The Intersection of Law and Current Law Enforcement Practices on Use of Force and Electronic Control Devices/TASER
This session will focus on current police practices related to use of force and TASER. It is well known that use of force makes up the largest percentage of section 1983 claims for municipal law enforcement. It is essential that attorneys representing municipalities have knowledge of the current practices from both a policy and training perspective with respect to use of force. Issues such as law enforcement’s consideration of eliminating force continuums and the reasons behind these changing practices will be discussed. The session will tie in the case law with respect to these changing practices. As more law enforcement agencies have adopted the TASER for use, there has been a tsunami of litigation related to such use. A portion of this session will be dedicated to the use of Electronic Control Weapons to include current training, policies, and practices. The discussion will consider the “death cases;” “the flight cases;” “the elevation cases;” and the “vulnerable persons” cases. The session will tie in multiple cases decided throughout the country to support the current framework of current law enforcement training and policy. This session will also offer strategies that municipal attorneys can consider for advising their police department on ways to diminish liability in the areas of use of force generally and TASER specifically.
Speaker: Jack Ryan