Less Lethal Weapon Effectiveness, Use of Force, and Suspect & Officer Injuries: A Five-Year Analysis (a Report to the National Institute of Justice)

Less Lethal Weapon Effectiveness, Use of Force, and Suspect & Officer Injuries: A Five-Year Analysis (a Report to the National Institute of Justice)
Author: U. S. Department of Justice
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 104
Release: 2015-10-31
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 9781329659575

Law enforcement officers are legally justified to utilize force in many situations to bring suspects to justice, protect others, and for personal defense. However, police training on the use of force has no single consistent method in the United States to demonstrate the best response to subject resistance levels, even though many states and individual agencies have adopted very creative use-of-force matrices and continuums. For researchers, additional problems abound in the compilation and interpretation of the data available on police use of force. Criminal justice research has persistently demonstrated that a small percentage of police encounters with the public involve use of force. While extreme uses of force often garners media attention, lesser levels of force are used regularly by police without public notice. Research in the areas of use of force, and subsequent suspect injuries, has focused on the level of force used by the police officer and the suspect, excessive force, and officer misconduct.

Review of the Department of Justice's Use of Less-Lethal Weapons

Review of the Department of Justice's Use of Less-Lethal Weapons
Author: Barry Leonard
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 115
Release: 2010
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1437917003

Use of such weapons as batons, pepper spray and powder, ¿bean bag¿ shotgun rounds, baton launchers, rubber projectiles, and Tasers can enhance the safety of law enforcement (LE) officers and the public during LE operations. However, significant injuries and fatalities can result from their use. This review determines the types of less-lethal weapons used; the extent to which DoJ components are using these weapons, whether training and controls have been implemented to ensure the weapons are used properly; whether the components have identified the impact of using these weapons on their missions; and whether the DoJ assesses, deploys, and oversees new and emerging less-lethal weapon technologies. Illustrations.

The Use of Force in Criminal Justice

The Use of Force in Criminal Justice
Author: Richard M. Hough
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2018-04-17
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1315410397

The Use of Force in Criminal Justice addresses the how, why, and when of utilizing force against citizens in a democracy. This is the first true textbook on this topic, offering students and instructors a balanced, research-based approach to understanding the use of force in law enforcement, as well as in corrections and juvenile justice. Hough includes features to reinforce key concepts, including "What-Why," "Try This," "Going Global," and "Research Results" boxes. The Use of Force in Criminal Justice combines academic and practitioner perspectives, making the book well-suited for undergraduate and graduate courses in criminal justice as well as professional training and executive education. The text is accompanied by online resources such as PowerPoints, lesson notes, and a test bank. The Use of Force in Criminal Justice is an invaluable aid for force trainers, risk managers, and attorneys who must understand the research on force and force issues rather than the rhetoric of individual anecdotes and personal system-of-force concepts. ​

Risk Management of Less Lethal Options

Risk Management of Less Lethal Options
Author: R.T. Wyant
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2014-04-28
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1466563036

Force used to quell out-of-control demonstrations or detain unruly individuals can result in litigation and bad press for law enforcement agencies. Injury or loss of life can best be avoided if agencies have accurate knowledge and proper training in less lethal options. Risk Management of Less Lethal Options: Evaluation, Deployment, Aftermath, and Forensics discusses how lessons learned from major disturbances have helped law enforcement professionals develop concepts and techniques that police departments can apply to increase successful outcomes, manage risk, and limit liability. The methods presented in this book were developed over a decade of testing, training, evaluating, deploying, analyzing, and testifying related to the use of these tools. Topics include: The evolution of the less lethal paradigm through the analysis of the outcomes of major incidents Categories of less lethal options—including impact, chemical, electrical, and distraction Riot-control agents (RCAs), which produce rapid sensory irritation or disabling physical effects that disappear within a short time Less lethal impact munitions (LLIMs) that deliver blunt trauma, including the study of their capabilities and limitations Important factors for developing a successful less lethal training program Challenges caused by arrest-related death, in-custody death, and Excited Delirium Syndrome (ExDs) The use and forensic analysis of conducted electrical weapons (CEWs)/Tasers Effective post-event report writing, evidence collection, and court preparation Risk management of less lethal options requires a complex, multi-tiered approach. This volume provides law enforcement professionals with guidelines to manage risk from the street to the courtroom when utilizing less lethal options to subdue offenders. Praise for the Book: This is an incredible resource that is easy to read and extremely informative. —Dan Savage, Captain, Grand Rapids Michigan Police Department Overall, this is essential reading for all involved in law enforcement who use, authorize, or oversee less lethal policy, training and deployments. —Chief Constable (Retired) Ian Arundale, Association of Chief Police Officers, lead on policy and training relating to UK firearms, ‘Less Lethal’ and Conflict Management (2001-2013) What the authors have done in this comprehensive publication is present the operational and technical issues associated with selecting, deploying, and managing the consequence of less lethal options in a very readable way. ... It should be on the reading list of all who have an interest in gaining insight into law enforcement and less lethal options. —Colin Burrows, QPM, UK-based International Adviser on Critical Intervention Police officers, supervisors, incident commanders, managers, administrators and senior executives had all better have a solid grasp of the issues presented in this book. —Joel Johnston, Sergeant, Vancouver Police Department, Canada (Retired 2013); Principal, Defensive Tactics Institute (www.dtidefensivetactics.com)

Guidelines for Investigating Officer-Involved Shootings, Arrest-Related Deaths, and Deaths in Custody

Guidelines for Investigating Officer-Involved Shootings, Arrest-Related Deaths, and Deaths in Custody
Author: Darrell L. Ross
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 810
Release: 2017-07-20
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1317199839

As unrest over officer-involved shootings and deaths in custody takes center stage in conversations about policing and the criminal justice system, Guidelines for Investigating Officer-Involved Shootings, Arrest-Related Deaths, and Deaths in Custody addresses critical investigation components from an expert witness perspective, providing the insights necessary to ensure a complete investigation. Investigating a custodial death or an officer involved in a shooting presents unique and complex issues: estate, community, judicial, agency, involved officer, and public policy interests are all at stake. These types of deaths present various emerging medical, psychological, legal and liability, technical, and investigatory issues that must be addressed through a comprehensive investigation. This book is ideal for students in criminal investigation, death investigation, crime scene investigation, and special topic courses in custodial deaths and officer-involved shootings, as well as for death investigators, law enforcement officers, police administrators, and attorneys.

Concepts of Nonlethal Force

Concepts of Nonlethal Force
Author: Heal, Charles "Sid"
Publisher: Lantern Books
Total Pages: 263
Release: 2020-10-20
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 159056636X

For fifty years, both as a combat veteran, police officer, and trainer for law enforcement and the military, Charles “Sid” Heal has devoted his career to limiting the occasions for catastrophic loss of life and to defusing potentially explosive, life-endangering encounters. He has written on how to de-escalate tense stand-offs, from confrontations with individuals to potential mass disorder (Sound Doctrine: A Tactical Primer); how to formulate strategies, tactics, mission-planning, and decision-making under pressure (Field Command); and how to examine floor plans of houses to enable special forces to end hostage scenarios and home sieges with minimal loss of life (An Illustrated Guide to Tactical Diagramming). In Concepts of Nonlethal Force, Heal explores the ever-growing array of nonlethal options and implements that promise to restore order to out-of-control situations, such as riots, or to tackle assailants in a way that lessens the risk of somebody being killed—whether it’s the officer or the suspect. Heal also examines the history of non-lethal interventions, and the many ambiguities and difficulties associated with employing these items so as to minimize casualties, lower the likelihood of harm to innocent bystanders, and reduce property and collateral damage.