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The Intersection of Police, Law, Policy, and Practice.
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Our Recent Posts
Use-of-Force Social Experiments Expose Officers to Criminal Liability
In civil cases, the 4th Amendment's "reasonableness" standard reflects the operational reality that threat assessments and responses are...
Defending Reasonable Force
Police use of force is evaluated under the "totality of the circumstances." Some courts emphasize the "Graham" factors, some emphasize...
“Epidemic of Police Violence”
Police use of force is statistically rare, and most Americans will never witness, let alone experience, "police violence." In fact,...
Police Can Learn from International Use of Force Law
When trying to determine what is "international law" relative to use-of-force, courts look to what is formally adopted as well as other...
Police Leadership for 2021
"As professionals, we have a mandate to pursue constant and never-ending improvement. As we address use of force issues in 2021, police...
How to Defend American Policing
American Police are master persuaders! They inspire cooperation a thousand times for every one time they use, or even threaten to use,...
Social Justice Accountability
As it sits, there is a constant and rising tension between traditional law and order interests (e.g. crime reduction, public safety, law...
It's Not a Fair Fight!
In deadly force encounters, we know that action beats reaction, and that police are at a disadvantage when trying to identify and respond...
From De-Escalation to Use of Force
When can an officer stop talking and force compliance? The answer seems simple: When the risk of allowing the individual's behavior to...
Emotional Trigger Control
“Emotional trigger control” is a self-regulation tool that prevents us from being influenced by emotional triggers. By identifying...
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