Description
Officer Use of Force
Broadly speaking, the use of force by Officers becomes necessary and is permitted under specific circumstances, such as in self-defense or in defense of another individual or group.
- There is no single, universally agreed-upon definition of use of force.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police has described use of force as the “amount of effort required by police to compel compliance by an unwilling subject” - Officers receive guidance from their individual agencies, but no universal set of rules governs when officers should use force and how much.
- No two situations are the same, nor are any two officers.
- In a potentially threatening situation, an officer will quickly tailor a response and apply force, if necessary.
- Situational awareness is essential, and officers are trained to judge when a crisis requires the use of force to regain control of a situation
- In most cases, time becomes the key variable in determining when an officer chooses to use force.
Unit Objectives:
- Students will be able to define “Force.”
- Students will recognize the term “Seizure.”
- Students will identify the legal ability to use force relating to the Constitution of the United States, Texas Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, and applicable statutes, rules, and court decisions.
- Students will be able to list the force options available to protect self, others, property or make an arrest.
- Students will identify types of tactics that may be applied when using force.
