Originally posted by: JDawg1536
Originally posted by: JD50
The cop didn't do anything wrong, this thread fails.
The cop did everything wrong. He did not handle the situation properly at all. All this talk about "he was being nice, he was cutting them a break, the kid mouthed off, blah blah bullshit" is COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT! Here in the United States of America, all law enforcement officers are trained to follow the same rules. Sometimes called the "Use of Force Model" or "Escalation of Force Model", this chart dictates how an officer can react to a certain situation depending on the suspects actions. Basically the only time an officer is allowed do anything to the suspect is when the SUSPECT FIRST ESCALATES THE SITUATION. An officer may never escalate his use of force first. Never. There are five levels to the model. There are many variations to the model but they all mean the same thing. The levels on the suspect action side will go something like this : 1. Cooperative- self explanatory 2. Resistant Passive- "no sir I won't put my hands behind my back 3. Resistant Active- moving away from an arrest attempt or locking arms 4. Assaultive- attempting to hit the officer 5. Serious Bodily Harm or Death to the Officer or Others- assault using weapons.
Now tell me, what level was the skateboarder? Answer: Level 1.
On the officer side of the model are the following five levels: 1. Cooperation Controls- verbal control 2. Contact Controls- placing hands on the suspect, joint manipulation, pressure points 3. Compliance techniques- stun gun, chemical spray, low risk of injury to suspect 4. Defensive tactics- baton, stun gun, chemical spray, neck restraints 5. Lethal- guns
What level was the officer? Answer: 2
Black and white, cut and dry, clear as day..... The officer was wrong. The fact that it was a 13 year old boy who weighs less than my dog only makes it look worse. The officer may always use a lower level of force, but never higher. Think of it as a math equation. Suspect action minus officer response may never be less than ZERO. Suspect was cooperative = 1. Officer used contact controls = 2....... 1-2 = -1.... = OFFICER WAS WRONG