Essay On Coercive Force

Introduction

Officers of the law have obtained a substantial amount of discretion due to the profession they chose. Police officers are confronted with several situations which can be threatening or potentially lethal to them to which they must react rapidly but suitably. They have also been granted the authority to infringe upon any citizen’s rights and freedoms but with great power comes great responsibilities. The foremost growing concern in today’s society is shown when police officers decide to ‘test their discretion and apply the use of force or lethal force during their encounters. Klahm IV, C., Frank, J., & Liederbach, J., (2014) argue that the defining role of police is to control civilians and to ensure the peoples safety, furthermore

(2014), coercive force can be defined as anything that can lead to the harm of an individual. Coercive force is not just limited to physical altercation which include punching, kicking, hitting or using a weapon but also includes acts of verbal harassment and even nonviolent behaviors such as gesture conducted by traffic officers. Reviewing Phillips, S., (2010), he states that the use of force should be restricted at all times and applied only as a last resort. The use of any force should be justified solely if all other measures of de-escalation have failed. Police officers must first explore the options of discussion, persuasion, mediation, and negotiations before turning to the use of force. In contrast, the exertion of force is sometimes inevitable, nevertheless the officers must take all precautions necessary when exercising their rights to ensure they do not impose any pain that can cause an inhumane treatment to a person. This is known as the continuum of force (Terrill, W., & Paoline, E., 2013). The continuum of force measures the idiosyncratic forms of force utilized by police officers. The lowest level, known as the minimal force, can be applied and labeled as handling a person too assertively. Whereas, the highest level of the continuum of force is called maximum force, that can be described simply as the use of lethal force; which includes the use of Conducted Energy Devices, also known as CEDs, such as Tasers,

According to Sousa, W., Ready, J., & Ault, M., (2010), the use of conducting energy devices, or CEDs, to regulate or pacify aggressive suspects has become a more common practice across North America. However, there is growing controversy surrounding the use of Tasers. Police departments claim that they can incapacitate suspects without causing any bodily harm and or anguish. When in fact, several studies have been conducted and display that certain deaths have been connected to the use of Tasers Sousa, W., Ready, J., & Ault, M. (2010). Just a mere eight years ago, Canada experienced yet again, what conductive energy devices are truly capable of. On October 13, 2007, Robert Dziekanski left Poland to join his mother in Canada. Upon entering the Vancouver airport to meet his mother, Robert was sitting and or sleeping in the luggage carousel area which is prohibited to the public. After the Canadian Border Service Agency escorted Robert to the waiting area, he became aggressive, banging on the door and screaming to let him back into the luggage carousel portion of the airport. At this time four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers, or RCMP, were called in for assistance. The officers used the Taser on Mr. Dziekanski a total of four times before he fell unconscious and died on the scene. An autopsy furthered unveiled that Robert Dziekanski’s death can be directly linked to the use of force applied by the