Look For The Pause

This post is only offered as a discussion topic only and does not represent legal advice. Officers must refer to the laws in their own State as well as their agency's policies, which can be more restrictive on officers that the law requires.

I've reviewed over a thousand use of force incidents in my career. Occasionally, something we'll see is officers involved in a use of force feeling like they have to get the suspect into handcuffs as soon as possible. The panic caused by that feeling can lead officers to use more force than is necessary had they just recognized that slowing down and trying to reach a pause in the incident was more appropriate.

One of the most common places this is seen is when the suspect is pinned on the ground hiding their hands underneath their body. Most times, this is a great place for officers to slow the incident down, breath, and communicate with their partners about using technique to free those hands. Unfortunately, the perceived rush to get the suspect into handcuffs can lead some officers to start throwing punches which leads to broken hands, upset onlookers, unnecessary suspect injuries and greater liability for everyone. 

Teach your officers that its OK, even expected, to slowed down an incident when possible, take a breath and use their techniques to solve the problem.