Improper Use of Deadly Force by Police Officers

In July of 2012, police officers were called to a local convenience store in Saginaw, Michigan where a homeless man named Milton Hall was seen carrying a knife and had just stolen a cup of coffee from the store. Frantically, they tried to subdue the man by telling him to place the knife on the ground. But because of his inability to do as they say, forty six shots were taken at him leaving him dead at the scene. This is only one of many tragic stories that continue to occur in society today with Police Officers and their improper use of deadly force. In many situations the lives of others can be taken in an instant because of improper use of force from the officers, but the use of force is inevitable when dealing with their work. Force is

In these situations deadly force may be needed to constrain individuals that are threatening another individual or even the officers themselves. Police Officers should be able to use deadly force when they are in a situation that is dangerous. If a person has put them into a position where they they do not feel safe or could be harmed if they don’t take action then deadly force could and should be used if the officer feels it is necessary.

When judging if laws for deadly force should become more strict one may say that if laws do in fact become more aggressive with the matter then more harm could come to the officers or others at the scene. With restrictions coming along with how much force is used officers can be put into an even more harmful situation because they would not be able to protect themselves as much as needed. The use of force can pertain to many different actions a police officer participates in. Force can range from simply verbal commands to the dangerous use of lethal force. Police no doubt need to have discretion to use force to protect themselves as well as community. Guidelines need to be set so that officers continue to incorporate and maintain the

Many guidelines have been set to control this but officers still do not seem to follow all of the rules they are supposed to follow putting them in these situations. The Model Penal Code is an example of this and allows officers to use deadly force “only in situations where the crime that the suspect is arrested for involved the use or threatened use of deadly force or if there is a substantial risk that the suspect would seriously harm or kill someone else if the arrest were delayed”. All officers do have the right in using force when attempting to arrest a citizen but with restrictions. This means if an officer is charged with assault, battery, or murder they have the right to fight for their case and prove that the force was necessary to regain control of the situation and maintain a safe community. To help better understand whether deadly force is warranted in an situation a Police Foundation that is located in Washington, DC created guidelines that are used in any given scenario. They determined that deadly force is weighted solely on the officer’s training and experience that they have received. In an interview a Woodland Hills civil attorney named Dale K. Galipo stated, "The training suggests that deadly force can only be used as a last resort in the direst of circumstances, when no other reasonable options are available. I think the vast majority