Improper Use Of Force Essay

1048 Words3 Pages

THE USE OF FORCE

The use of force has always been a controversial topic and the masses are debating on when the use of force can be applied in apprehending suspects. There have been many cases in which officers were criticized for the excessive use of force to apprehend suspects and have caused and uproar from the communities across the states. On the other hand, law enforcement officers face danger when carrying out their duties and when dealing with unpredictable situations. Police officers have little time to assess the situation and use the appropriate measures based on the situation. There is no known universal definition for excessive use of force. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in its study, Police Use of Force in America 2001, defined …show more content…

In another study that was done by Bureau of `justice Statistic that the legal test of excessive force is whether the police officer reasonably believed that such force was necessary to accomplish a legitimate police purpose, but they argue that there is no universally accept definitions of reasonable and necessary because the terms are subjective. A court in one jurisdiction may define "reasonable" or "necessary" differently than a court in a second jurisdiction. More to the point is an understanding of the "improper" use of force, which can be divided into two categories: "unnecessary" and "excessive." The unnecessary use of force would be the application of force where there is no justification for its use, while an excessive use of force would be the application of more force than required where use of force is necessary. There is a thin line between excessive force and justified use of force, How ever the use of excessive use of force is carried out differently

Open Document