In this blog I’d
like to focus on the case of Michael Brown case and how I believe that the “Use
of Force” model is misunderstood. Before I continue into the bulk of my post,
though, I’d like to say that I know this would have been a very touchy subject even
without the media outrage and the movements it has inspired. Although I do not
want to make this a commentary on media and what they’ll do for views, this
will play a part in my writing, and I hope that it does not sound like it’s
influencing my decision too much.
You
know the story (or, at least, all that can be known) - Michael Brown had just
graduated high school almost a week previous to the incident. He allegedly
robbed a convenience store, then was found by police officer Darren Wilson
walking down the middle of the street. Wilson soon realized that Brown matched
the description of the man who had robbed the convenience store, so he called
for backup and confronted him again, but this time, there was a struggle, after
which Brown was shot (according to Wilson, in self-defense)
The
question I propose is this- how much is too much force to use? My dad is a
former police officer who now runs his own private detective agency. According
to him, there are different “levels” of force.
They are as follows (http://policelink.monster.com/training/articles/9728-six-levels-of-force)-
1. Officer’s
Presence & Demeanor
a.
This is the first level, which states that the
officer simply being there and using his stances and body language communicate
a certain level of “force” over a situation
2. Verbal
Control
a.
This has to do with words used and inflection.
It begins with persuasion and advanes to using heavy levels of control (giving
orders)
3. Physical
Control
a.
When an officer thinks the situation is
escalating and the person in question makes a move on them, they can first
hold, then use pressure, then use passive counter maneuvers. When that fails,
an officer may begin to use active counter maneuvers, which means that they can
begin to take control of the situation in a more direct and physical way. As
stated in the Brown case, Brown was reaching into the car, which meant that
Wilson was authorized to use this level at that time.
4. Serious
Physical Control
a.
Electronic devices, such as tazers, can be used
once the officer can no longer overcome a situation using his own physical
abilities.
5. Impact
and Weapons
a.
A verbal warning is given by an officer that he
is going to use a weapon, after which a hand is placed on a baton, the baton is
readied for action, and then, if there is still not compliance from the person
in question, the baton can be used.
6. Deadly
Force
a.
If an officer believes that none of the previous
methods can be used, a vocal warning is again given, followed by them putting
their hand on a gun, then the gun being drawn, the gun being pointed, and
finally shots being fired.
In the case of Michael Brown, it
was reported that there was no use-of-force report filed by the Ferguson police
department. If the stories, witness reports, and the testimonies of the
individuals involved are correct, however, then Wilson believed that, when
Michael Brown was coming at him with lowered arms, he was going to be attacked,
and by considering his situation (Michael was much larger than him, his serious
physical control would not necessarily work, and his baton would be useless
against such a large guy), he decided that his best chance of survival was with
deadly force.
Whether
this is correct or not is up for debate, as are the details of the encounter. I
do not want to state my personal opinions on the matter on the internet, mostly
because anything I might believe would be based on only possibly true
information, and as such I don’t want to become stuck to an opinion when I can
still be swayed otherwise. I do know, however, that if the “levels of force”
were better understood, there would be more intelligent conversations happening
across the media, the internet, and in academic environments.
