the legal grant of such authority,

When a law enforcement officer uses force on a subject it will be classified into one of three main categories which are, justifiable, excessive, and deadly force. The authority for law enforcement officers to use force comes from the United States Constitution (case law), state statutes, and department policy. Law enforcement use of force is very important because it involves the patrolman on the street, the corrections officer in jails and prisons, and the courts where excessive use of force cases are held.

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)

Force that police tend to use on subjects that pose a threat has become an escalating issue in society today as we know it. Sometimes the public gets the notion that the police abuse their authority and use dangerous

A case of police brutality in Charlotte, North Carolina is the 2013 case of Jonathan Ferrell. Ferrell had been in a car accident and ran to a woman’s home for aid. The woman assumed someone was breaking in her home and called the police. The police found Ferrell near the scene of the car accident and he attempted to make his way towards them asking for help, when the footage on the dash camera show that police officer Randall Kerrick began to open fire at Ferrell shooting him ten times. Kerrick was not indicted by the jury after the judge declared a mistrial. Two years later Ferrell’s family is still fighting for justice. General Roy Cooper told the press “Kerrick did not follow his training during his encounter with Ferrell. ”Most of them [police officers] ...understand that officers must be held accountable when they do not follow their training --

The shooting occurred at the Fruitvale train station on January 1st, 2009. At the station, a fight broke out in one of the trains and when the train stopped the fight started again outside of the train at one of the stops. While they were fighting on the train the BART officers were called. The officers came and arrested everyone that was in the fight. A guy named Oscar Grant was in the fight and was also arrested (Meyer). While Grant was being arrested by Officer Mehserle, he resisted the officer’s attempts. Since Grant was resisting he was pushed onto the ground on his stomach to be handcuffed. Johannes Mehserle was having trouble handcuffing Grant so the other BART officers helped him. When Grant was on the ground Mehserle was going to tase him since he would not stop resisting. When Mehserle thought he pulled out his TASER, he instead pulled out his gun. Mehserle accidentally shot Grant with his gun since he thought he pulled out his TASER (Bulwa).

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 deadly force by police officers is a very important subject in today’s society. Many consider the use of deadly force excessive in most cases. However, there are many aspects to look at when considering this topic, such as: Why was deadly force required? When did the officer feel it necessary to apply deadly force? What will be the implications for the officer after the fact? How does the use of deadly force affect society as a whole?

Like other law enforcement agencies throughout the United States, New Jersey has a policy that addresses police use of force. The New Jersey Attorney General’s Use of Force Policy was first put into operation in April 1985. The purpose of the policy is to serve as a guide for police officers who are confronted with use of force situations during their duty to preserve the law and protect others. This essay will provide a summary of the policies and practices of New Jersey’s Use of Force Policy. An evaluation of these components will be presented with emphasis on the legal sufficiency of the policies and procedures. Policy strengths and weaknesses will be identified in addition to suggestions for improvement. This essay will conclude

Use of force The use of force in law enforcement is unavoidable. In most cases the wellbeing of the officer and the patient can be put in dangerous circumstances by not using force when necessary. Both police and correctional officers and all other law enforcement officers use force to maintain order, enforce the law, and to keep people safe. The use of force by law enforcement is the amount of effort that is required by the enforcer to compel compliance by a person that is unwilling to comply. For example, when an inmate is told to exit his cell, but does not willingly comply, the correctional officers will begin the use of force tactic to force the inmate to comply and exit his cell.

Whenever a law enforcement officer places an individual under arrest or is involved in a deadly force scenario the officer has used some degree of force. The incidents where an office has to make a split second decision and use physical force to control a situation is known as “Use of Force.” The use of force varies as situations present themselves to the officer and they must decide what level of force is necessary to control the situation. Often the use of force is subject to much debate and not a year goes by without some media coverage of some law enforcement officer accused of using excessive force. In dozens of studies of police use of force there is no single,

“Santana said he turned over the video after reading the police report and hearing about it on the news. "It wasn't like that, the way they were saying," Santana said on MSNBC. "I said, 'No ... this is not what happened.'" (Helsel, Phil. "Bystander Who Recorded Walter Scott Shooting Speaks Out.")

The use of excessive force by police officers is a topic that continues to make headlines and a study that needs to be done. Although much research has gone into this topic there still is no consensus on why the use of excessive force occurs. Some studies suggest lack of training and/or problems with organization policy/procedures. Law enforcement officers are authorized to use force when necessary, but when the level of force is excessive, however, the actions of the police come under scrutiny. The resulting effects can include; public outrage, scandal, negative reputation for not only the officer but the law enforcement community, and criminal considerations. Although there’s is no concrete definition of excessive force, police

When debating the issue of police use of force, the issue of what actions constitute too much force must also be addressed. Another concern is the possibility of corruption amount officers. When given such great power, the probability of corruption is high. Officers generally do not start out as corrupt, but years of work on the force can create animosity between officers and suspects and lead them to decide to use force more quickly (McEwen, 1996). Many times, officers patrol the streets alone which creates the opportunity for potential abuse of power (McEwen, 1996). Although police officers need to be permitted to exercise some discretion, they also need limits and guidelines to follow when using their powers of discretion (Manning, 1997). The decision to use force should not be taken lightly in that citizen’s lives are at stake. Police should be allowed discretion in decisions to use force; however, this discretion should be limited. In several cases in Arizona, officers have used deadly means of force. In all cases, the officers

One instance of excessive force that was executed by law enforcement was on Lavall Hall. Two years ago, in February the family of Lavall Hall called the police after he left the house. The family claimed the Lavall was a paranoid schizophrenic. The police searched or Lavall and found him on the sidewalk with a broom stick in hand. The law enforcement officers approach Lavall and he strikes both police officers in the head with the broom stick. One of the officers fired five shots directed towards Lavall Hall, two of the bullets hit him and ended his life. After this happened, the family filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Miami Gardens former city police chief Steven Johnson and the two officers that where on the scene, officer Eddo Trimino and officer