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Originally Posted by stanley_white
I know one department where Taser is 2d on their force continum to Officer Presence.
"Get on the ground!"
"No!"
Zap!
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What state is it in? In many ways, that may be practical way of doing things. I can only speak for CA law, but if the officer has a valid detention, the suspect is bound by law to obey the officer. Once the people in that area understand that they HAVE to obey the officers commands, things go alot smoother. In my department, I have seen officers NOT go hands on or act when they should. They give a command and when the suspect doesn't comply, they ask again, and again until either the suspect finally complies or another officer jumps in and takes control of the situation. The problem lies in that while the suspect is not complying, he (or she) has the time to stand there and think about whether they are going to comply or not and if not, to plan their moves, leaving the officer at risk.
My department no longer has a use of force continuum. We have a policy that explains our Control Devices (baton, OC, etc) but our Use of Force policy basically follows section 835 of the Penal Code and states that an officer "may use reasonable force to affect an arrest, to prevent escape or to overcome resistance. However, the key to any use of force, civilian or LE, is ARTICULATION. No matter the level of force used, you BETTER be able to explain why you use the force you did.
I'll write more later.