Читать книгу Force Decisions. A Citizen's Guide to Understanding How Police Determine Appropriate Use of Force онлайн

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Force is never to be used for punishment. Legally and ethically, the duty of an officer is to bring the threat to the justice system for his guilt to be determined and for the courts to set punishment. Punishment is not the officer’s job.

There is another, deeper reason that experienced officers come to understand—a very practical reason why force is never to be used as punishment completely separate from theories of justice or ethics. We will discuss that insight in section 1.9, “Scaling Force.”

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Force is always used on a person and that person is called the Threat. There are several good reasons for that word. First and foremost, it is a reminder that it is the person’s actions and capabilities that justify force. Not appearance, not smell, not history (though history can enter the equation). The Threat’s ability to harm, to escape, sometimes just to sit there, is what justifies force.

In order to be an “immediate threat” the Threat must have Intent, Means, and Opportunity. And, the officer must be able to explain how he knew it.