Police Use of Force Essay -- Law Enforcement

In certain situations, the police may have to act quickly on their instincts. Sometimes, a situation is unpredictable and a decision needs to be made in a split second. The quick decision may to be to take a person down physically with the officer’s own hands, or to use deadly force, unfortunately. Anything can happen and the officer needs to be ready for every scenario. The different levels of force can be anywhere from just a police officer being present, to having to kill someone to prevent him or her from hurting anyone else. It’s a harsh reality, but sometimes the officer needs to make the decision to die or to protect him and do what he needs to do. There are several circumstances in which the police may have to ultimately use force. In a situation with a crazy violent offender who is trying to harm the officer would be a matter of using force to contain the offender to make sure he or she doesn’t hurt him/herself, or anyone else for that matter. Sometimes, a verbal command does the trick. But unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. For instance, if a violent offender was caught in the act of committing a robbery and the police told him to freeze and to drop the weapon; he is bound to get force used against him if he does not comply. If the offender who is committing the robbery lunges at the officer with a weapon or gun, the officer may have to use deadly force against the offender to protect his or her own life on duty. Every day, law enforcement officers face danger while carrying out their responsibilities. When dealing with a dangerous or unpredictable situation, police officers usually have very little time to assess it and determine the proper response (U.S. Department of Justice). So, if an officer decides ... ...l is to use unarmed physical force or force using non lethal weapons. Police often use their own discretion in order to find the best way to go about solving a difficult situation (The Associated Press). They have to make haste decisions of how to get an offender under control or apprehended. Works Cited Forced to Shoot. Dir. A&E. 2001. Hearst Communications Inc. The Use of Force: Defining Force. 2008. 17 November 2009 . Mangan, David. Police Brutality: The Use of Excessive Force. New York, May 2006. Ramsey, Josh. Defensive Devices. 2007. 15 November 2009 . The Associated Press. Study Examines Police Use Of Deadly Force. 2009. 14 November 2009 . U.S. Department of Justice. Use of Force. 30 April 2008. 15 November 2009 .