In law enforcement it is a police officer’s job to keep order and peace. Officers enforce order within society, by legitimized use of force. According to the National Institute of Justice, use of force is described as, “amount of effort required by police to compel compliance by an unwilling subject” (NIJ). The levels, or continuum, of force police use include officer presence, basic verbal and physical restraint, less-lethal force, and lethal force. Police officers are sworn to use only the necessary force to control a situation, effect an arrest, or protect all individuals involved. The rule of thumb is equal or lesser force by the officer. Officers are trained and taught how to deal with situations involving force. Each individual peace
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Officers need to be more cautious and respectful in their approach to citizen interaction. Certain altercations may be avoided had the officer approached an encounter differently. If a police officer is in a position to avoid confrontation, he should always choose this option. Although force will inevitably, always be needed in law enforcement, officers should try to use it as little as possible. Robert J. Friedrich, a professor at Franklin and Marshall College wrote an article on police use of force. In his article Police Use of Force: Individuals, Situations, and Organizations he believes that use of force is important because, “It involves the execution of perhaps the essential function of the state and is practically important because it affects the public 's attitudes and behaviors toward the police and government more generally” (Friedrich). There are three main premises that have been advanced. Use of force in relation to the characteristics of the policeman, in relation to the interaction of citizens, and the organization in which police work, are what researchers are targeting to build their understanding of excessive use of …show more content…
Just as every officer is an individual, each case holds its on meaning. Two professors, Geoffrey P. Alpert and William C. Smith, at Northwestern University wrote a journal on police powers. The journal is entitled, How Reasonable Is the Reasonable Man?: Police and Excessive Force. In the journal they write, “Police officers possess awesome powers. They perform their duties under hazardous conditions and with the vigilant public eye upon them. Police officers are permitted a margin of error in judgment under conditions that impose high degrees of physical and mental stress” (Alpert and Smith). Police officers know the difficulties that come with performing their job. Knowledge of the difficulties they will encounter everyday doesn’t make it any less difficult for them to deal with. I believe the better trained an officer is, the smarter he will be in his decision
Officers need to be more cautious and respectful in their approach to citizen interaction. Certain altercations may be avoided had the officer approached an encounter differently. If a police officer is in a position to avoid confrontation, he should always choose this option. Although force will inevitably, always be needed in law enforcement, officers should try to use it as little as possible. Robert J. Friedrich, a professor at Franklin and Marshall College wrote an article on police use of force. In his article Police Use of Force: Individuals, Situations, and Organizations he believes that use of force is important because, “It involves the execution of perhaps the essential function of the state and is practically important because it affects the public 's attitudes and behaviors toward the police and government more generally” (Friedrich). There are three main premises that have been advanced. Use of force in relation to the characteristics of the policeman, in relation to the interaction of citizens, and the organization in which police work, are what researchers are targeting to build their understanding of excessive use of …show more content…
Just as every officer is an individual, each case holds its on meaning. Two professors, Geoffrey P. Alpert and William C. Smith, at Northwestern University wrote a journal on police powers. The journal is entitled, How Reasonable Is the Reasonable Man?: Police and Excessive Force. In the journal they write, “Police officers possess awesome powers. They perform their duties under hazardous conditions and with the vigilant public eye upon them. Police officers are permitted a margin of error in judgment under conditions that impose high degrees of physical and mental stress” (Alpert and Smith). Police officers know the difficulties that come with performing their job. Knowledge of the difficulties they will encounter everyday doesn’t make it any less difficult for them to deal with. I believe the better trained an officer is, the smarter he will be in his decision