Decision Making Case Study: excessive use of Force in Violent Pursuit of a Suspect by Policemen

Decision Making Case Study

Date

Name

Institution

Central Issues of this case

The central issues in this case involve the excessive use of force by the police and their engagement in violent pursuit of a suspect. The officer on the spotlight is Officer Ripley who is patrolling the industrial park as an extra job. There has been a report that the industrial park is affected by vandalism and theft of materials used for building. After being confronted by a suspicious vehicle, Officer Ripley approaches it with the spotlight on, and upon seeing the car starting towards him, he releases his unapproved dog in this mission and fires a warning shot into the ground. He also strikes the suspect’s car with a Taser which is unauthorized. The Pineville County Sheriff's Department has been under heavy scrutiny following excessive use of force by the police during their pursuit which led to the death of a 14-year-old juvenile. The department has instigated severe rules to curb such behavior. Officer Ripley’s behavior in investigating the suspect comes at the time when compliance with the rules set to limit excessive use of force during police pursuits is under strict investigation.

Use-of-Force Policy

Deputy Raymond Ripley's behavior was in compliance with the use of force policy. According to the new rules set by the Pineville County Sheriff’s Department, ‘a police pursuit may be cancelled by a supervisor if the pursuit does not involve a violent felony crime or other reasonable circumstances warranting the danger and potential liability’. In this case, Officer Ripley called Dispatch for backup when he suspected that the suspect he had could be involved in theft or vandalism in the area but the commander lieutenant on patrol did no...

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Justification of using excessive force; the officers are not justified to use force for facts unknown to him. No matter how compelling the facts unknown to the officer are, his actions of using excessive force especially the Taser are not justified. Ripley used excessive force on the suspect based on his unknown facts which renders him at fault.

Additional policies needed include education of the public on policing. This will reduce the tendency of the public declining arrest. If the public complies with the police, the police will have no justifiable reasons to use excessive force when arresting or examine a suspect.

References

Kenneth J. Peak, (2009), Justice Administration: Police, Courts, and Corrections Management (6th Edition), Prentice Hall.

Samuel Walker, (2001), Police Accountability: The Role of Citizen Oversight, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, p. 141.