Community Corner
Bethlehem Police Department Report On The Use Of Force
Police Officers are trained and authorized by law to use force under certain circumstances.
July 14, 2020
Police Officers are trained and authorized by law to use force under certain circumstances. Each state has its own laws, case law and regulations addressing the use of force.
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The Federal Government and the Department of Justice also have case law and guidelines on the use of force for law enforcement. Each police department thus should have a written use of force policy that is in compliance with their state law, federal laws, guidelines and standards.
The policy should specify under what conditions force is authorized, the type of force authorized, the level of force authorized and de-escalation techniques that should be utilized.
Every police – citizen contact is different. Some are very casual and some become very violent very quickly. No two situations are the same, nor are any two officers the same.
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According to independent research sources, it is estimated that police agencies in the U.S. handle approximately 192,851,292 calls and made approximately 11,000,000 arrests a year.
Today, use of force is being questioned because of several questionable police - citizen incidents involving force that resulted in deaths and serious injuries.
This press release was produced by the City of Bethlehem. The views expressed here are the author’s own.