Use of Force

Book excerpt: The book provides a theoretical and practical foundation for understanding the use of force by criminal justice practitioners and to provide examples of "best practices" for the use of force that incorporate research, principles, and philosophies. Chapter 1 discusses the background of the use of force by criminal justice practitioners, walking the reader through the history and the purpose of the use of force before turning to a discussion of the extent of force. This chapter deals with issues of police professionalism, character, and ethics. Chapter 2 considers the assessment of risk when faced with the possibility of using force against a suspect. A four stage Predatory Prevention Matrix is presented that helps pinpoint opportunities for proactive prevention efforts to quell suspect use of violence at the earliest stages. The four stages involve policy, control, risk, and phases of an attack and offer three levels (primary, secondary, and tertiary) for criminal justice intervention. Chapter 3 advises on the development of departmental use of force policies. The use of force continuum is described, which guides officers on appropriate levels of force, from simple officer presence to verbal direction, soft and hard empty hand control, and defensive and less-than-lethal tactics. Chapter 4 explores use of force training philosophies, perspectives, and techniques. The author explores training standards and programs, as well as the scope of use of force techniques, before presenting a model of best practices in use of force training.