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Essay / Exploring Excessive Force in Law Enforcement
Table of Contents DEFINING EXCESSIVE FORCE BEING REASONABLE THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING ETHICS AND MORAL VALUE UNDERSTANDING EXCESSIVE FORCE CONCLUSION The interaction between police and audience is now different from more traditional styles. Community policing, a newer style of policing, focuses on law enforcement's interaction with the community. However, this policy change has not addressed what constitutes excessive force. This is largely because what the public considers excessive may be different from what law enforcement defines. Additionally, studies briefly address the causes of excessive force and how individuals can deal with it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay DEFINING EXCESSIVE FORCE In general, excessive force occurs when an individual uses unreasonable force to de-escalate a situation or protect themselves from danger. One problem with this brief definition is that it does not also define what is reasonable for every situation a law enforcement officer might find themselves in. The stresses of each call are not definable and how an individual will react to them is not measurable. For a defined definition to be plausible, each situation in which an agent occurs will require a defined standard of reaction techniques. Because each situation is unique and each client has a different personality and character; this presents a challenge. Additionally, the public's view of what is excessive or reasonable is different from that of a law enforcement officer. In recent studies, situations that law enforcement officials considered reasonable were not considered reasonable by the public. This is an issue with the definition of excessive force. Excessive force is different in the eyes of the public and law enforcement. Additionally, what one law enforcement officer considers reasonable may be unreasonable to another. The definition of excessive force is determined by the temporary agent based on the force he considers necessary to control the situation. Based on the moral values, ethics and character of law enforcement, it will be different for two individuals. BE REASONABLE Reasonable judgment is a fair and appropriate model for what is right for that specific situation. However, it is difficult to determine which person will be reasonable when subjected to the stress and responsibility of police work or other law enforcement duties. For an agent to be reasonable about the choices made; the worker must determine if a threat exists and how serious it is. After that, the agent must determine that it is best to control and eliminate the threat. This requires both communication skills and physical skills. Defining a reasonable agent goes hand in hand with determining excessive force. These two definitions go together primarily because a reasonable agent will not use overwhelming force to control a situation. A reasonable agent must be willing to communicate, make quick decisions, and make fair choices depending on the scenario. One way to elicit reasonable responses from law enforcement officers is to mandate periodic training as a standard. Although training cannot change a person's character, it can influence the way they think on a daily basis; this training would also provide agents with communication tacticsnecessary to defuse situations before they become violent. The reasonableness of an action is primarily associated with the necessity of performing it. If a simple solution is not possible and force is necessary, then the choice is reasonable. THE IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING Training requirements in law enforcement have become increasingly regulated. A higher level of education aims to equip law enforcement officers with a sense of responsibility. Regularly providing training to officers would have a similar effect. The training enhances the education of law enforcement officers. Areas of ethics, moral values and communication are essential for law enforcement to control situations without the use of force. It can also help workers with skills that stop the escalation of events that would result in excessive use of force. One of the most crucial factors in policing is the communication skills needed between the community and law workers. It is therefore necessary that the training of agents be recurrent. Small tactics, those that can make the difference between speaking out and using force, can quickly lose their relevance to the officer. The training would reinforce the importance of different tactics that lead to more reasonable and responsible choices during appeals. This is an important aspect of community policing because of the significant amount of time officers spend in contact with civilians. This also allows law enforcement to be informed on how to combat offenders, protect themselves, and control the direction of the fight. Using force to protect yourself is justifiable, but there is a fine line between force and causing trauma. This is where recurrent training comes in and allows agents to think quickly and make those reasonable choices. These reasonable choices allow an agent to determine whether their actions reflect ethical ones. Additionally, training develops situational awareness. The training will be able to provide law enforcement officers with information about situations, their outcomes, and how a reasonable outcome came to be. This is important when it comes to the definition of excessive force because there is no formal definition by law enforcement. Providing officers with unique situations and steps to achieve a safe outcome is a form of educational training. Training is not just about tactics. The most important part is the moral and ethical aspect. While training can help a law enforcement officer in the field, it will not prepare them for every situation. An officer must be prepared for surprises, both mentally and physically; therefore, training should take place every year.ETHICS AND MORAL VALUESIndividuals' ethical values reflect where and how that person was born and believes; it's like personal moral values. Although education and training can deviate from this, it does not necessarily change anything. A person's character is hidden beneath their personality. For this reason, it is difficult to judge how they will react to different stressful situations. Ethics and moral values can give rise to personal biases in certain situations; This is something that is not reasonable. Studies show that these beliefs are linked to the likelihood that a person will use force when stressed. This is due to the person's character, which reflects the person's personal belief system. ;.