Essay On Use Of Force

The use of force by law enforcement officers is a controversial topic that exists throughout the United States. Within the last couple of years in the United States, the use of force by law enforcement officers has gained more of the public’s attention through the cases of Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, Terrence Crutcher, and other cases that gained spotlight through the media and the news. The use of force is defined by the book as the law enforcement officer’s use of weapons and techniques that are designed to control, incapacitate, or kill a suspect that is threatening or perpetrating violence against that officer or other people. The use of force does not just involve lethal force. The use of force contains the force continuum which is the guide for law enforcement officers to follow in their use of force.
The five levels of the force continuum include level one: verbal commands, level two: threat of force, level three: non-lethal compliance techniques, level four: disabling techniques, level five: lethal
It is the law enforcement officers’ responsibility to know what situations require the use of force and what situations do not. Sometimes law enforcement officers misuse the use of force. When this happens law enforcement officers should be held accountable for their misuse of force. For example, in the case of Terrence Crutcher, Officer Betty made the wrong decision to use the use of force to kill Terrence Crutcher. This decision to use the use of force changed her life forever. Officer Betty was put on leave from the department while an investigation was underway. The investigation determined that the use of force was not justified. Since the use of force was not justified, Officer Betty is being charged with first degree manslaughter for the killing of Terrence