Winning Use of Force
Target
Audience
A (3)
three-day critical thinking course for street officers, instructors,
first-line, middle management and executive leadership positions within
in law enforcement, correctional, and prosecutorial attorneys.
Description
Uses of force situations are rare in law enforcement, but attention to
the issue is not. Every day, law enforcement professionals are wrongly
accused of excessive force. Often, the actual use of force was legally
justified and objectively reasonable. But the actions officers take
before, during and after force often paints the incident in a bad light.
Learn how to act at each critical stage in use of force situations and
why the pen is mightier than the sword. This course will focus on
actions during the incident itself, how to win in court (civil and
criminal) and on the use of force report as the important first line of
defense in a civil lawsuit. That report - in which the officer documents
3 seconds of action - will be used to judge his or her decisions for
three years or more.
Training Goals and Objectives
The goal of the training program
is to prepare the sworn law enforcement to do the following: be able to
“walk the walk” as well as “talk the talk” on use of force,
familiarizing with contemporary use of force case law and its
implications for law enforcement; be able to discuss use of force
intelligently, on paper and on the witness stand; learn what tricks
attorneys use to trip up law enforcement officer-witnesses; familiarize
with signs of aggression; how to overcome confrontational stress and its
effect on how the officer recalls the incident; writing a
well-documented, legally defensible use of force report; learn what
elements must be included in reports dealing with different types of
force; mechanics of report review.
Training Audience, Format and
Content
This course is intended for
various levels of experienced sworn law enforcement officers and related
personnel. The intent of the trainer is to provide information relevant
to surviving a use of force incident and its aftermath in court and
throughout the legal system, which can sometimes be more taxing than the
use-of-force incident itself.
This course can be taught to any
number of students at one time. However, it is most successful when
taught and received with audiences of 40 officers or fewer. Smaller
groups enable officers to have more direct dialog with the instructor
and other students.
The course is designed as a
three-day course, to be conducted from 0830 to 1630 hours daily.
Daily content and course
schedule/agenda:
Day
One:
Walking the walk and talking the talk:
Familiarize with contemporary use of force case law and
terminology
Avoiding liability through policy and training development
Suspect resistance and officer response levels, including escalation of
force
Day Two:
Winning in court: the games lawyers play
The Use of Force Report: The First Line of Defense
How to use facts to your advantage
Avoiding cop clichés that set off alarms in court
Day Three:
Making courtroom observers “stand in the shoes” of the
officer when force was used
Specific elements that must be included in specific types of
force situations
Reviewing the use of force report: making it better
There are no pre–requisites to
this course.
Student Evaluation
The evaluation process will consist
of class participation, active involvement in case reviews and
participation in visual recognition exam.
Limitations / Special
Needs: None
Any audio/visual or POSTC/Academy
facility or staff needs will be addressed on a case-by-case basis, but
might include the use of an electronic projection unit, audio or marker
board materials, and an area (either grass or gym mats) where officers
can practice use of the SWARM technique and use of the hobble restraint.
This course is approved and
POST/POSTC/TCLEOS certified in the following states: California,
Washington, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Delaware,
Minnesota, Massachusetts, Nevada
Student Materials
Student materials will involve
copies of the [123 page] training manual “Winning Use Of Force”
A wide range of digital video and
PowerPoint presentations will be used in the training session, and the
instructor will come prepared with everything he will need to make this
an informative, fast-paced learning experience.
Detailed lesson plans are
available as needed, but copies of the PowerPoint presentations and
digital videos cannot be supplied with this document.
Evaluations of Past Courses
Evaluations of past presentations
are available upon request if this material and telephonic interviews
are not satisfactory. In addition, we are happy to provide the names of
references from all across America to assist you in your decision.
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