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By Leischen Stelter, editor of In Public Safety

Police use-of-force cases continue to garner a considerable amount of public and media attention. High-publicity cases like those resulting in the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown have brought into question when and how police use force. Such public controversy forced law enforcement agencies around the country to revisit and revise their use-of-force policies, which often leads to retraining officers on this policy.

American Military University faculty members have written extensively about changes to use of force in law enforcement. Dr. Charles Kelly wrote about the need for officers to receive use-of-force training throughout their entire careers, not just in the academy. Use-of-force training is especially important as officers are socialized into the law enforcement profession during their probationary work, when they are most vulnerable to picking up bad habits from more senior officers. Kelly also advocated for enhanced diversity training, to teach officers about cultural differences and become increasingly aware of cultural nuances.

Gary Minor wrote about the legalities surrounding use of deadly force, including the precedent-setting legal cases that shaped the current U.S. Supreme Court position on use of force. Michelle Beshears wrote about the need to teach the public about what constitutes excessive use of force. Throughout her article, she emphasized the need to educate the public about the differences between excessive and necessary use of force.

This effort to educate the public is a cause that a Washington D.C.-based think tank, Police Foundation, recently addressed when it released the infographic, When Can the Police Use Force: And What Happens When They Do? This well designed pamphlet includes information on why police use force and what situations they can use deadly force. It also clearly spells out some of the legal parameters involving use of force and provides information about the term “reasonableness,” which is often a point of confusion for citizens and officers alike. Whether an officer acted reasonably and within the law is determined by specific factors including the severity of the crime, the threat posed by the subject, and whether the subject was attempting to flee. The infographic identifies these factors that contribute to determining whether an officer acted reasonably.

Lastly, the infographic tells the public how use-of-force incidents are investigated by agencies. This is an important component because many citizens do not know what to expect if they are involved in such an incident and don’t understand what actions the agency will take to investigate the incident. It can also be helpful to provide context for the wider public, who are paying increased attention to incidents involving police use of force and want to be confident that laws, rules and procedures are properly constructed and fully adhered to.

[Related Article: Protect Your Agency with Use-of-Force Internal Investigations and Forms]

If you are involved in law enforcement, is this infographic a helpful tool to educate the public on this issue? What other information would you add? Feel free to leave your comments or thoughts in the comment section below.Use of Force Infographic

 

By Jeff Kuhn

Public safety agencies continue to grapple with challenges of effective succession planning brought on by the aging of baby-boomers, early retirements due to budgetary cutbacks, and lack of resources for adequate management training. The responsibility for preparing future leadership within these agencies is most commonly placed in the hands of police, fire and emergency management executives.

By Dennis Porter – The world of policing is changing quickly. There are new legal decisions, procedures and technical advances almost everyday. How is a police officer working irregular, unpredictable hours supposed to keep up with this? In these economic circumstances, when all budgets are being examined, how can departments afford to keep their officers’ training up-to-date? In this column I will provide some options for agencies and officers to gain free or affordable training and information.

Interested in understanding more about the inner workings of the criminal mind? To catch a criminal, one must study the behavioral clues left behind by the perpetrator. But what does this investigative process entail and what type of a person is fit for piecing together the crime scene puzzle?