The Use of Force in Law Enforcement
The use of force in law enforcement refers to the amount of effort that the police and other law enforcement officers apply to compel an unwilling subject to comply. Notably, the use of force in law enforcement is categorized as reasonable or unreasonable, depending on the situation and effort. Reasonable use of force is the one that does not violate human rights, and it can be justified by the law (Conda, 2004). In this case, a victim cannot make claims against the government and cannot recover any damages from injuries suffered. In line with Conda’s (2004) definition, excessive use of force by law enforcement officers refers to the use of force that violates human rights and cannot be justified by the law.
The use of reasonable force is justified under the law in situations where the suspect to be apprehended is not complying with the orders. Mainly, this implies that a police officer has established that the suspect is unlikely to comply with rules after numerous attempts (Conda, 2004). For instance, a police officer may use force if the suspect has declined to raise his hands. The use of unreasonable force is justified in situations where a suspect poses a threat to the lives of police officers and other people (Conda, 2004). For instance, police officers can use excessive force if the suspect threatens them with a weapon such as a gun and a knife. Notably, the use of excessive force is limited.
The current trend of using force by the police is alarming. Although in most instances, police officers use reasonable or justifiable force in handling suspects, there are other cases where the use of force is malicious, racially instigated, or based on incompetence. For example, Laqman versus Van Dyke is a case that involved the use of excessive force (Evan, 2018). In 2014, Van Dyke, a white policeman, shot a young African American named Laqman 16 times. Notably, this occurred despite that Laqman had surrendered and was lying on the ground. In this regard, I feel that the police officer was motivated by factors such as racism when he used excessive force on a person who had already cooperated.