Legal & Justifiable Use of Force

This course will focus on police officer use of force considerations in on-duty and off-duty scenarios. Practical use of force issues will be examined by viewing actual videos from live police use of force encounters and discussing the officer’s decisions in those instances. The course will review U.S. Supreme Court cases, Federal Court decisions, Illinois statutes and case law, and what our courts specifically look for in police use of force situations. The course will also address use of force occurrences, ranging from crimes in progress to the use of force in medical emergencies.

The material will consider use of force from an officer’s perspective: pre-assault indicators, force options that may be utilized, the use of intermediate weapons, permitted uses of force, prohibited uses of force, and the deadly use of force. Instruction will include proper documentation, Qualified Immunity, Garrity issues, and the Illinois Uniform Peace Officer’s Disciplinary Act. The program will conclude with a discussion of the “10 Myths of Police Use of Force.”

Topics

• Video analysis of actual police use of force events and decision making
• Use of force during crimes in progress; offenders fleeing a crime scene; medical emergencies
• Use of force where offender is neither evading arrest nor committing a crime
• Review of Illinois, Federal, and U.S. Supreme Court cases regarding police use of force
• What our courts consider when evaluating an officer’s use of force
• Pre-assault indicators; force options; quantum of force; use of intermediate weapons
• Acceptable methods of force; unacceptable methods of force; use of deadly force
• Documenting an officer’s use of force
• Probable cause and Qualified Immunity; Garrity issues
• The Illinois Uniform Peace Officer’s Disciplinary Act
• “The 10 Myths of Police Use of Force”