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| A proper use of force report — protection against liability |
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To successfully combat a use of force lawsuit, an officer must do two things. First, and most importantly, the officer needs to be right (i.e., reasonable) in the use of force. Second, the officer must carefully and clearly document why he/she was right and reasonable. Most departments refer to such a report as a “Use of Force Report.” This designation can be misleading as it tends to indicate a focus on the officer’s actions rather than the resistive actions of the subject. Because the subject’s level of resistance will always determine the officer’s response, and every action taken by the officer is to gain compliance, the report must first focus on the actions of the resistor. |
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