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Lethal Force: A Necessary Analysis

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The use of lethal force by police is subject to societal, strategic and tactical considerations that inform choices in the field. While many factors are the same for all force options, the tactical purpose in the use of lethal force is distinct. A key question is not whether a killing was justified but if it was avoidable. In deciding to use lethal force, expectations that police are able to make nuanced choices are questionable.
It is necessary to distinguish excessive from lethal force. The question appears to conflate the two but they are distinct. Excessive force is force that is unwarranted, unreasonable, disproportionate or avoidable to achieve a lawful objective (Pinizzotto et al., 2012). Any exercise of force, lethal or otherwise, can …show more content…

The models include psychological techniques such as communication and presence that span all force options, disengagement techniques such as withdrawal, situational containment and negotiation, as well as the use of a range of weapons, a combination of psychology, tactics and technology. All the weapons currently available to police, including hand to hand techniques, are best classified as lethal or less lethal, not non-lethal (UK Defence Scientific Advisory Council, 2008). In this view, while often popularly described as an alternative to lethal force (The Australian Newspaper, 2010), less lethal techniques are better thought of as tactical options (UK Defence Scientific Advisory Council, 2008) along a force …show more content…

Police are taught to shoot for the body’s centre mass and this brings a high likelihood that the person will be killed. A ‘shoot to disable’ doctrine is technically impracticable (Force Science Institute, 2010). So the use of firearms must always be considered as the application of lethal force. Police are also taught a continuous, rapid shooting technique rather than shoot once and observe, because a large percentage of people with life-threatening chest, abdomen and head wounds from a single round are “able to perform strenuous activity and to continue to physically fight” (Lewinski & Hudson, 2014, p. 1), including to kill or wound police officers and others (Lewinski & Hudson, 2014). This is especially the case with persons affected by excitatory substances who exhibit “great strength and resistance to pain” (Dolinak, Lew & Matshes, 2005, p. 307), combined with a propensity to extreme violence (American Council for Drug Education, 1999).
The result is that the use of lethal force has only one tactical purpose, to attempt to immediately stop the person from being a threat and, in all likelihood, kill them in the process. A firearm is the only weapon available to police that can achieve that purpose in a wide range of situations, including where it is tactically important to avoid close contact (McKetin et al.,

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