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

62 страница из 73

ssss1

The basic concept of the force continuum is that different types of threats can be handled with different tactics. Not everything can be solved with a kind word or a wristlock and not every situation requires a gun. The force continuum is an attempt to scale needs to actions so that administrators, juries, and other interested parties can estimate whether the force used in a situation was appropriate.

The simple fact is that fights, especially some of the ugly ones that last a long time or involve extreme levels of force, are extremely chaotic and don’t fit easily into boxes. Built into Use of Force training, along with all the levels of the force continuum, are all the reasons to depart from it.

As I write this, there is a debate raging in many agencies about whether to abandon the concept of a force continuum altogether. The argument for maintaining it is mentioned above: it makes certain elements of force application and policy easy to explain and to teach.

The arguments against are more varied. The most common complaint I hear from officers and trainers is that some officers and many juries will be led to believe that since the continuum is presented in steps, the officer is required to try every level, starting at the bottom, in every situation.