Page 8 - Thinking Critically: Police and the Use of Force

Black Americans Are Killed by
Police at a Disproportionate Rate
of force cases are happening, it’s diffi cult to know if you’re
making improvements.” 2

What Is Police Use of Force?

Police offi cers use force in many ways in the course of performing
their duties. For law enforcement purposes, use of force is de-
fi ned as the amount of force needed to make an unwilling subject
comply with police commands or to overcome his or her resis-
tance. Police use of deadly force is permitted only when neces-
38 per
sary under specifi c conditions, such as for self-defense or to pro- million Black
tect another individual or group. For example, police may resort to Hispanic
deadly force when confronted with an armed suspect threatening 1,593 28 per White
killed
Other
to attack. Offi cers receive a great deal of (total) million
“Transparency and police data training and guidance on use of force. 1,088
are what lead to accountability. But each situation in which force be- Higher rate of police killings killed
When you don’t know what use comes necessary is unique. Offi cers are 15 per million
of force cases are happening, trained to perceive when circumstances 3,020 killed
it’s difficult to know if you’re demand use of force to gain control. 5 per
making improvements.” 2 In general, offi cers are taught to use million
the minimal amount of force needed to 244
— Nancy La Vigne, executive director of the control a situation. To accomplish this, killed
Council on Criminal Justice’s Task Force on 42M 39M 197M 49M
Policing they follow a use-of-force continuum, US Population
ranked from no force used to lethal
force. This method focuses on de-escalating situations, or dial-
ing back the tension, by talking with subjects and maintaining a
reasonable distance.
Sometimes use of force is unavoidable. When an encounter
spirals out of control, it can happen with terrible suddenness.
Police can face a life-or-death decision instantaneously, forcing
them to make a snap judgment on how to react. A police shoot-
ing caught on body-camera video can be examined later frame
by frame, but offi cers on the scene do not have that luxury. A
decision to use deadly force when a subject reaches into his or
her pocket or lunges toward police may turn out to be a lifesaving
maneuver or a tragic mistake.

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