Recently in today’s society, high profile police shootings from all across the U.S. have been staple stories in the media. The use of deadly force is back in the spotlight after several controversial killings of unarmed suspects by the police. Deadly force, according to the law, is force which a reasonable person would consider likely to cause death or serious bodily harm (“Use Of Deadly”, 2015). It should only be used when there is no other option and police are authorized to use it only in certain circumstances (“Use Of Deadly”, 2015). In many cases, the use of deadly force by law enforcement involves the use of a firearm. All American police forces are trained to shoot to kill rather than deliberately wounding a suspect and the law permits
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Perhaps the greatest advantage is that this type of use of force decreases rates of officer and offender injuries. In 2010, research showed that between 15 to 20 percent of arrests involved use of force. Injury rates to civilians ranged from 17 to 64 percent in these events while officer injury rates ranged from 10 to 20 percent (Bulman, 2010). Analysis from combined police departments revealed that use of physical force increased chances of injury to officers and suspects. The use of pepper spray and CEDs decreases the likelihood of suspect injury by 70 and officers by 65 percent (Bulman, 2010). Another advantage is that some of the weaponry is inexpensive for budget conscious law enforcement agencies. Bean bags, for example, are pouches filled with lead, silicone, or rubber balls fired from a shotgun. They cost from $4.50 to $6.50 per round (Hager, 2015). Many of the less-than-lethal technologies, such the bean bag, can be incorporated into everyday use as well. Even though less-lethal may reduce injuries to officers and suspects, the weapons can still cause pain and lingering effects and sometimes even death. Murgado (2013) conveys that less-than-lethal does not mean “not lethal”, so every less-than-lethal weapon can potentially be deadly. A strobe light, for example, shined in an epileptic person’s eyes can cause him or her to have a seizure, fall down and hit their head and die (Murgado, 2013). Another disadvantage is that some of the less-lethal systems, such as the LRAD and CEDs, are deployed without proper training or specific guidelines for usage making them dangerous for the public(Weill, 2016). Improper usage of these weapons can also result in bad publicity and liability issues for police departments (Weill,
Perhaps the greatest advantage is that this type of use of force decreases rates of officer and offender injuries. In 2010, research showed that between 15 to 20 percent of arrests involved use of force. Injury rates to civilians ranged from 17 to 64 percent in these events while officer injury rates ranged from 10 to 20 percent (Bulman, 2010). Analysis from combined police departments revealed that use of physical force increased chances of injury to officers and suspects. The use of pepper spray and CEDs decreases the likelihood of suspect injury by 70 and officers by 65 percent (Bulman, 2010). Another advantage is that some of the weaponry is inexpensive for budget conscious law enforcement agencies. Bean bags, for example, are pouches filled with lead, silicone, or rubber balls fired from a shotgun. They cost from $4.50 to $6.50 per round (Hager, 2015). Many of the less-than-lethal technologies, such the bean bag, can be incorporated into everyday use as well. Even though less-lethal may reduce injuries to officers and suspects, the weapons can still cause pain and lingering effects and sometimes even death. Murgado (2013) conveys that less-than-lethal does not mean “not lethal”, so every less-than-lethal weapon can potentially be deadly. A strobe light, for example, shined in an epileptic person’s eyes can cause him or her to have a seizure, fall down and hit their head and die (Murgado, 2013). Another disadvantage is that some of the less-lethal systems, such as the LRAD and CEDs, are deployed without proper training or specific guidelines for usage making them dangerous for the public(Weill, 2016). Improper usage of these weapons can also result in bad publicity and liability issues for police departments (Weill,