Essay on Police Use of Force - 1577 Words

The police forces in every community are deemed law enforcement officers and have to take necessary precautions in executing their job. Individuals that police officers encounter may at any time threaten the security of the officer or others. Police officers have to follow procedures that are necessary to maintain control of situations that can cause harm to others or property. The three topics that will be discussed in police use of force are; the explanation and background of use of force, limitations of use of force, and disputed court cases dealing with police use of force. Police use of force can be described as being the amount of effort required by police to compel compliance by an unwilling subject.†(nij.gov, p.1) The stages†¦show more content†¦The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in Data Collection on Police Use of Force, states that the legal test of excessive force is determining whether the police officer reasonably believed that their force was necessary to reach a legitimate police goal (cops.usdoj, p.1). Courts; however, may define â€Å"reasonable† differently than a court in another jurisdiction. The understanding of improper use of force can be divided into two categories: unnecessary and excessive† (p.1). The unnecessary use of force would be the application of force where there is no justification to use it; while an excessive use of force would be the application of more force than required where use of force is reasonable. (http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/default.asp?Item=1374) (https://www.ncjrs.gov/txtfiles/ppsyc.txt) Some psychologists have been assigned to evaluate police officers who practice excessive force. The psychologists’ services are more counseling oriented than training (ncjrs.gov p.1). In examining police psychologists’ role in managing police use of excessive force, they were surveyed to examine the types of services they provide. They were also asked how those services are used to counter police use of excessive force (p.1). The psychologists characterized the types of officers who abuse force and offered strategies that could help policeShow MoreRelatedUse Of Force And The Police Force Essay1785 Words   |  8 PagesThe Use of Police Force Police encounter different situations in their daily activities. The diverse nature of the circumstances implies that the members of the police also have to adopt different strategies of handling them. 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