Reference no: EM133492887

Problem

Early in the afternoon, a patrol officer notices two men, between 17-20 years of age, walking in the middle of the street. The street has no other traffic and is in a residential part of the city. The officer pulls alongside the two and orders them to use the sidewalk rather than walking in the street. A brief argument ensues, during which verbal insults are exchanged. Infuriated by the officer's response and his use of authority, one of the boys reaches through the car window and grabs the officer's shirt with one hand while trying to hit him with the other. During the exchange, the officer fears that the boy is trying to reach into the patrol car to take his gun. The officer reaches for his gun.

Witnessing the exchange frightens the other boy, who quickly runs from the area.

1. Describe the action(s) you would take in the circumstances described.

2. Explain your rationale for the action(s) you took.

3. Evaluate the response of one colleague through the lens of a citizenMy initial response to this scenario is that if I were the officer I would not have "ordered' the young men to the sidewalk but instead would have asked them to use the sidewalk and explained that their safety is more important than enjoying the view walking down the middle of the roadway. However, because this situation has escalated and now, I am in an altercation with one of the young men I would attempt to ensure the young man cannot gain control of my weapon by either securing the young man or maintain control of the weapon in my own hands. This action in it of itself is enough in most cases to cause the aggressor to stop their own behavior. The show of force by simply withdrawing my gun from the holster and drawing usually will cause most people to pause and take account of the situation they've gotten themselves into. If this were the case in this instance, I would then attempt to secure the young man and radio dispatch to request help and inform of the situation. Relaying the information of what just happened as well as alerting other officers of the young man who ran. My rationale is that I tend to lean toward the rule of reasonableness is most circumstances. Would it be reasonable to assume that if the young man gained control of my weapon he could harm me? Yes, of course. Is it reasonable to use deadly force based on the circumstances? Absolutely not. Keeping a reasonable mind, control of my emotions, and my duty to preserve life would be at the forefront of my mind. As explained by (Brandl, 2018, p. 255) "Officers are expected and trained to use as much force as necessary, and only as much force is necessary, to stop the threat with which they are confronted."

Reference

Brandl, S. G. (2018). Police in America. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.