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Deadly Force In Law Enforcement

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“Deadly force is generally defines as any force that can reasonably be expected to cause death or serious bodily injury (Petrocelli, 2005).”It is to be utilized by law enforcement as a last resort, therefore, before a police officer goes the route of using deadly force, they must use all non-deadly force strategies unless they feel imminent danger is going to take place. There is no doubt that law enforcement officers will be faced with multiple challenges that put their lives on the line. Law enforcement officers deal with a multitude of dangers everyday, which is why they are trained to know what to do in hostile situations. When it comes to deadly force, the traditional rule of thumb for officers is tat it is allowed if the officer reasonably believes that the person of interest has committed a crime or is going to commit a crime. But how can the officer know for sure?

In the eyes of the law, the statues “standards allow an officer to use deadly physical force when the officer reasonably believes it is necessary to (1) defend himself or herself or a third person from the use or imminent use of deadly physical force or (2) arrest or prevent the escape of someone the officer reasonably believes has committed or attempted to commit a felony involving …show more content…

But respectfully, law enforcement’s duty is to protect themselves as well as the citizens. Sometimes, when using a less deadly force, fighting while trying to subdue a suspect may occur and could potentially lead to what some innocent bystanders call police brutality. Depending on the situation, police officers should know when to use force, and if it comes down to excessive force, then they will have to answer for their actions. Police brutality has no set rules or bindings in state policies. In fact, police brutality is wrong and its considered to be misconduct on behalf of the law enforcement

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