Page 15 - 1Proactive Policing

Pro-Active Policing

discriminatory factor. According to the FBI statute, law enforcement agents can use deadly force
in the following situations:

 Self-defense if there is immediate danger to the officer or bystanders
 To stop an offender from using explosives that put others‘ lives in danger
 Subduing an offender who has nuclear weapons or nuclear explosive devices

 To prevent theft, sabotage, or control over a site that contains nuclear material
 During apprehension if the suspect is posing a threat to the officer or bystanders

The FBI statute also requires that the law enforcement agent use a verbal command to tell the
suspect to stop before the use of deadly force.

Law enforcement agents have to make split second decisions. There are statutes that make it

legal for law enforcement agents to use deadly force, such as when they feel they are in danger.
The statutes also define situations in which deadly force is not lawful. Additionally, each individual
state has their own laws that govern and specify different circumstances in which deadly force can

be used.

Every year police in the United States kill hundreds of people 461 in 2013, according to

incomplete FBI statistics based on self-reporting from local law enforcement agencies and more
than 1,000 in 2014 according to killedbypolice.net, which combs through media reports.

Deadly force laws define the circumstances in which the use of deadly force is legal. Deadly force
can be defined as any physical force that is capable of causing death or serious bodily harm to

another person. When determining whether physical force was deadly or not, the court will usually
have to review the totality of the circumstances surrounding the event.

The use of deadly force by the police remains a national issue. The deadly force issue has found
its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Court decisions have altered related laws across the

nation. Ironically, criminal law itself could not resolve the emerging issues and problems revolving
around the ―fleeing felon statutes‖ in various state jurisdictions. Eventually, citizens sought civil
damages under 42 U.S.C. 1983 and other landmark decisions that restructured criminal statutes,

the police use of deadly force, and law enforcement protocols.

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