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Police Use of Forceby Richard HannibalIn our business, rarely do people call the police department to tell us to "have a nice day." More commonly, some of the people we deal with are under the influence of something, be it anger, alcohol, drugs, past criminal history, or mental issues. And from time to time, in dealing with these persons "under the influence," verbal communication and persuasion does not work and we must resort to other means and force options in order to control the situation. Sometimes doing what is necessary to affect an arrest generates complaints of excessive use of force. We hear about police abuse of force from time to time. It is rare, but when it happens, it casts all police officers in a bad light. To combat excessive use of force, law enforcement agencies like the Morro Bay Police Department have numerous safeguards in place. These begin with a hiring process that includes an extensive screening process, very intense background investigations, polygraph examinations, and psychological testing. We look for candidates that do not possess the traits of bad officers. Once a man or woman becomes a police officer, there are additional safeguards and remedies involving excessive use of force. There is on-going training in ethics, communication, and the law - both criminal and civil - that dictates, "only that force necessary will be used to make an arrest." The officer is also exposed to the concepts of strict discipline and teamwork. A police officer has the authority and responsibility to enforce the law and provide a safe environment for the public, using force, if necessary, in making an arrest and/or overcoming violence. The following codes provide this authority.
Both mental and physical conditioning is extremely important in an officer's duties. In addition to physical fitness, the MBPD officer is trained in the proper use of communication and verbal persuasion including their mere professional appearance. We call this "Command Presence" and "Verbal Judo." It begins with a badge and uniform that represents our authority and proceeds on to the officer using effective communication to verbally get compliance. This works most of the time. There are those occasions when our presence and communication doesn't work and we have to use other options. These may include less lethal tools or even deadly force. Some of the tools available to us include OC (Oleoresin Capsicum spray – commonly known as pepper spray), Taser, baton, and bean bag shot gun. Common examples of where communication does not work include having to arrest someone under the influence of a controlled substance or someone who is mentally unstable. Deadly force is something we never want to use, but we train for it constantly. Good tactics and confidence in our weapons, the ability to use them, and the ability to make ethical decisions minimizes potential miss-use. Finally, there is constant scrutiny by supervisors, administrators, the District Attorney's Office, the courts - both criminal and civil - and yes, the citizens of Morro Bay. We welcome this scrutiny knowing that law enforcement must be held accountable in order to have the confidence of those we serve. As per Morro Bay Police Policy, use of force is documented and reviewed by a Critical Incident Review Board (CIRB). We also have de-briefings in hopes we will learn from what transpired and evolve in our tactical responses to violence. We are ever vigilant as individual officers and as a professional organization to make sure miss-use of force is not tolerated. |
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