and CORRECT Answers
Force used by officers will be Deadly or Non-Deadly
Force used by offenders will be Deadly or Non-Deadly - CORRECT ANSWER - Officers
use force to defend themselves or others, make arrests, prevent escapes, avoid unnecessary
injury/death, and ultimately control unlawful offender resistance as quick as possible
Offenders use force to resist arrest, escape, and/or avoid detection and apprehension.
Documenting use of force - CORRECT ANSWER - Assessment of initial call
Observations made during call
Actions taken
Summary of encounter
Force Variables - CORRECT ANSWER - The amount of force an officer employs in
effecting control or defending himself/herself in generally guided by surrounding circumstances,
including, but not limited to, the following
(1) Subject behavior - physical and verbal actions, signs of impairment
(2) Totality of the circumstances - known factors
(3) Environmental conditions - lighting, location, weather, terrain
(4) Reaction time/distance from subject - effective response
(5) Multiple subjects/officers
(6) Size and gender of the officer and subject
, (7) Skill level of the officer - physical ability/condition, training level
(8) Apparent skill level of suspect - physical appearance, demonstrated ability
(9) Age of subject/officer
(10) Injury or exhaustion - physical impairment of officer
(11) Weapon availability - officer's issued weapon, weapons in the immediate area
(12) Availability of alternative action - disengagement, use of multiple officers
(13) Previous knowledge of subject - previous behavior, use/possession of weapon
Use of Force in Arrest, N.C.G.S. 15A-401 - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Subject to the
provision of subdivision (2), a law enforcement officer is justified in using force upon another
person when and to the extent that he reasonably believes it necessary:
To prevent the escape from custody or to effect an arrest of a person who he reasonably believes
had committed a criminal offence, unless he knows that the arrest is unauthorized; or
b) To defend himself or a third person from what he reasonably believes to be the use or
imminent use of physical force while effecting or attempting to effect an arrest or while
preventing or attempting to prevent an escape
Deadly Force - CORRECT ANSWER - To defend himself/herself or a third person from
what he/she reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of deadly physical force.
To effect an arrest or to prevent the escape from custody of a person who he/she reasonably
believes is attempting to escape by means of a deadly weapon, or who by his/her conduct or any
other means indicates that he/she presents an imminent threat of death or serious physical injury
to others unless apprehended without delay
For the law enforcement officer, the amount of force which may be employed in attaining the
law enforcement purpose will be determined by surrounding circumstances. The U.S. Supreme
Court has imposed a "reasonableness" standard to determine the propriety of an officer's use of
force, which takes into consideration all surrounding circumstances.