Use of Force Legal Implications

Police Officers are forced to make split second decisions in circumstances that are tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving. The decisions an officer makes will have a life-long impact on them, their families and their agencies. Police use of force is a necessary and controversial part of the law enforcement profession. FBI statistics estimate that approximately 85% of officers hesitate to use a reasonable amount of force during deadly confrontations with subjects. There are many factors to this complex problem, but none seem to be as pervasive as a lack of understanding of the law governing police use of force, and a lack of confidence in the pre-event training on the part of the involved officers.

All officers must be confident in their ability to make sound decisions in life-threatening circumstances. That confidence must be nurtured and fortified long before they are required to use force to protect themselves or others in a dangerous confrontation. This course is designed to assist trainers and policy-makers in understanding the constitutional limitations on police use of force. This participatory class explores the legal foundations for sound use of force policies and examines the potential consequences of overly-restrictive or ambiguous procedural instructions and training. The objective of this class is to provide those charged with police training a framework for designing effective force policies and training that will increase the safety of officers and the citizens they serve.

Lecture Course