The Use of Force Workshop will provide the law enforcement officer with an understanding of the legal and practical parameters for using force.

It discusses basic concepts in use of force such as:

• the constitutional standard in the use of force;
• factors that may cause unnecessary hesitation when an officer uses force;
• methods of overcoming unnecessary hesitation in use of force applications;
• fundamentals of documenting a use of force incident;
• articulation of human performance factors that impact use of force responses;
• critical elements of post-incident procedures;
• legal standards outlined in Graham v. Connor for the use of force during the seizure of an individual;
• when deadly force is objectively reasonable;
• legal issues associated with the use of intermediate weapons such as striking instruments and chemical sprays;
• elements of “qualified immunity” and when a law enforcement officer sued for excessive use of force is entitled to it.