ODW23C29 – Police Use of Force

Course Materials: Conference recording and a PDF of the PowerPoint slides.

Description: This session will explore Fourth Amendment standards governing police uses of force as interpreted by the court in Tennessee v. Garner (1985) and Graham v. Connor (1989) and federal statutes that prohibit the unnecessary or excessive use of force. Upon completion, attendees should have a working knowledge of the objective reasonableness standard in assessing police uses of force, lethal force used to prevent the escape of a fleeing suspect, elements of an excessive force action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, the concept of under color of law in excessive force prosecution, and the concept of qualified immunity in excessive force defense. Upon completion, attendees should have a working knowledge of the objective reasonableness standard in assessing police uses of force, lethal force used to prevent the escape of a fleeing suspect, elements of an excessive force action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, the concept of under color of law in excessive force prosecution, and the concept of qualified immunity in excessive force defense.

Course Year: 2023