Use of Force and Liability Issues

Police use of force is an often misunderstood and highly contentious topic that frequently

draws public, judicial, and administrative scrutiny depending on the circumstances involved.

Seizures of free citizens via the use of force is a fundamental aspect of policing and one which

must be thoroughly understood by those who are sworn to enforce the law. To facilitate that

understanding, this course will identify the legal justifications for using force, explain the

Constitutional legal standard used to evaluate force, discuss the purpose of a force continuum,

identify the primary factors used to determine the reasonableness of force, identify the levels of

subject resistance and corresponding force options, as well as identify the criteria for using

deadly force.